Bracket revealed for 2023 NWSL Playoffs
NEW YORK – Following a thrilling final day of regular season matches in the National Women’s Soccer League, the bracket for the 2023 NWSL Playoffs has been set.
No. 4 seed OL Reign kicks off postseason play this Friday, October 20, hosting fifth-seeded Angel City FC at Lumen Field for the first quarterfinal match, set for 10 p.m. ET and streaming live on Paramount+. On the East Coast, the North Carolina Courage earned the No. 3 seed and will host No. 6 seed NJ/NY Gotham FC in the second quarterfinal contest on Sunday, October 22 at 7 p.m. ET at WakeMed Soccer Park, airing on CBS Sports Network.
2023 NWSL Shield winner San Diego Wave FC and No. 2 seed Portland Thorns FC have each earned quarterfinal byes. Finishing second in the regular season standings, Portland will host the winner of North Carolina-Gotham FC at Providence Park on Sunday, November 5 at 7 p.m. ET, while No. 1 seed San Diego will face the winner of Reign-Angel City at 9:30 p.m. ET at Snapdragon Stadium. Both contests will air live on CBS Sports Network.
The 2023 Ally NWSL Championship will air live in primetime at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 11 on the CBS Television Network and Paramount+. Additional coverage details will be announced at a later date. Tickets for the match are available here.
All playoff matches, including the Championship match, will stream internationally outside the U.S. on Watch.NWSLSoccer.com.
With a 5-1 victory over Portland, Angel City earned its first-ever playoff berth after finishing eighth in the league standings last season, with a club record five goals from five different goal scorers helping them to the postseason.
With three NWSL Shields to its name, fourth-seeded OL Reign is on the hunt for its first NWSL Championship crown in 2023, while the No. 3 North Carolina Courage look to add a third title to the club’s trophy cabinet and tie current NWSL Champion Portland for the most Championships in league history.
A 2-2 draw against the Kansas City Current was good enough for a revitalized Gotham FC, who will take on the Courage next Sunday in search of the squad’s second semifinal berth and its first since 2013.
Making their seventh straight playoff appearance, the Thorns travel home to await the winner of the quarterfinal round’s East Coast battle as they look to become the third club to repeat as NWSL Champions, while Wave FC aim to become just the second club to win the NWSL Championship in its home stadium, following the 2019 Courage squad who won the event at WakeMed Soccer Park.
