The NWSL Championship is the annual championship game of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top-flight women's soccer league in the United States. It is the culmination of the NWSL playoffs, which is contested by the teams with the best record in the preceding regular season.
The NWSL uses a playoff tournament following the regular season to determine its annual league champion, similar to every other major North American sports league. This format differs from most soccer leagues around the world, which consider the club with the most points at the end of the season to be the champion; the NWSL honors that achievement with the NWSL Shield. Since 2024, the top eight teams in the regular-season standings earn a berth into the playoff tournament; previously, only the top four or top six teams qualified for the playoffs.
History
The first NWSL Championship was held at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, New York, on August 31, 2013. Tobin Heath and Christine Sinclair helped lead Portland Thorns FC to a 2–0 victory over NWSL Shield winners Western New York Flash. Seattle Reign FC won the Shield the following two seasons and appeared in both championship games, losing each time to FC Kansas City. The North Carolina Courage became the first team to win the Shield and Championship in the same season, doing so in both 2018 and 2019.
The 2023 NWSL Championship set an attendance record for the league final with 25,011 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California; in the retirement game of two legends of the sport, Megan Rapinoe's Reign lost 2–1 to Ali Krieger's NJ/NY Gotham FC. The 2024 championship game was the most-watched game in NWSL history, drawing 967,900 viewers on CBS as the Orlando Pride defeated the Washington Spirit 1–0.
Finals +KeyMatch went to extra timeMatch decided by a penalty shootout after extra time§Team also won the NWSL Shield
+NWSL ChampionshipsDateWinnersScoreRunners-upVenueAttendanceU.S. TV broadcastersU.S. TV viewershipPortland Thorns FC2–0Western New York Flash §Sahlen's Stadium, Rochester, New York9,129Fox Sports 2FC Kansas City2–1Seattle Reign FC §Starfire Sports Stadium, Tukwila, Washington4,252ESPN2FC Kansas City1–0Seattle Reign FC §Providence Park, Portland, Oregon13,264Fox Sports 1Western New York Flash 2–2 Washington SpiritBBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas8,255Fox Sports 1Portland Thorns FC1–0North Carolina Courage §Orlando City Stadium, Orlando, Florida8,124LifetimeNorth Carolina Courage §3–0Portland Thorns FCProvidence Park, Portland, Oregon21,144LifetimeNorth Carolina Courage §4–0Chicago Red StarsSahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, North Carolina10,227ESPN2Washington Spirit 2–1 Chicago Red StarsLynn Family Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky10,360CBSPortland Thorns FC2–0Kansas City CurrentAudi Field, Washington, D.C.17,624CBSNJ/NY Gotham FC2–1OL ReignSnapdragon Stadium, San Diego, California25,011CBSOrlando Pride §1–0Washington SpiritCPKC Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri11,500CBSGotham FC1–0Washington SpiritPayPal Park, San Jose, California18,000CBS
Results by team
, 10 of the 17 teams that have played in the league have appeared in an NWSL Championship, and 7 have won a championship. Portland Thorns FC has appeared at and won the NWSL Championship the most times, with three championships in four appearances.
+NWSL Championship appearances by team Club Won Runner-up Years won Years runner-up Portland Thorns FC 2013, 2017, 2022 2018 North Carolina Courage 2018, 2019 2017 FC Kansas City 2014, 2015 Gotham FC 2023, 2025 Washington Spirit 2021 2016, 2024, 2025 Western New York Flash 2016 2013 Orlando Pride 2024 Seattle Reign FC 2014, 2015, 2023 Chicago Red Stars 2019, 2021 Kansas City Current 2022
Trophy
The first NWSL Championship trophy, used from 2013 to 2022, was a five-sided piece of silver metal that depicted the league's logo—a silhouette of a woman kicking a soccer ball; the golden soccer ball was cutout from the silver shape. The trophy was described as "spatula-like". It was replaced in 2023 by a new trophy designed by Tiffany & Co. for the league as part of a sponsorship agreement. The second trophy, made of 24-karat gold and sterling silver, depicts a soccer ball atop a vertical base between two curved handles, similar to the FIFA Women's World Cup trophy.
See also NWSL Championship Most Valuable Player NWSL records and statistics
Notes and references
External links