Arya News - Gotham FC, San Diego Wave and Washington Spirit, the top 3 seeds in the postseason, may have to play in smaller venues if they win.
With the NWSL playoffs set to start this weekend, the league is reportedly starting to run into issues for the second weekend of the postseason. The top three seeds in the postseason tournament — No. 1 Gotham FC, No. 2 San Diego Wave and No. 3 Washington Spirit — are all struggling with potential stadium conflicts that could affect the semifinals next weekend, per ESPN"s Jeff Kassouf .
After a playoff race that came down to the final day of the regular season , eight NWSL teams are facing off this weekend, paired into four quarterfinals. That will narrow to two semifinals next weekend, with slots on Saturday, Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov. 15, per Kassouf. Timing is still being determined, but the Saturday slot will likely be at noon ET, with the Sunday slot likely at 3 p.m. ET.
However, that Saturday slot is proving tricky to plan for, as the three top seeds are all dealing with stadium conflicts on that day. The top two seeded teams that advance to the semifinals will host that round.
Gotham, which plays in Sports Illustrated Stadium, shares the venue with MLS"s New York Red Bulls, who are set to play Club América in a friendly at 7:30 p.m. later that evening. That friendly was announced on Oct. 5, while the NWSL"s playoff windows have been planned since the start of the season.
In Snapdragon Stadium, the home of the Wave, the semifinal clashes with a San Diego State Football game at 6:30 p.m. local time. Audi Field, where the Spirit play, will be hosting Division III college football (specifically, the "Secretaries Cup" between the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the Merchant Marine Academy) at 1 p.m. ET on Nov. 14.
While the NWSL will have to try and make the best of a bad situation, changing the time slots will not be possible, as the league will try to do everything to maintain its national broadcast windows while navigating the busy weekend slates in the fall.
As a result, the NWSL is reportedly considering other, smaller venues: Per Kassouf, if Gotham and San Diego both win their quarterfinals, Gotham will host a semifinal on Saturday at the 5,000-seat Icahn Stadium alongside the Wave hosting at Snapdragon on Sunday. Gotham had one regular-season game at Icahn Stadium, which is located on Randalls" Island in New York, this season — a 3-2 win over the Seattle Reign in July.
However, there are reportedly a number of other possibilities depending on how the weekend shakes out. For example, if either Gotham or San Diego lose, the Spirit could hold a Saturday semifinal at the Washington Commanders" Northwest Field.
The stadium drama is reminiscent of the venue issues facing the WNBA in last month"s finals. The Atlanta Dream had issues finding a venue for Game 6 due to conflicts with their NBA counterpart Atlanta Hawks. The final solution was to hold the game at 12:30 p.m. ET on a Thursday afternoon in the larger State Farm Arena, rather than use a smaller venue.
Similarly to WNBA teams, NWSL teams are usually second- or third-class tenants in their own home stadiums. For the Wave, since the university owns Snapdragon Stadium, the Aztecs always get priority; Sports Illustrated Stadium, though owned by the county, is operated by the Red Bulls" parent company. Though the Audi Field conflict is not with D.C. United, the Spirit could have been bounced by a United game since the MLS team also operates that stadium.
Another factor is the broadcast windows, with league games tending to get put in earlier or less favorable time slots in order to accommodate other sports. Before 2023, when the current media rights deal was signed, NWSL games being featured on national broadcasts was a rarity. Since then, the league has tried (sometimes with unfortunate results ) to deliver on the national spots it does receive.
When speaking to ESPN, NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke gave the league credit for doing its best in the situation, and pointed to larger investment as an underlying issue.
"The matrix of choices is beyond their control because there"s a lack of political will and investment in women"s sports," Burke told ESPN. "Until you control your own venue, we"re gonna keep having these problems over and over again."
Only one NWSL team, the Kansas City Current, owns and operates its own stadium: The Current"s CPKC Stadium, which seats 11,500, was opened in 2024 . However, the Current"s ability to host a semifinal would rely on two of the top three seeds to lose.