Ranking potential NWSL Championship matchups: Washington Spirit feature in top pick, but watch out for Gotham

The NWSL's last four champions are the last teams standing in this season's edition of the playoffs, the group making up an entertaining mix of potential finalists as each of them eye a spot in the Championship on Nov. 22 at San Jose's PayPal Park.

An exciting round of quarterfinal action, headlined by Gotham FC's win over the Kansas City Current in extra time, paves the way for two much-anticipated semifinals and what could be an entertaining Championship matchup. Much of it will hinge on the availability of key players who missed the quarterfinals – Barbra Banda has already been ruled out of the Orlando Pride's playoff run with a hip injury, while the Washington Spirit's Trinity Rodman and Gotham's Esther Gonzalez were unused substitutes over the weekend. Even without those players, though, there will be several players willing and able to dazzle in their teammates' absence.

Not all potential clashes in San Jose are created equal, though – while each comes with star power and a reasonable promise of on-field spectacle, some of the outcomes come with more intrigue than others. The prospect of rematches, renewed rivalries and showcases for the NWSL's next generation of stars make some matchups more anticipated than others.

Here's a ranking of the potential matchups in the 2025 NWSL Championship.

NWSL Playoffs semifinal schedule

All times U.S./Eastern

Saturday, Nov. 15
Washington Spirit vs. Portland Thorns, 12 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)

Sunday, Nov. 16
Orlando Pride vs. Gotham FC, 3 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+)

4. Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns

The Pride are not a one-person team but with Banda's season-ending hip injury, they have lost some luster – and end product. They averaged 1.35 goals per game during the regular season but their rate dropped to 1.1 in the 10 games Banda missed at the end, while the Thorns have not fared much better in attack this season. If these two meet in the Championship, expect a closely-contested match that could go either way and may come down to individual brilliance. Marta and Lizbeth Ovalle will command much of the focus up top for the Pride, while Sam Coffey's excellence in midfield could prove key for the Thorns and Olivia Moultrie seems to be peaking at the right time. Those qualities may not be enough to combat two inherently uninteresting storylines in a championship game, no matter the sport – a repeat winner or another title for the league's most successful team.

3. Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit

A repeat of the 2024 Championship does not exactly make for the most exciting finale to the 2025 season, but the upside of this match is it might not play out the same way a second time around. The Pride hunkered down and successfully absorbed the Spirit's pressure to collect a 1-0 win and their first-ever NWSL Championship, and they may very well opt for that approach again without Banda in the mix. There's inherent intrigue when posing a question about the Spirit's ability to deliver the goods in their rematch – they will be out for revenge and even without Rodman, players like Gift Monday and Croix Bethune would have the opportunity to put their own star power on display.

2. Gotham FC vs. Portland Thorns

The NWSL is clearly in a period of transition as legends retire and a new generation of stars aim to take their place, with this potential clash providing a perfect showcase for rising talent. Veterans like Coffey and Gotham's Rose Lavelle will likely play sizable roles but so far, Moultrie has been the standout in the Thorns' playoff run and Jaedyn Shaw has done the same for Gotham. This potential final could be an important stepping stone for both Moultrie and Shaw as they look to elevate their own game, both at the club level and as the uber-competitive battle for playing time with the U.S. women's national team continues.

1. Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit

If there is one potential meeting in San Jose that rises above the rest, it is this one. A clash between Gotham and the Spirit has all of the aforementioned qualities – stars young and old, revenge narratives and most importantly of all, one of the league's fiercest rivalries. The semifinal matchup between these two in 2024 was the spiciest match of the postseason, a natural competitiveness bubbling to the top, the pair separated only by a penalty shootout in which Gotham surprisingly scored none of their spot kicks. Things would only intensify if the pair faced off in the Championship, a perfect showcase for the season's most high-profile match.