NWSL Playoffs Open With Utah’s 1-0 Upset

The 2026 NWSL playoffs opened with seventh-seeded Utah upsetting No. 2 San Diego, 1-0, to advance to the semifinals. The remaining quarterfinals feature Kansas City against Angel City, top-seeded Gotham against Seattle, and Washington against Portland; the winners will join Utah in the final four, with the championship set for Nov. 21. The postseason also highlights the league’s growing reach: 65 players from current ACC schools are competing, the most of any conference, while recent expansion and a new salary-cap exception have helped shape the league’s landscape. Former college standouts across the field include players from Duke and Wake Forest, among other schools.