The Portland Thorns and Kansas City Current will meet in the 2022 NWSL Championship at Audi Field in Washington D.C. on Saturday night (8pm ET).
See below for On Her Turf’s full guide to the NWSL Playoffs, which includes a full schedule, results from the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, extra time rules, and more. A longer preview of the NWSL Championship can be found here.
NWSL CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP: Portland wins 2022 NWSL Championship, MVP Smith scores game winner
How to watch the 2022 NWSL Championship
Saturday, October 29, 2022:
- 8pm ET: Portland Thorns vs. Kansas City Current (CBS, Paramount+)
2022 NWSL Championship: Portland Thorns vs. Kansas City preview, how to watch, history
2022 NWSL Playoffs -- Results and Scores
Sunday, October 16:
- 5pm ET: Houston Dash vs. Kansas City Current (Paramount+)
- Result: Kansas City won, 2-1
- 10pm ET: San Diego Wave vs. Chicago Red Stars (CBS Sports Network)
- Result: San Diego won, 2-1
NWSL Semifinals Today -- Sunday, October 23:
- 5pm ET: Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave (CBS Sports Network)
- Result: Portland won, 2-1
- 7:30pm ET: OL Reign vs. Kansas City Current (CBS Sports Network)
- Result: Kansas City won 2-0
RELATED: The Kansas City Current bought in to reach 2022 NWSL Championship
How do the NWSL Playoffs work?
At the end of the NWSL regular season, the top six of twelve teams qualified for the playoffs:
- OL Reign (2022 NWSL Shield)
- Portland Thorns
- San Diego Wave
- Houston Dash
- Kansas City Current
- Chicago Red Stars
The top two teams -- the OL Reign and Portland Thorns -- received a bye to the semifinal round, while the other four teams met in the quarterfinal round.
Overtime rules for the NWSL Playoffs:
If an NWSL playoff game is tied after 90 minutes, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety. If the game is still tied, penalties will determine the winner.
MORE NWSL COVERAGE: Sam Coffey on NWSL rookie season, USWNT debut and Yates report takeaways
2022 NWSL Playoffs - Historical significance for each club
Portland Thorns:
- The Portland Thorns are the most decorated team of the bunch, having won the NWSL Championship twice before (2013, 2017). If they win it all again this year, the Thorns would become the first NWSL franchise with three championship titles.
Kansas City Current:
- In their second season as a franchise, the Kansas City Current qualified for their first ever NWSL playoff appearance. After going winless in their first five games, the Current went on a 13-game undefeated streak, the second-longest in NWSL history.
MORE NWSL COVERAGE: Alex Loera on journey to Kansas City, 2022 NWSL Championship
San Diego Wave (eliminated in semifinals):
- By finishing third in the NWSL standings, the San Diego Wave became the first NWSL expansion team to qualify for the playoffs in an inaugural season.
OL Reign (eliminated in semifinals):
- The OL Reign finished the 2022 regular season by winning the club’s third NWSL Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular season record. While the Reign have made the NWSL Championship twice before, the club has never won the title.
Chicago Red Stars (eliminated in quarterfinals):
- The Chicago Red Stars claimed the sixth and final playoff berth in dramatic fashion, extending a streak in the process. The Red Stars have qualified for the NWSL Playoffs every year since 2015, a league record. While Chicago has made the NWSL Championship game twice (2019, 2021), the club is still searching for its first title.
Houston Dash (eliminated in quarterfinals):
- The Houston Dash made their NWSL playoff debut in 2022, nine years after joining the league. Even more impressive: Houston nabbed home field advantage for the quarterfinals thanks to a fourth-place finish in the 2022 NWSL standings.
Follow Alex Azzi on Twitter @AlexAzziNBC
