Spirit and Royals Meet in NWSL Playoff Semifinal at Audi Field
Utah Royals FC, in the playoffs for the first time, faced the Washington Spirit in an NWSL semifinal at Audi Field on November 14, 2026. The winner earns the title game on November 21. Here is what was at stake and how to watch.
The Washington Spirit and Utah Royals FC were set to meet in a National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) playoff semifinal at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, November 14, 2026. The winner advances to the NWSL Championship on Saturday, November 21, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
It is a clash of opposites. The third-seeded Spirit are chasing redemption, while the seventh-seeded Royals are playoff debutants.
Washington lost back-to-back finals, falling 1-0 to the Orlando Pride in 2024 and 1-0 to Gotham last year. The team is managed by Adrián González. Trinity Rodman, an MVP finalist, scored two of the Spirit's four goals in a quarterfinal rout of the Portland Thorns.
Utah has just earned the first playoff win in its franchise history. The club rejoined the league in 2024, finishing 11th that year and 12th in 2025. Coach Jimmy Coenraets is now a Coach of the Year candidate.
The Royals knocked out the San Diego Wave in the quarterfinals. Goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn made big saves, and Kiana Palacios scored the winner.
Regular-season meetings
The teams met twice this season. They drew 1-1 on March 25. Washington won 1-0 on July 29, with Rodman scoring and Sandy MacIver keeping a clean sheet.
A home win would send the Spirit back to Audi Field for the title game. Only one team has ever won an NWSL Championship at home: the North Carolina Courage, who took their third straight title in Cary. Writer Melanie Anzidei noted the Spirit will be fueled by playing at Audi after weeks of uncertainty about the venue.
"Truly anything can happen in the postseason," Anzidei wrote.
Writer Meg Linehan said Utah is "embracing the swagger that comes with walking into someone else's house and stealing the cookie jar."
How to watch
ABC and CBS are free over the air. ABC also streams on ESPN Unlimited, and CBS streams on Paramount+. Viewers with an antenna can tune to their local CBS station for the Spirit-Utah game.
The other semifinal is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. It pits top seed and defending champion Gotham FC against the Kansas City Current.
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