In a twist more than a few GISTers saw coming, No. 8 seed Gotham FC will face the No. 2 Washington Spirit in Saturday’s NWSL Championship. Both clubs have won it all recently — Gotham in 2023 and the Spirit in 2021 — but only one can add to their trophy case. Let’s take a look back at the semifinals, and then a quick look ahead to the ’ship.

The first-ever Northern Super League (NSL) champion will be crowned when No. 1 seed AFC Toronto and No. 3 Vancouver Rise FC meet tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET. Ahead of kickoff, here’s what you need to know about the NSL’s historic inaugural season and, of course, the winner-take-all match.

ICYMI: The four teams competing in this weekend’s NWSL Playoffs semis are the four previous league champs dating back to 2021. With postseason experience everywhere you look and the No. 1 seed already stunningly eliminated, the only thing to expect is the unexpected.

There’s been a dip in YoY NWSL attendance, but that stat doesn’t exactly tell the whole story. Last week, the league shared insightful data on attendance, viewership, and social media records that women’s soccer fans smashed this year, all of which point to who’s winning the most with NWSL growth: Young women fans.

The NWSL served up peak playoff anarchy this weekend, with a whole lot of extra time, a record-breaking expansion announcement, and enough adrenaline to last until next weekend’s semifinals. See how your playoff bracket’s holding up, then relive the thrilling quarter-final action with us.

We’re back in your inbox because the NWSL playoffs begin tonight, with the reigning champ and No. 4 seed Orlando Pride hosting No. 5 Seattle Reign in the first of four quarter-final (QF) games. To celebrate, we have a full playoff preview, including the storylines you need to know before the first whistle, a match-by-match QF breakdown, and of course, where to catch all the action.

Last week, Dove rolled out its latest women’s sports campaign, “#ChangeTheCompliment,” by activating with NSL team AFC Toronto for its October 19th playoff game. The brand, which has spent years building women’s confidence with diverse representations of beauty, is seizing open opportunities in women’s sports — and for good reason.

Korean entertainment company HYBE (which cultivated K-pop sensations BTS and Katseye) is getting into sports, sponsoring MLS club LAFC’s first playoff game later today at BMO Stadium. Inspired by Korean player Son Heung-Min’s impact on the team, HYBE is celebrating Korean culture with popular eats from Koreatown staple Love Hour and a lightshow set to K-pop hits.

Today, Black Star — ForSoccer’s media and events brand cultivating Black soccer culture — announced the player lineup and an exclusive capsule collection for the Allstate Next Wave National Showcase, the first national showcase displaying the skills of the top-ranked Black women soccer players in the U.S.

The Northern Super League (NSL) ended its inaugural season yesterday with a Fan Appreciation Match for its popular club, AFC Toronto, which finished with the most regular-season points. Because of that, the NSL used the appreciation night to also award the Supporters’ Shield, a trophy that rewards the winningest team while also acknowledging the value of its fans.

Yesterday, tech giant Apple announced an extensive partnership with the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Super League 2 (WSL 2), the top two tiers of women's pro soccer in the U.K. Through the deal, each team will utilize the latest Apple products to capture and analyze game footage in real time.

And just like that, we’ve reached the final week of the inaugural Northern Super League (NSL) regular season. All four playoff spots have already been clinched by AFC Toronto, Vancouver Rise FC, Ottawa Rapid FC, and Montréal Roses FC, but seeding is still up for grabs, adding intrigue to this week’s matchups. Here’s what to watch with the postseason looming in early November.