Oct 29, 2026 - Sports

The North Carolina Courage have one last chance at the playoffs

CARY, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 17: Ashley Sanchez #2 of North Carolina Courage looks on during the NWSL match between North Carolina Courage and San Diego Wave FC at First Horizon Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Cary, North Carolina. (Photo by Krista Jasso/NWSL via Getty Images) — Ashley Sanchez of the North Carolina Courage. Photo: Krista Jasso/NWSL via Getty Images

The North Carolina Courage have it all to play for in their final game of the regular season on Sunday.

Why it matters: To make the National Women's Soccer League playoffs, the Courage need to defeat the Denver Summit in Cary on Sunday and need the Seattle Reign to either lose or draw their game against the Orlando Pride.

No other path to the postseason exists at this point. All 16 NWSL teams will play at the same time on Sunday.

Zoom in: If the Courage do make the playoffs, they would finish as the eighth seed and would play the top seed.

The Courage looked in good position to make the postseason but have lost four of their last five games.

Stunning stat: NC Courage star Ashley Sanchez looks likely to win the NWSL Golden Boot, with 20 goals so far this season. Sanchez is currently tied with Temwa Chawinga for the NWSL single-season scoring record and would claim the record outright with a goal.

State of play: The Courage are projecting a sellout crowd for their last game of the season.

But even without that game, the club has set a new single-season attendance record, with 114,112 attendees at games this year.

Between the lines: The NC Courage are currently trying to figure out their future stadium plan, with the NWSL pushing each of its teams to have stadiums of at least 15,000 seats moving forward.

Wake Med Soccer Park is currently capped at 10,000 seats.

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The North Carolina Courage have one last chance at the playoffs

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