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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Women's Soccer League announced Wednesday morning that Audi Field, the Washington Spirit's home stadium, will host the 2026 NWSL Championship on Saturday, Nov. 21 — bringing the league's title match back to the nation's capital for the first time since 2022.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m., with the game airing in primetime on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. The match will mark the fifth consecutive season the championship has been broadcast on CBS. Tickets go on sale this summer; fans can sign up for early presale access through the Spirit and the NWSL.
The selection caps a remarkable stretch for women's soccer in the region. The Spirit are coming off back-to-back championship-match appearances in 2024 and 2025 — losing both finals — and have built one of the league's most consistent home environments at Audi Field. The club last season became the fourth women's soccer club in the world to average more than 15,000 fans across a full home season, finishing with 15,796 per match. Through their first five home matches of 2026, the Spirit have sold out three and are averaging more than 15,500.
"Washington, D.C. has become one of the premier destinations for women's soccer, with an incredibly engaged fan base, a vibrant soccer culture and a community that continues to champion the growth of our game," NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement. She called the Audi Field match "a fitting culmination of a landmark year for our sport in the region."
The Spirit currently sit third in the NWSL table at 3-3-1 with 12 points through seven matches and head into the league's June break on a three-match home winning streak. The team is on its NWSL international break following Saturday's 2-1 win over Seattle Reign FC at Audi Field, the third consecutive sellout this season.
"Hosting the NWSL Championship at Audi Field is an incredible honor for our fans and this city," Washington Spirit CEO Kim Stone said. "Audi Field is one of the best soccer atmospheres in the country, and D.C. shows up for women's sports like few cities in the world."
The 2026 playoffs will feature eight clubs, beginning with quarterfinals the weekend of Nov. 6-8 across ESPN/ABC, CBS, Paramount+ and Prime Video. Semifinals follow Nov. 13-15 on CBS, Paramount+, ESPN and ABC.
Audi Field, the 20,000-seat soccer-specific venue in Buzzard Point that opened in 2018, previously hosted the 2022 NWSL Championship, in which the Portland Thorns FC defeated the Kansas City Current. The 2026 title match will mark the league's first East Coast championship since that game.
Additional championship-week events will include the 2026 NWSL Awards, the NWSL Skills Challenge and Fan Fest, all to be held in D.C. in the days leading up to the final.
