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The MLS and NWSL Playoffs Are Here. Are You Watching Together?
By Gloria Cid-Stitt - Founder, U.S. Soccer ParentNovember 9, 20266 min read
The NWSL playoffs are underway, and the MLS Cup Playoffs start Nov. 19. For soccer families, that makes the next six weeks one of the best times of the year to sit down with your player and watch a full 90 minutes together. That matters more than it used to. A new global survey found that only 39% of sports fans ages 18 to 24 typically watch a live game from start to finish, compared with 61% of fans 65 and older (Altman Solon). The younger the fan, the more of the game they see in clips.
What does a full game show that highlights skip?
A highlight shows the finish, but rarely what led to it. Watching a full playoff match together gives your player a few things a clip can't:
- The whole picture. The run that pulled a defender out of position, the midfielder who checked his shoulder before the pass and what players do when they don't have the ball.
- The hard moments. How a team responds after giving up a goal, and who keeps making good decisions in the 80th minute, when everyone is tired.
- Their own position. Pick one player who plays where your kid plays and follow them for a stretch. It's a different game when you watch one player instead of the ball.
- Time together. A shared game gives you something to talk about on the next car ride that isn't their own last match.
Watching isn't training, and the research doesn't show that more time in front of the TV makes a better player. But it does help them see how the game flows. Our Watch the Pros guide goes deeper on what the research says.
When are the NWSL and MLS playoffs?
The NWSL playoffs started Nov. 6 and end with the NWSL Championship on Saturday, Nov. 21. The MLS Cup Playoffs start Nov. 19 and run four straight weeks to MLS Cup on Friday, Dec. 18. Every MLS playoff match streams on Apple TV (MLS). For the NWSL, the semifinals and the final are on broadcast TV, so a home antenna can pick up CBS and ABC for free where those signals reach.
NWSL playoff watch schedule
All times Eastern.
| Round | Date | Match | Time (ET) or Result | Where to Watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinal | Fri., Nov. 6 | Utah Royals 1, San Diego Wave 0 | Final | Prime Video |
| Quarterfinal | Sat., Nov. 7 | Kansas City Current 1, Angel City FC 0 (extra time) | Final | CBS and Paramount+ |
| Quarterfinal | Sun., Nov. 8 | Gotham FC 1, Seattle Reign 0 | Final | ABC |
| Quarterfinal | Sun., Nov. 8 | Washington Spirit 4, Portland Thorns 1 | Final | ABC |
| Semifinal | Sat., Nov. 14 | Washington Spirit vs. Utah Royals | 12 p.m. | CBS and Paramount+ |
| Semifinal | Sun., Nov. 15 | Gotham FC vs. Kansas City Current | 3 p.m. | ABC, with Spanish-language coverage on ESPN Deportes |
| NWSL Championship | Sat., Nov. 21 | Semifinal winners at Audi Field, Washington, D.C. | 8 p.m. | CBS and Paramount+ |
MLS Eastern Conference
| Series | Game 1 | Game 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Card: Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati | Thu., Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m., Inter and Co Stadium | Single game |
| Nashville SC vs. Orlando/Cincinnati winner | Sun., Nov. 22, 4 p.m. | Sat., Nov. 28, 6:30 p.m. |
| Inter Miami vs. Columbus Crew | Sat., Nov. 21, 6 p.m. | Fri., Nov. 27, 8 p.m. |
| New England Revolution vs. Philadelphia Union | Sat., Nov. 21, 2 p.m. | Sat., Nov. 28, 4:30 p.m. |
| Chicago Fire vs. Charlotte FC | Sun., Nov. 22, 6:30 p.m. | Sat., Nov. 28, 12:30 p.m. |
MLS Western Conference
| Series | Game 1 | Game 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Card: Seattle Sounders vs. Real Salt Lake | Thu., Nov. 19, 10 p.m., Lumen Field | Single game |
| Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Seattle/Real Salt Lake winner | Sun., Nov. 22, 8:30 p.m. | Fri., Nov. 27, 10 p.m. |
| FC Dallas vs. Portland Timbers | Sat., Nov. 21, 4 p.m. | Sat., Nov. 28, 10:30 p.m. |
| St. Louis City SC vs. LAFC | Mon., Nov. 23, 8 p.m. | Sat., Nov. 28, 8:30 p.m. |
| San Jose Earthquakes vs. Houston Dynamo | Tue., Nov. 24, 10 p.m. | Sat., Nov. 28, 2:30 p.m. |
Any Game 3 is Wed., Dec. 2, with times to be announced. Several Round One games also air on FS1 (MLS).
What comes next
- Conference semifinals: Dec. 5 to 6
- Conference finals: Dec. 11 to 12
- MLS Cup: Friday, Dec. 18
Here in Florida, Inter Miami opens against Columbus, and Orlando City hosts FC Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference Wild Card match. It is also the last MLS Cup played in December before the league moves to a new calendar in 2027 (Sports Illustrated).
Playoff games are a good place to start. Every match matters, the crowds are loud and there is a clear story to follow from the first whistle.
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How are young fans watching sports now?
Altman Solon, a strategy consulting firm, surveyed 6,000 adults in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Spain, Italy and France in December 2025. Fans ages 18 to 34 spend nearly three times as much time on highlights and other non-live content as they do on live games (Altman Solon).
The headline isn't that young fans have lost interest. Fans ages 25 to 34 actually watch more sports than any other age group. As Altman Solon partner David Dellea put it, "Younger fans simply consume differently," with streaming and short-form video "increasingly serving as their preferred gateway to sports content" (Altman Solon).
The firm's 2024 survey asked fans ages 18 to 24 why they choose highlights over live games. The top answers were that they can watch whenever they want (44%), they're mainly interested in the result (41%) and clips are easy to share with friends (36%). Only 28% said they didn't have time for a full game (Altman Solon).
These surveys cover adult fans and all sports, not youth soccer players specifically. But if you have watched your teenager scroll through goal compilations, the pattern will look familiar. That's not a knock on our kids. Clips are how the game reaches them, and honestly, how it reaches a lot of us too.
Did the World Cup get more Americans watching soccer?
Yes, and the interest carried into club soccer. The 2026 World Cup averaged 7.74 million viewers per match on Fox, up 116% from 2022 (Front Office Sports), and more than 62 million people in the U.S. watched the final across Fox and Telemundo (Axios).
Nielsen found that the number of Americans who call themselves soccer fans grew from 66.8 million in July 2025 to 75.2 million in July 2026. Since MLS returned from its World Cup break, its games on Fox and FS1 are up 55% among men ages 18 to 34 and 29% among all adults 18 to 34. LaLiga on ESPN is up 60% among adults 18 to 34 (Front Office Sports).
Those numbers come with limits. The MLS figure covers 10 games on Fox and FS1, not the Apple TV broadcasts where most MLS matches air (Yahoo Sports), and MLS attendance has stayed roughly flat since the tournament (Sports Business Journal). The interest is there. The question for families is what kind of watching it turns into.
How can families make playoff soccer a habit?
You don't need to make it homework. A few easy ways to start:
- Pick one game, not every game. The NWSL Championship on a Saturday night is an easy first choice.
- Start with one half if 90 minutes feels like a stretch for a younger player.
- Save the clips for halftime. Let them check the replays at the break, then put the phone down for the second half.
- Ask one question at halftime. What is the team that's winning doing well?
For where to watch every major league in the U.S., and more ideas for watching together, start with our Watch the Pros guide.
Highlights will keep bringing kids to the game, and that's a good thing. Watching a full playoff match together on the couch is how they start to understand it.
Written by Gloria Cid-Stitt - Founder, U.S. Soccer Parent