Photo Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
The National Women’s Soccer League has announced that it will once again host the Skills Challenge as part of the NWSL Championship weekend. On Friday, Nov. 20, the event will feature two teams of NWSL players competing in skills competitions at Episcopal High School in Washington. The winning team will be awarded $35,000 by CarMax to be split among the team’s players.
There will be one representative from each club not involved in the Championship game on Saturday 21st November. Fourteen participants were announced on Thursday, with the Seattle Reign and Utah Royals not represented. Additional participants are still to be confirmed, and players who have committed but appeared in the Championship match will not participate.
- Katie Atkinson – Chicago Stars
- Kenza Dali – San Diego Wave
- Hal Hershfelt – Spirit of Washington
- Clair Hutton – Bay FC
- Savy King – Angel City FC
- Lo’eau LaBonta – Kansas City Stream
- Ally Lemos – Orlando Pride
- Carson Pickett – Denver Summit
- Kat Rader – Houston Dash
- Lilly Reale – Boston Legacy
- Reyna Reyes – Portland Thorns
- Emma Sears – Race Louisville
- Jaedyn Shaw – NJ/NY Gotham FC
- Kailen Sheridan – North Carolina Courage
The 2026 NWSL Skills Challenge will consist of three events: Gauntlet, Breakaway Circuit and Precision Point. The Gauntlet gives an attacking player 60 seconds to use technical precision to control defenders and score a series of mini-goals, each worth a different point. The Breakaway Circuit features two teams competing head-to-head as they “go through a cutting course, a Nutmeg Gate, and finish with a Final Shot against the opposing team’s goalie.” In the final event, each team will have scoring zones along the target, where each target has a different point value based on size and difficulty.
