Jess Fishlock Plays Last Regular-Season Game as Seattle Reign Chase a Play-off Place
Jess Fishlock takes the field for Seattle Reign on Sunday, and she does not yet know whether it will be the last match of her career.
The game is Seattle against Orlando Pride at Lumen Field, with kick-off at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday 1 November, which is 10 p.m. in the UK. It is part of NWSL Decision Day, the final round of the National Women's Soccer League's regular season. All eight games in the round start at the same time, so the table could change in several places at once.
The stakes are high for Seattle. The Reign sit top of the race for the final play-off place, a knockout run that decides the league champion. They are two points clear of NC Courage and three clear of Denver Summit, but both rivals have a better goal difference, which is the gap between goals scored and goals conceded. Courage and Denver play each other on the final day. BBC Sport reports that a Seattle win would guarantee them a play-off berth.
That would be the eighth play-off appearance of Fishlock's 14 seasons at the club, which has been her home since 2013. She has three NWSL Shield wins, the trophy for the team with the best regular-season record. The play-offs have been the one prize she has not taken. She was runner-up in 2014, 2015 and 2023, and she has never lifted the trophy.
Fishlock is 39 and plays in midfield. She confirmed in April that she would retire when the 2026 season ends. If Seattle fall short, Sunday's match would be her final game. If they go through, she will keep playing until the play-offs finish.
Her international career has already ended. In October 2025 she retired from Wales after 166 caps, the number of times a player has been picked for their country. That is a record for men and women. She is also Wales' all-time leading goalscorer. Fishlock will now return to the national set-up as part of Rhian Wilkinson's coaching staff for Wales' World Cup play-off final against Norway.
Seattle have marked the occasion. Fans can use a commemorative photo booth and buy merchandise dedicated to her. Several members of her family have flown out for the game, and a crowd of around 16,000 is expected at Lumen Field.
Fishlock is also the last of Seattle's original three stars to step away. Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Barnes have already left the club, so the team's first chapter is closing one name at a time. For a club that has spent more than a decade built around her, Sunday carries a strong sense of goodbye, even if the result has not yet been decided.
For neutral fans, the appeal is simple. A single afternoon, a playoff place on the line, and a player who may be playing her last competitive match in front of her family. Whatever the score, the crowd in Seattle is likely to make it a day to remember.
