Fishlock seeks one more run as Seattle chase final NWSL play-off place

Jess Fishlock will take the field for Seattle Reign against Orlando Pride at Lumen Field on Sunday, 1 November as she approaches the final weeks of a career she has said will end at the conclusion of the 2026 NWSL season. Seattle sit in a three-way fight with NC Courage and Denver Summit for the league's final play-off spot.

Aged 39, Fishlock has been with the Reign since 2013 and is in her 14th season with the club, during which she has won three NWSL Shields. She announced the end of her international career in October 2025 after 166 caps for Wales, signed a new Seattle contract a month later and confirmed in April that she would retire at the close of the 2026 campaign; she was named the NWSL's Most Valuable Player in 2021 and has won two Champions League titles.

A win over Orlando would guarantee Seattle an eighth-place berth in the eight-team knockout stage, extending Fishlock's club career into the play-offs. NC Courage and Denver Summit sit two and three points behind Seattle respectively and possess a superior goal difference, but they meet each other on the final day of the regular season.

Reflecting on the situation Fishlock said: "I've been in this league long enough to understand how this works. I think we've had a couple of situations like this before," said Fishlock. "The beauty of it is you just get to focus on football, which is ultimately all we want to do as players. "All I want to do is get this group into another round of play-offs and see what happens after that. There's a lot going on, which is so fun and so exciting."

Seattle will stage a series of tributes around the stadium to honour Fishlock, including a commemorative photo booth and dedicated merchandise, and several members of her family have flown to the Pacific Northwest to be among the expected 16,000-strong crowd at Lumen Field. On the build-up Fishlock said: "I don't think I've had this many family out, ever. It's been a little crazy," Fishlock added. "I'm not used to having little Rugrats running around everywhere, taking all of my spare energy that I need. But it's been great. "I will really be able to enjoy it post-game. I'm focusing on the match itself and [reaching the] playoffs to keep the season going a little bit longer, which would be nice. "I'm extremely grateful and so appreciative of everybody showing out for me. Everything that the Reign has done has been undeniably incredible and beautiful. "But without sounding ungrateful, I am still very much focused on the game itself. I'm sure post everything, it will hit me far harder than I'm allowing it to hit me right now."

Fishlock is also set to return to Wales in a coaching capacity for Rhian Wilkinson's staff for the national side's World Cup play-off final against Norway, after urging Wilkinson to "call her up" in a message described as tongue-in-cheek. On that exchange she said: "I know that Rhian would not do that to me, bless her. She is too understanding as a coach. That message was in jest, and she understood that," Fishlock added. "I'm excited for Wales and their game against Norway. I believe they can do it, and I hope that they believe they can do it."

If Seattle beat Orlando on Sunday they will secure the Reign's place in the eight-team knockout stage and give Fishlock the opportunity to extend her club career into the play-offs; the match at Lumen Field on 1 November is the immediate next step toward that outcome.