Gotham FC Faces Kansas City Current in 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 25, 2026) - Gotham FC returns to competitive action Friday night with a trophy on the line, facing the Kansas City Current in the 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup, presented by e.l.f., at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus, Ohio.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET, with Prime carrying the national broadcast.
The Challenge Cup pits the reigning NWSL champion against the reigning NWSL Shield winner, bringing together two of the league’s top clubs for a one-off championship match. Gotham earned its place in the competition by capturing the 2025 NWSL Championship, while Kansas City qualified after securing the 2025 NWSL Shield.
Friday marks Gotham FC’s first match since May 31, a win prior to the league’s summer break. The club enters the Challenge Cup following a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dash at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Rookie sensation Jordynn Dudley scored the lone goal of the match, her second of the season, while defender Tierna Davidson recorded the first regular season assist of her professional career.
Kansas City also enters the contest on a winning note after earning a 1-0 home victory against Boston Legacy FC in its final match before the break. Temwa Chawinga provided the decisive goal in the second half to send the Current into the summer pause with three points.
The match serves as a rematch of one of the most memorable postseason contests in Gotham FC history. These two sides faced off in the 2025 NWSL quarterfinals, when eighth-seeded Gotham stunned top-seeded Kansas City at CPKC Stadium. Katie Lampson’s dramatic extra-time winner secured Gotham’s first-ever victory against the Current and sent the club into the semifinals, helping spark a championship run that culminated in Gotham’s second NWSL title in three seasons.
While that meeting was played for a place in the NWSL semifinals, Friday’s rematch comes with a trophy at stake. Gotham is seeking its first NWSL Challenge Cup title after falling short in each of its previous appearances in the championship match, including most recently against San Diego Wave FC in 2024.
Following Friday’s Challenge Cup final, Gotham FC will return to NWSL regular season action on July 4, traveling to face San Diego at Snapdragon Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. ET.
Key Points:
- Gotham FC will face the Kansas City Current in a tournament final for the second time in three seasons. The first meeting came in the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup final.
- Forward Midge Purce has scored a club-record four goals in NWSL Challenge Cup play, the most by any Gotham FC player in the competition.
- Midfielder Jaedyn Shaw is one of four players to score in the NWSL Challenge Cup as a teenager, along with Chloe Ricketts, Manaka Matsukubo and Trinity Rodman.
- Gotham FC has recorded nine clean sheets across all competitions this season, posting shutouts in nine of its 15 matches played in 2026.
