Match Preview: Kansas City Current Returns to Action vs. Gotham FC in NWSL Challenge Cup, pres. by e.l.f.

KANSAS CITY (June 25, 2026) – Following the summer break, the Kansas City Current (7-0-5, 21 pts., 6th place) is back in action for the 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup, presented by e.l.f., against Gotham FC (6-2-3, 21 pts. 5th place) on Friday, June 26. The showdown between the reigning NWSL Shield winners and the defending NWSL champion will take place at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus, Ohio, with kickoff at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET).

The match will broadcast on Prime Video with Mike Watts, Lori Lindsey, Jill Loyden and Britney Eurton on the call as well as on the World Feed with Maura Sheridan and Gary Bailey. Fans can listen to the action on 90.9 The Bridge with Dave Borchardt and Jillian Carroll Letrinko, and the game will be available on the KC Current App in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

MATCH INFO
Who: Kansas City Current vs. Gotham FC – NWSL Challenge Cup
Where: ScottsMiracle-Gro Field – Columbus, Ohio
When: Friday, June 26
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET)
TV: Prime Video, World Feed
Radio: 90.9 The Bridge

TEN THINGS TO KNOW
1. Friday’s Challenge Cup match is the second NWSL final of any type played in a non-NWSL market. The first was when San Antonio hosted the 2024 NWSL Summer Cup final, which featured these two teams. Kansas City beat Gotham, 2-0.

2. This will be the 33rd NWSL title to be decided in league history. Both teams have won two NWSL trophies: Kansas City won the 2024 Summer Cup and the 2025 NWSL Shield, while Gotham won the 2023 and 2025 NWSL championships. The Current is seeking to become just the fourth club to win three or more NWSL trophies.

3. This will be the second meeting this year between Kansas City and Gotham. The first was on April 4 at CPKC Stadium where the Current won, 2-1, behind an equalizer from midfielder Debinha and a game-winner from forward Michelle Cooper.

4. Twelve players in NWSL history have scored two or more career goals in league finals, including forward Temwa Chawinga and Debinha. Chawinga had a brace vs. Gotham in the 2024 Summer Cup final and Debinha scored in the 2018 and 2019 NWSL Championship.

5. Debinha leads all active NWSL players with 12 career Challenge Cup goals.

6. The 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup is the first-ever women’s professional soccer league game played in Ohio. Columbus will be home to the NWSL’s 18th franchise, scheduled to begin play in 2028.

7. Defender Izzy Rodriguez spent her collegiate career in Columbus at Ohio State University. She was the 2020 Big Ten Defender of the Year, a 2021 All-American and the recipient of the 2022 Big Ten Medal of Honor for the Buckeyes. Midfielder Bayley Feist is from Cincinnati, Ohio.

8. On June 22, the KC Current announced that Chawinga had signed a contract extension through the 2029 season. Across all competitions, the two-time NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner has totaled 47 goals and 12 assists with 18 game-winners in 61 games played.

9. Chawinga was named the NWSL Player of the Month and was tabbed to the Best XI of the Month in May for scoring seven goals, highlighted by a hat trick and a brace. She has a league-record six career Player of the Month awards.

10. Joining Chawinga on the most recent NWSL Best XI of the Month was midfielder Croix Bethune, who totaled one goal and three assists in May. With 15, no player has recorded more regular season assists since the start of the 2024 campaign than Bethune.

AVAILABILITY REPORT
OUT: Alana Cook (SEI-Knee), Vanessa DiBernardo (Maternity Leave), Clare Gagne (SEI-Head), Mary Long (D-45), Lorena (Hip), Gianna Paul (Thigh)
QUESTIONABLE: Debinha (Knee)
INTERNATIONAL DUTY: None

KC CURRENT SIGNS GOALKEEPER KAYLIN WILLIAMS-MOSIER
Kaylin Williams-Mosier has joined the Kansas City Current on a short-term contract as a goalkeeper replacement player. Williams-Mosier has most recently been on the KC Current II roster after previously playing for KFF Vllaznia in Albania, featuring in the UEFA Women's Champions League. A Kansas City native, she played collegiately at Eastern Michigan University from 2015-18 where she recorded over 300 career saves and served as a two-year team captain.

CURRENT LANDING WATCH PARTY
A watch party for Friday’s NWSL Challenge Cup match vs. Gotham FC will take place at Current Landing, the waterfront mixed-use district anchored by CPKC Stadium and the Missouri River. Fan entry will begin at 6 p.m. CT. More information about Friday’s watch party can be found HERE. More information about international soccer watch parties at Current Landing this summer can be found HERE.