Where can Gotham FC finish in the 2024 NWSL standings?

The season is winding down for NJ/NY Gotham FC but there are still plenty of matches to play. Between September and October, the Bats will have played 13 games in the two months. Between October 12 and October 25, the team will play four fixtures.

Before the NWSL playoffs, Gotham FC has one more group game of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup and the NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup final. Then, they have three NWSL matches left to play. The NJ/NY side currently sits in third place in the standings. But where can Gotham finish by the time the regular season is over?

Gotham FC can finish in multiple spots in the standings

Let's start with where Gotham FC cannot finish in the standings. The Orlando Pride clinched the NWSL Shield, so they will finish in first place regardless of the remaining results. Then, Gotham could not finish lower than fifth place, for the team has 47 points, and sixth-place Chicago Red Stars has 32 points. Therefore, the Chicago side cannot catch the Bats with three fixtures remaining, for the Red Stars can only finish with a max of 41 points.

However, Gotham could finish the NWSL season anywhere from second to fifth place. For fifth, the team would have to lose their last three games and the North Carolina Courage would have to win their final matches. At the same time, there would have to be a drastic change in the goal difference. As such, fifth place is highly unlikely, but not out of the realm of possibility.

The more likely scenarios are for Gotham FC to end the season in second, third, or fourth. As mentioned, the Bats are in third. The Washington Spirit is in second and the Kansas City Current is in fourth. Washington has the same number of points as the NJ/NY team but leads due to the goal difference. The Current is one point behind.

For Gotham to have a chance at second, they would need to win their final three fixtures. They would have to beat the unbeaten Pride during their final home game of the regular season. Despite losing to them earlier in the season, the Bats played a stronger second half, highlighting they can compete with the team leaders.

Where they finish though will depend on the remaining results. If Gotham loses one game, the Spirit wins two or three, and the Current wins all of theirs or wins two and draws one, then the Kansas City team will hop over the Bats. If Gotham wins two and draws one, and then Washington only wins two, then they can hop over the D.C. team.

There are multiple ways the season can end for Gotham FC. At least fans can expect the Bats to end the season anywhere from second to fourth.