The Northern Super League playoff race is finally under way and getting more uncomfortable by the week.
Montréal became the first team to officially clinch a postseason spot after Saturday’s results. That leaves three places still open and five teams chasing them.
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At the top, Montréal keeps pulling away. Behind them, the table is starting to bunch up.
Ottawa jumped back into second with a statement win over Calgary. Toronto slipped to third after drawing Halifax. Vancouver held onto fourth after a whirlwind draw with Montréal.
At the bottom sits Calgary. The Wild are not officially out yet but after Sunday’s 3–1 loss to Ottawa, their path has become much narrower.
Calgary sit sixth on 14 points, 11 behind fourth-place Vancouver. Five regular season matches remain, meaning the Wild can still reach 29 points if they win every game left with a decent goal difference. Alas, only the top four qualify for the NSL playoffs.
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But that also means that the door is still open. Calgary no longer controls what happens on the other side of it. Bottom line: they need wins. They’re also going to need help from the teams above them.
That is what made Week 22 so important. Every result changed something.
Halifax Tides 1–1 AFC Toronto
Saturday, September 19, 2026Wanderers Grounds — Halifax, NS
Toronto needed just 60 seconds to take control.
An early corner caused confusion in the Halifax box. Anika Tóth came to deal with it but couldn’t get the contact she wanted, eventually sending the ball into the back of her own net.
It was the kind of start that can unravel a team but Halifax refused to let it.
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The Tides gradually settled. They pushed higher and started testing Sabrina D’Angelo while Toronto continued to look dangerous on the counter. The chances came at both ends but neither side found another goal before halftime.
Halifax returned from the break with more fire in their veins. This time, they got their reward.
Karima Lemire curled a corner into a dangerous area. Julianne Vallerand attacked it and redirected her header into the net. 1–1.
The equalizer changed the rhythm. The game became less about control and more about survival.
Tóth made several important saves for Halifax. On the other end, D’Angelo answered for Toronto. Both teams had opportunities to steal all three points, but neither goalkeeper blinked. The points were shared.
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For Toronto, it meant a missed chance to create more separation in the playoff race. For Halifax, it was another reminder that they are still capable of making things difficult for anyone in front of them.
With that result, Halifax remain right in the middle of the playoff fight.
Vancouver Rise 2–2 Montréal Roses
Saturday, September 19, 2026Swangard Stadium — Burnaby, BC
For 67 minutes, Vancouver and Montréal looked like two teams unwilling to give an inch. What could’ve been viewed as a rather uneventful first half was hardly that. Vancouver pressed with plenty of chances but Karpenko stood steady in goal, denying shots from Latifah Abdu and league leader, Jess De Filippo.
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The opening half had chances. It also had plenty of physicality. Montréal thought they had taken the lead through Marie-Yasmine Alidou but the goal was ruled out following a challenge on the goalkeeper.
Three yellow cards followed as the match became increasingly tense.
Still, neither side found a breakthrough. Then the game exploded.
In the 67th minute, Elyse Bennett pressured Vancouver goalkeeper Jessica Wulf into a turnover. Lisa Pechersky reacted instantly, striking the loose ball first time to put Montréal ahead.
The Rise needed an answer and they found one.
Yuka Okamoto sent a dangerous cross into the box, and Jessica De Filippo finished with confidence to make it 1–1.
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Suddenly, Vancouver had momentum. As the minutes ticked down, the Rise waited until stoppage time to turn it into what looked like a winning moment.
Tori Tumeth rose to meet a corner and headed the ball toward goal. Montréal goalkeeper Anna Karpenko couldn’t get a clean hand to it. 2–1 Vancouver.
Swangard erupted. The Rise had seemingly completed the comeback.
With 30 or so odd seconds left, Montreal had a comeback. Less than a minute later, Evelyn Badu smashed the ball into the net. 2–2.
Four second half goals. Two in stoppage time. Neither team willing to let the other have the final word. In the end, they had to split the points.
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For Montréal, the draw was enough to confirm their place in the playoffs. The Roses entered the match already guaranteed a spot following Toronto’s draw with Halifax, then extended their unbeaten run to six matches.
For Vancouver, the point kept them in fourth. The gap below them remains small and a win next week against Calgary will prove crucial.
Ottawa Rapid 3–1 Calgary Wild
Sunday, September 20, 2026TD Place — Ottawa, ON
Ottawa had something to prove.
The Rapid entered the match having lost five straight. Calgary arrived with an unbeaten run that had stretched back several weeks.
Something had to give. Ottawa made sure it was Calgary’s streak.
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Just four minutes in, Sonia Okobi-Oke scored in her first start of the season.
The goal set the tone. Florence Belzile then created the second. She drove down the wing, worked through pressure and delivered a dangerous cross. Johanne Fridlund arrived to finish it. 2–0.
Calgary had chances, but Ottawa goalkeeper Mollie Eriksson stood firm.
At the other end, Sarah Keilty-Dilling kept the Wild alive with a sharp fingertip save to deny Fridlund. Calgary finally found a way through after halftime.
Frédérique St-Jean pulled one back in the 77th minute, cutting Ottawa’s lead to 2–1 and giving the Wild a brief opening. It lasted barely a minute.
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Okobi-Oke struck again in the 78th. Her second goal of the night restored Ottawa’s two-goal cushion and effectively ended Calgary’s comeback attempt.
The Rapid held on for a 3–1 win.
The result snapped Ottawa’s five-game losing streak and moved the club back into second place on 36 points, just three behind Montréal with four matches remaining. For Calgary, it was a different kind of setback.
The Wild are still mathematically alive but the playoff picture is no longer simply about what they can do themselves. They NEED to win. They also need the teams above them to drop points.
Five Games. Three Spots. One Crowded Race.
Montréal has already booked its place. The other three playoff spots remain unsettled.
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Ottawa’s win showed how quickly the table can shift. Toronto’s draw kept the door open for the teams behind them. Vancouver’s late collapse against Montréal cost them two points, but they remain above the playoff line.
And Calgary? The Wild are hanging on.
Their remaining schedule gives them opportunities, including a meeting with Vancouver and another against Halifax. But with 14 points on the board, there is very little room left for anything other than wins.
The playoff race isn’t over but it is getting harder to breathe.
Related articles from Her Football Hub:
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Six call-ups, one bigger statement: The NSL is becoming part of the Canada national team story
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NWSL Week 22: Gotham clinches playoff spot, Angel City wins twice as Taylor Suarez sets record
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NSL Week 21 results: Montréal Roses stay top but there’s no room for error as playoffs approach
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