ORLANDO, Fla. (Nov. 12, 2025) — The National Women’s Soccer League today announced new details for the 2025 NWSL Skills Challenge, presented by CarMax, as part of the league's celebration of the 2025 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel. Orlando Pride defender Carson Pickett will showcase her talents on behalf of The City Beautiful in the third-annual competition.
Kicking off at 8 p.m. ET at Spartan Soccer Complex at San Jose State University, on Friday, November 21, the NWSL Skills Challenge, presented by CarMax, will feature two teams composed of NWSL stars competing against each other in a series of skills contests, including Relay Rumble, Gauntlet and the Crossbar Challenge. The event will be nationally broadcast on the CBS Television Network and streamed on Paramount+ on Saturday, November 29, at 1:30 p.m. ET.
2025 NWSL Skills Challenge, presented by CarMax, participating athletes include:
- Riley Tiernan
- Carson Pickett
- Racheal Kundananji
- Ally Schlegel
- Brianna Pinto
- Delphine Cascarino
- Croix Bethune
Players who are committed to the Skills Challenge but reach the Championship match will not participate in the event.
Full rosters for each team will be announced in the coming days. Duda Pavão will serve as in-venue host for this year’s event. The skills contests will consist of:
- Gauntlet: one player tries to score on five mini goals against four defenders – the smallest goal is worth the most points (and vice versa), and if a goal lights up, any points scored are worth double at that time.
- Relay Rumble: three-part relay race including agility poles, tire runs, and a giant skee-ball chip shot where teams compete to earn as many points as they can within five minutes.
- Crossbar Challenge: players try to hit the crossbar from 18 yards out, and when they reach five total points, they go to the “Championship Zone” 36 yards out – one more crossbar connection makes said team Skills Challenge champions.
The winning team will be awarded a $30,000 prize courtesy of CarMax to be split among that team's players.
Pickett and the Pride will host Gotham FC on Sunday, Nov. 16, at Inter&Co Stadium (3 p.m. ET | ABC) with a berth in the 2025 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel, on the line. Tickets to the match are available here.
