Jess Fishlock said she was focused on Seattle Reign's match against Orlando Pride at Lumen Field on 1 November, with victory enough to secure a place in the NWSL play-offs. For the 39-year-old, it could also be her final match before retiring at the end of the 2026 campaign.
Play-off race on the final day
On 1 November, Fishlock was due to play for Seattle Reign against Orlando not knowing whether it would be her final match. Seattle were competing with NC Courage and Denver Summit for the final NWSL play-off spot, and a win over Orlando would guarantee qualification. NC Courage and Denver Summit had a higher goal difference than Seattle and were two and three points behind them respectively, but were due to face each other on the final day.
Fishlock said: "I've been in this league long enough to understand how this works. I think we've had a couple of situations like this before."
She added: "The beauty of it is you just get to focus on football, which is ultimately all we want to do as players."
Fishlock said: "All I want to do is get this group into another round of play-offs and see what happens after that. There's a lot going on, which is so fun and so exciting."
Seattle plans tributes at Lumen Field
Fishlock has called Seattle Reign home since 2013. With Seattle, she has won three NWSL Shields, but she has never won the NWSL play-offs and finished as runner-up in 2014 and 2015, and most recently in 2023.
Seattle Reign planned several activities around the stadium to honour Fishlock, including a commemorative photo booth and dedicated merchandise. Several members of Fishlock's family had flown to the Pacific Northwest for the match. BBC Sport said an expected 16,000-strong crowd was due at Lumen Field.
Fishlock said: "I don't think I've had this many family out, ever. It's been a little crazy."
She said: "I'm not used to having little Rugrats running around everywhere, taking all of my spare energy that I need. But it's been great."
Fishlock added: "I will really be able to enjoy it post-game. I'm focusing on the match itself and playoffs to keep the season going a little bit longer, which would be nice."
She said: "I'm extremely grateful and so appreciative of everybody showing out for me. Everything that the Reign has done has been undeniably incredible and beautiful."
Fishlock added: "But without sounding ungrateful, I am still very much focused on the game itself. I'm sure post everything, it will hit me far harder than I'm allowing it to hit me right now."
Retirement plan and Wales return
BBC Sport reported that Fishlock called an end to her international career in October 2025 after representing Wales 166 times, which BBC Sport said is a record for men and women. Fishlock signed a new contract in Seattle a month after ending her international career. In April, Fishlock confirmed that she would retire at the conclusion of the 2026 NWSL campaign.
Fishlock will return to the Wales national team as part of Rhian Wilkinson's coaching staff for their World Cup play-off final against Norway. Before Wales' semi-final triumph over Albania, Rhian Wilkinson revealed a message from Fishlock urging her to "call her up".
Fishlock said: "I know that Rhian would not do that to me, bless her. She is too understanding as a coach. That message was in jest, and she understood that."
She added: "I'm excited for Wales and their game against Norway. I believe they can do it, and I hope that they believe they can do it."
