| Competition: | USL W-League |
| Season: | 2005 |
| Winners: | New Jersey Wildcats |
| Prevseason: | 2004 |
| Nextseason: | 2006 |
The 2005 W-League Season was the USL W-League's 11th season.
Three teams changed their name in the off-season:
| Team name | Metro area | Previous name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Gaels | Chicago area | Chicago Cobras | |
| Mile High Edge | Boulder area | Mile High Mustangs | |
| Real Colorado Cougars | Denver area | Denver Lady Cougars |
Five teams were added for the season:
| Team name | Metro area | Location | Previous affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Silverbacks Women | Atlanta area | Atlanta, GA | expansion | |
| Central Florida Krush | Orlando area | Winter Park, FL | expansion | |
| San Diego Gauchos Women | San Diego area | San Diego, CA | expansion | |
| Toronto Lady Lynx | Toronto area | Toronto, ON | expansion | |
| Vermont Lady Voltage | Burlington area | St. Albans, VT | expansion |
One team left for the WPSL:
Eight teams folded after the 2004 season:
Orange indicates W-League title and bye into W-League semifinals.
Blue indicates division title clinched
Green indicates playoff berth clinched
Five teams from the Eastern Conference, four teams from the Central Conference and two from the Western Conference qualify for the playoffs. All match-ups are in a one-leg format.
In the Central Conference, the division champions play the second-place team from the opposite division.
In the Eastern Conference, the division champion with the best record receives a bye, and will play the winner of the teams with the 4th and 5th-best conference records. The other division champion will play the seventh-place team, and plays the winner of the third-place and sixth-place teams.
The two teams in the Western Conference will play each other to advance to the W-League Semifinals.
The regular season champion, New Jersey Wildcats, received a bye into the W-League semifinals, with the eighth-place team from the Eastern Conference receiving a playoff berth.
Central Conference
Eastern Conference
Western Conference