The NWSL was last seen … by more than a million people.
That was the championship game last November, when a league-record average television audience of 1.2 million viewers tuned in to watch Rose Lavelle’s put-it-on-a-poster goal lift Gotham FC to a 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit.
Gotham triumphed for the second time in three years as the lowest playoff seed, but as star Jaedyn Shaw put it, they were “underdogs, my ass.”
Now the NWSL, with a competitive and cultural footprint only imagined when the league launched in 2013, returns for its biggest season yet.
There are now 16 teams (and counting). There are seven-figure free agents generating buzz by coming, going and staying. And there remains the any-given-Saturday parity that makes the league unique in women’s soccer.
Here’s what you need to know for the 2026 season, which kicks off Friday night:
Rodman rules
The NWSL offseason was dominated by one question: Would Trinity Rodman stick around?
The stakes seemed almost existential after NWSL stars Naomi Girma (San Diego to Chelsea), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City to Chelsea) and Sam Coffey (Portland to Manchester City) had decamped for England.
In the end, Rodman — an electric talent on the field and billboard-ready presence off it — decided to re-up with the Spirit on a record-shattering three-year deal worth more than $2 million annually. That was facilitated by the controversial advent of the High Impact Player rule, aka the “Rodman Rule,” which allows teams to exceed the NWSL’s hard salary cap for certain highly marketable players.
The challenge for Washington and the 23-year-old Rodman, who has been bothered by chronic back issues, is to back it up on the field.
Expansion pack
The Boston Legacy and Denver Summit join the NWSL as expansion teams. For a sense of the financial growth, Boston paid a $53 million expansion fee; that more than doubled a little more than a year later to $110 million for Denver.
Boston, anchored by goalie Casey Murphy, will split home games between Foxborough (Gillette Stadium) and Pawtucket while renovations continue on White Stadium in the city.
Denver lured USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps, a local native, to return from years of playing abroad to be the team’s centerpiece. They’ve sold more than 50,000 tickets for the March 28 home opener at Mile High Stadium.
Atlanta is set to join in 2028, and Columbus has been rumored as the destination for the 18th team.
Current events
The Kansas City Current stormed through the NWSL last season to the tune of a 21W-2D-3L record, good for a record 65 points — and proceeded to drop a playoff quarterfinal at home to Gotham.
That led to Vlatko Andonovski getting kicked upstairs, and after hiring MLS vet Chris Armas as coach, they shook up the midfield with a blockbuster offseason trade to bring in Croix Bethune.
Temwa Chawinga, who won the Golden Boot with 15 goals a year ago, returns to lead what’s still the league’s most loaded roster. But can they get over the playoff hump?
Shots of Espresso
Along with Rodman’s return, this is sure to caffeinate the NWSL this year: Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson and Chicago Stars forward Mallory Swanson — fellow members of the USWNT’s famed Triple Espresso attacking line that achieved gold-medal glory at the 2024 Olympics — are due back after giving birth to their first kids.
The Thorns, onboarding a coach hired just two weeks ago, and bottom-rung Stars both definitely could use the firepower.
California dreamin’
Things haven’t been in a golden state lately for the league’s three California teams.
San Diego Wave, semifinalists in Year 1 (2022) and Shield winners in Year 2, are down from those Alex Morgan-led highs and have faced allegations of misconduct inside the front office. Delphine Cascarino and Kailen Sheridan bailed this offseason. But Ludmila and Gotham’s Gabi Portilho represented marquee additions, and Cat Macario could be next.
Angel City have never mustered the results to match their celebrity-coded branding, and now they’re rebuilding after Thompson’s exit. Emily Sams joins to steady the defense.
Bay FC are likewise resetting under coach Emma Coates. Claire Hutton, the precocious 20-year-old midfielder, is a good place to start.
Predictions
Champions — Washington
Shield winners — Kansas City
MVP — Emma Sears, Louisville
Rookie of the Year — Jordynn Dudley, Gotham
