The NWSL is back.
The 2026 NWSL season kicks off on Friday with a pair of USWNT gold medalists going head-to-head. The Washington Spirit and Trinity Rodman will face off against the Portland Thorns and Sophia Wilson, who is set to make her highly-anticipated return from maternity leave. (More on that later).
Friday's Spirit-Thorns match is one of eight games on the NWSL's opening weekend slate as the league expands to 18 teams with the addition of expansion franchises Boston Legacy FC and Summit FC.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2026 NWSL season, from the biggest trades and biggest stars returning to the pitch, to the two new teams joining the league in Denver and Boston.
2024: Orlando Pride (defeated Washington Spirit in the 2024 NWSL Championship game)" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2013: Portland Thorns FC (defeated Western New York Flash in the championship game)" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> NWSL champions through the years
Recap of 2025 NWSL season
Before we look ahead to the 2026 season, let's take a second to catch up of all the action from 2025:
2025 NWSL Champions: Gotham FC
Gotham FC completed an unlikely underdog postseason run, defeating the Washington Spirit to win the 2025 NWSL championship 1-0 on Nov. 22. Rose Lavelle scored the only goal of the game in the 80th minute. As the No. 8 seed, Gotham became the lowest seed to win an NWSL championship.
2025 NWSL Shield winner: Kansas City Current
The Kansas City Current recorded the winningest regular season in NWSL history. Kansas City claimed the NWSL Shield faster than any other team in league history with five matches left and had the most wins (21), points scored in a single season (65) and clean sheets (16). Despite the record year, the Current were stunned in the quarterfinals by Gotham FC. It's unlikely the Current will replicate the dominant season, but expect them to be at the top of the pack again, with head coach Chris Armas.
2025 NSWL MVP, Golden Boot Winner: Temwa Chawinga
Kansas City Current forwardTemwa Chawingawas named the NWSL's Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season, becoming the first player in league history to win the honor back-to-back. Sam Kerr is the only other player to win NWSL MVP twice. Chawinga also picked up her second straight Golden Boot with a league-high 15 goals in 23 matches.
Can Chawinga win the MVP and Golden Boot three consecutive years? She's starting at a slight disadvantage. Chawinga suffered a leg injury late last year and enters this season on the season-ending injury list. Kerr is the only player to win three straight Golden Boots (2017-19) and no player has won three straight MVPs.
Bring on the star power
Trinity Rodman
The biggest offseason question was whether or not Trinity Rodman would remain in Washington DC. That was answered when Rodman signed a deal reportedly worth more than $1 million a year through 2028,making her the highest paid playerin league history. The deal was made possible by thehigh impact player rule, which allows clubs to exceed the league's salary cap by up to $1 million for players that meet certain criteria. (TheNWSLPA filed a lawsuit, saying the league violated federal labor law.)
"We have raised the salary cap. We quadrupled the salary cap in the last three years," NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said on Wednesday during her 2026 Kickoff Address. "If we want to … attract and retain top talent, we believe that having a targeted, tailored mechanism to do that will allow us to better achieve and more quickly achieve that objective."
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Rodman's health will be a big storyline heading into the season. The Olympic gold medalist was limited to a career-low 17 regular-season matches for the Spirit last season due to a lingering back issue.Rodman appeared to reaggravate her back injurylate in the USWNT's2-0 win over Argentinaon March 1, but she went on to start the next two games in the SheBelieves Cup and lead the USWNT to its eighth title in the tournament.
Sophia Wilson, Mallory Swanson return from maternity leave
The NWSL is getting back a pair of Olympic gold medalists. Portland Thorns' Sophia Wilson and Chicago Stars' Mallory Swanson are expected to return to the pitch following maternity leave. Wilson welcomed daughter Gianna with NFL husband Michael Wilson in September. Swanson gave birth to daughter Josie with MLB husband Dansby Swanson in November.
Wilson, the 2022 NWSL MVP, made her return on March 6 in the Thorns' 5-1 preseason win over C.F. Monterrey, her first match since November 2024. Wilson subbed in the final 15 minutes and received a loud applause from the crowd. Wilson is on the Thorns' active roster ahead of the team's season opener against the Spirit on Friday.
It's not clear when Swanson will rejoin the Stars, but head coach Martin Sjögre confirmed it would happen at some point this season. Swanson didn't make an appearance during the preseason, but she'll give Chicago a much-needed boost whenever she returns after the Stars finished last in the standings with a 3-12-11 record last year.
Key offseason signings, trades
The Kansas City Current acquired forward Penelope Hocking from Bay FC on March 11 for a $350,000 transfer fee. Hocking led Bay FC with six goals and one assist in 18 regular-season games.
The Kansas City Current acquired midfielder Croix Bethune from the Washington Spirit in a $1 million transfer on Feb. 11. Bethune was named midfielder of the year and rookie of the year in 2024. "Her elite creativity and passing ability combined with her tactical versatility... make her a great fit for our club," KC Current general manager Ryan Dell said.
Bay FC acquired midfielder Claire Hutton from the Kansas City Current in a $1.1 million transfer on Feb. 11, marking one of the highest transfer fees between two NWSL teams and one of the highest for any women's player worldwide. Hutton was named to the NWSL Best XI First Team last season.
Gotham FC acquired veteran midfielder Savannah McCaskill from San Diego Wave FC in a $175,000 transfer on Jan. 2. She appeared in 21 regular-season games least season.
Denver Summit, Boston FC make their debuts
The NWSL is expanding from 14 to 16 teams with the additions of Denver Summit FC and Boston Legacy FC. Expect the expansion franchises to come out of the gate hot.
"We want to be competitive from the very first day," Legacy FC GM Domènec Guasch told USA TODAY Sports.
Both teams assembled their inaugural rosters without the help of the NWSL draft or expansion draft, which were eliminated in the latest collective bargaining agreement following the 2024 season. Summit FC may have landed the biggest offseason signing right from their own backyard. USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps will join Summit FC in June following the conclusion of her 2025–26 season with OL Lyonnes in France. The midfielder played for the Portland Thorns from 2016-2022.
The excitement for both teams is palpable. Summit FC has already sold 50,000 tickets for the team's first home match at Empower Field at Mile High on March 28, which will break the single-game NWSL attendance record of 40,091 and set a record for the highest attended women's professional game in any sport in the U.S., Berman said.
The NWSL isn't done growing. By 2028, the league will expand to 18 teams. The 17th franchise was awarded to Atlanta in November and the 18th team will "be awarded later this year," Berman added.
Reach USA TODAY National Women's Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at@CydHenderson.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:2026 NWSL season preview: Denver, Boston expansion teams open play