The 2026 NWSL season will be remembered for …

How the High Impact Player (HIP) rule evolves the NWSL’s place in the global transfer market. The league has regained some control of the “is the NWSL still the best league in the world” narrative, keeping Trinity Rodman on a deal via this new mechanism. The next transfer window or two will be a fascinating test of the league’s willingness to ease restrictions and let its teams reach as far as they’d like. JR

The several controversies set to be resolved, or at least progressed. Currently, there are two grievances filed by NWSLPA against the league about how players can be paid – an issue that is at the core of the league as both a sporting competition and a place of work. Also, the jury trial about the six former employees’ lawsuit against the NWSL and San Diego Wave alleging a discriminatory and abusive work environment is set to take place in late summer. AS

How the league continues to establish its presence in the US sports landscape. The two seasons after this one will have the added interest bumps of international tournaments in the 2027 World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 LA Olympics. How can the NWSL use this year to build momentum? ESPN’s new Sunday night double-header of NWSL and WNBA games should help. EB

I’m most excited about …

Post-college breakout players. Who will be this year’s Riley Tiernan or Lilly Reale, launching their career at a club of their choosing? Names to watch include Chicago’s Elise Evans, Stanford’s finest defender since Naomi Girma, and Houston’s Kat Rader, a dynamic goal scorer with considerable chance-creation chops. JR

A 50,000-strong crowd at Denver Summit’s opener. The expansion team’s home debut against Washington Spirit on 28 March will be nothing short of epic. The speed with which these newcomers have built a fanbase has been impressive to watch from afar and their league opener has the potential to be a landmark event for the NWSL. TG

The league’s many new international players. General managers the league over ushered in an influx of great athletes who represent national teams around the world. The expansion teams, who had to build their rosters without any drafts, led the way. Highlights include Boston’s Amanda Gutierres and Jorelyn Carabalí, Denver’s Emma Regan, Utah’s Kiana Palacios, Bay FC’s Cristiana Girelli, and Washington’s Claudia Martínez. AS

The return of ‘Triple Espresso’. The last NWSL match weekend in which Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson all suited up? That would be 8-10 November 2024. Swanson and Wilson were out for the entirety of last season on maternity leave, while Rodman missed significant time managing a back injury. Once all three are back in action, I’d expect to see their names reappearing at the top of the league’s goals and assists tables. EB

The most impactful offseason move will be …

Claire Hutton from Kansas City Current to Bay FC. Bay’s first three years in the NWSL have been a rollercoaster: very poor in 2023 and 2025 on either side of a steadily successful 2024. Hutton should provide needed stability from week to week, giving Bay arguably the league’s best d-mid at just 20 years old following Sam Coffey’s transfer to Manchester City. JR

Kansas City persuading Croix Bethune to swap the Spirit for the Current felt like a huge flex and it is a move a lot of people are understandably very excited about. Longer-term, Hutton’s addition for Bay FC looks like a very clever one as they add one of the sport’s top young talents. TG

Hutton’s departure from Kansas City. The midfielder was key to the Current’s historic 2025 run, providing defensive grit and brilliant passes in the buildup. Without her, the Current’s midfield is significantly weakened, and the team is thrown back into the realm of mortals. Unfortunately for Hutton herself, I’m unconvinced that even her robust skills will move the needle enough for her new club, Bay FC, to put together a strong season. AS

Hutton’s $1.1m move was the biggest surprise of the NWSL offseason; her departure will be felt by Kansas City, and her arrival could swing Bay into playoff contention. Also worth noting: Angel City signing Emily Sams to boost a defense that conceded the third-most goals in the league last year, and Washington keeping Rodman from making an offseason move. EB

An under-the-radar player to watch …

One year after leaving UCLA for Pachuca, Ayo Oke is now responsible for the highest fee paid for a US player by an NWSL club ($450,000, per ESPN). She debuted for the USWNT in January, and should be a regular at right back or right wing for Denver Summit. JR

Look out for Sarah Schupansky. The Gotham midfielder had a fantastic rookie season that flew under the radar. Her quality was made especially obvious when she wasn’t playing, as Gotham seemed to struggle without her brilliant distribution and defending high up the pitch. In her sophomore outing, I expect her value to soar. AS

I’m intrigued by the rookie talent the Houston Dash added this offseason. North Carolina’s Kate Faasse won the MAC Hermann Trophy as the top player in college soccer two years ago; defender Leah Klenke and forward Kat Rader were first-team All-Americans last year. Will one of them follow Avery Patterson and become the next young star to launch out of Houston? EB

These teams will make the playoffs …

Washington, Gotham, Kansas City, Orlando, Louisville, Bay, Houston, Seattle. JR

Kansas City, Gotham, Washington, Orlando and San Diego feel like fairly safe bankers, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Denver sneak in despite being newcomers, but the final few places are anyone’s guess – there’s not a lot between some of those mid-table sides. I’ll take a punt and say Bay and Angel City to both improve this year and both make the cut. TG

Washington, Gotham, Kansas City, San Diego, Portland, Orlando, Denver, Seattle. AS

Washington, Gotham, Kansas City, Portland, Orlando, San Diego, Denver, Bay. EB

The MVP will be …

I’m using this space to manifest at least 25 starts (remember, it’s a 30-game season now) for Bethune, who on her day is one of the most entertaining players in this or any league. If she can avoid injuries, she could be unstoppable in Kansas City with Temwa Chawinga, Ally Sentnor and Michelle Cooper sprinting alongside her. JR

Manaka Matsukubo, if the Courage can prove themselves worthy of having her. The 21-year-old Japanese international can play at midfield and forward with immense dexterity and precision. Last year, she notched 11 goals and four assists for ninth place North Carolina, and was named NWSL midfielder of the year. If North Carolina can find success as a team, Manaka’s contributions might be too big to deny her the biggest accolade there is. AS

Temwa Chawinga is no stranger to making league history – she set the single-season record for goals scored in her first season, and she’s already climbing her way up the all-time leading scorers table (35 goals in just two years). If she stays healthy – and the rest of Kansas City’s attacking talents can do the same – she makes more history as the NWSL’s first three-time MVP. EB

The Golden Boot winner will be …

She’s won it twice in a row, and while I’ve given Bethune a narrow edge for MVP, this is truly Chawinga’s award until someone else takes it. Sentnor should be more settled after joining last summer, and defenses shouldn’t be able to concentrate so specifically on Chawinga as KC enters the final third. Goalkeepers, be ready! JR

Ludmila. The Brazilian international proved she can spin gold out of nothing while at Chicago, scoring 10 goals for the last-place side in 2025. Now she’s at San Diego, who Jonas Eidevall has developed into a high-flying, high-scoring squad. With Perle Morroni, Kenza Dali, Gia Corley, and Dudinha as teammates, it’s hard to imagine that the tenacious striker won’t rack up goals. AS

It’s hard to see anyone challenging Chawinga, especially with four additional chances to add to her tally given the expansion of the schedule to 30 games. I’ll also give shouts to San Diego’s Ludmila and Gotham’s Esther González, the latter of whom certainly stands a chance to win the Golden Boot for headers (a real-to-me award that needs a better name.) EB

The NWSL Shield winner will be …

Nobody enters 2026 with more to prove than the Washington Spirit, who were one moment of coaching indecision away from winning last year’s championship. Even after parting with Bethune, the Spirit have an awfully deep squad and have proven they can rack up results even when Rodman misses time. Audi Field should be rowdy as usual if their form sustains. JR

Kansas City Current may seem like the obvious, lazy or unimaginative choice but they are also the very sensible choice. The squad looks supreme. The only question mark is whether the new coach Chris Armas can hit the ground running, but he has inherited a very talented group who were 21 points above the chasing pack last time around. TG

Washington, as long as they can leave their injury problems behind. They’ll feel the loss of Croix Bethune (transfer to KC) and Aubrey Kingsbury (maternity leave), but the Spirit have proven they have more than enough depth to find success. Plus, they’ll finally have managerial continuity as Adrián González starts the year as head coach. The Spirit are runners-up two years in a row, so they’ll be hungrier than ever to grab the elusive Shield. AS

In the past two seasons, Washington found themselves second to two history-making teams – 2024 Orlando and 2025 Kansas City. They have the depth to withstand wear-and-tear and pull out results during the slog of the season. Third time’s the charm. EB

The NWSL championship winner will be …

Every year, Gotham see key contributors exit as they’ve played themselves into better deals. So far, they’ve proven very capable of identifying those rising talents (see: replacing Jenna Nighswonger with Lilly Reale) and other holdovers from the core thrive in elevated roles. They’re rightfully the team to beat in 2026, and would deservedly earn dynasty status if they claim a third NWSL championship in four seasons. JR

As a Brit, it can sometimes take a while to wrap my head around the US concept of a team finishing eighth and still becoming the champions, and it is likely to be wide open again once the playoffs arrive, but perhaps Kansas City will be able to take the experience of last year’s playoff disappointment and use it a fuel to focus their minds for the all-important end-of-season games this time around. TG

Gotham, again. The team that took the playoffs by storm last year has only sharpened its toolkit with the addition of rookie Jordynn Dudley and the return of captain Tierna Davidson from injury. Plus, it’ll be Jaedyn Shaw’s first full season with the team, so Juan Carlos Amorós can build the team around her from jump. This team relishes knockout soccer, and has proven more than any other in recent history it knows how to come out on top. AS

Could a third trip to the final for Washington also be the charm? I’ve watched enough NWSL playoff action to know we have to expect the unexpected. Should everyone stay healthy – and the Chris Armas Experiment doesn’t completely backfire – I could see Kansas City exacting revenge for their quarter-final exit last year and lifting the city’s first championship trophy since FC Kansas City did so in 2015. (These predictions will all look silly if/when Gotham runs it back.) EB