What’s new in the NWSL in 2026?
Everything you need to know to get up to speed with the National Women’s Soccer League ahead of the new season
It has been almost 13 years since the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) kicked off its inaugural season. Now, the 2026 season is set to be the league’s biggest ever, with 16 teams and a 30-match fixture list ready to begin on Friday 13 March.
One thing is for sure in the NWSL: change is always on the horizon. Whether it is new teams, new signings, new managers, new rules, new stadiums, or new kits.
So, in the spirit of the new season, here is The Cutback’s quick rundown of everything you need to know to get up to speed and ready for the NWSL in 2026.
New teams
2026 will usher in two new teams to the NWSL, expansion sides Boston Legacy and Denver Summit. Boston were awarded their place in the NWSL nearly two and a half years ago, while Denver has gone from bid to kickoff in around 13 months.
It’s been an interesting build up for both teams on and off the pitch.
Boston got off to the worst possible start. Initially naming the club BOS Nation FC, and launching with an infamous promotional video that suggested there were “too many balls” in Boston’s male-dominated sport scene.
Team ownership took the criticism to heart and swiftly scrubbed all evidence of their first launch and returned as Boston Legacy FC.
The team plans to eventually play their home matches at the city-owned White Stadium in Franklin Park. But the costs of the renovation to the dilapidated ground, built in 1949, continue to increase. With local media now estimating it to be $325m.
In 2026, Legacy home matches will actually take place outside of Boston, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, and across state lines at Centreville Bank Stadium in Rhode Island.
Former Barcelona staffer Domènec Guasch was handed the reins as sporting director, with former Benfica head coach Filipa Patão quickly following as the club’s first head coach.
The Legacy have leaned into their global identity and recruited an exciting team full of tenacious and technical players without much NWSL experience or any recognisable US women’s national team players.
Two new faces to keep an eye on are Brazilian forward Amanda Gutierres, from Palmeiras, who is the club’s marquee signing for a reported seven-figure fee, and then there’s Mexican-American Club America standout Nicki Hernandez, who is returning home to the United States for the first time in her professional career.
Despite having less time to prepare for the 2026 season, Denver have been very aggressive in the transfer market and were also quick to begin work on building facilities.
The Summit have broken ground on a new stadium that is set to be ready for the 2028 season and costs up to $300 million. They are also developing a state-of-the-art training facility that will also house home matches until 2028. That training ground is not quite ready for kick-off, so Dick’s Sporting Goods Park will be the temporary home stadium for the Summit.
Denver have leaned into NWSL experience and local talent. Curt Johnson, who previously was the general manager of the NC Courage for seven seasons, has been hired to lead the sporting side of the club. A surprise pick at head coach was Nick Cushing, the former Manchester City and NYCFC head coach.
USA captain Lindsey Heaps, who grew up in Colorado, has been announced as the team’s big signing on a pre-contract agreement from Lyon. She will arrive in June.
In terms of community engagement and fan interest, Denver is set to hit the ground running. Their first-ever home match, at Mile High Stadium (capacity: 76,000), has already sold 50,000 tickets and will break the NWSL’s all-time attendance record. The club also already has a waitlist for season tickets, after the 10,000 allocation for the 2026 season was quickly snapped up.
New rules
Where to begin. The NWSL kicked off the offseason under the weight of Trinity Rodman’s expired contract, but by hook or by crook, they managed to help keep the US superstar in the league by creating the High Impact Player rule.
The HIP rule essentially allows teams in the NWSL to spend up to an additional $1 million on player salaries for certain players that meet an extremely strange list of criteria.
This $1 million does not come out of the 2026 $3.7 million salary cap. The NWSL Players Association has filed a grievance over the league’s decision not to bargain this rule change and has recommended just adding an extra $1 million to the salary cap instead.
NWSL teams’ net transfer budget for 2026 has been increased to $605,000. If teams exceed this amount, then 25% of that overspend will be deducted from their salary cap limit.
Prize money for 2026 has been announced as $15,000 per player for winning the Shield (topping the table in the regular season) and $15,000 per player for winning the Championship playoff final.
On the pitch, the NWSL has also been busy announcing lots of tweaks to how matches will be officiated in 2026.
Starting this year, the NWSL will be using the ‘Only The Captain’ rule. The rule states that the referee will gesture an “X” with their arms above their head, and then step back four metres. If any non-captain player enters that four-metre area, they will be shown a yellow card.
The NWSL is also trying to crack down on the global trend of goalkeeper tactical timeouts. In the event of a goalkeeping injury, players are not allowed to approach their team’s technical area and instead must congregate by the centre circle or be disciplined. If the goalkeeper is substituted, players may approach the technical area.
New broadcasts
This season will also see the NWSL implement ‘Ref Cam’ into their broadcasts, so expect extra chaos as players are shown yellow cards for catching a word with their manager as Ann-Katrin Berger sits down for a bit.
There’s also a new broadcaster carrying NWSL matches in 2026, Victory+. The free US-streaming service will show 57 games across its platforms and has also announced an alternative broadcast and ‘Content Hub’ for their coverage, which will feature social media pundit Coach Jackie and former player Kelley O’Hara commentating on matches in real time.
New managers
Including the two expansion teams, almost half of the NWSL coaching line up is made up of new managers. None of those seven new head coaches have worked in the NWSL before, with all but one (Chris Armas at the Kansas City Current) arriving from Europe.
A few familiar faces for WSL and England fans will be Nick Cushing at Denver Summit, formerly of Manchester City (2013-2020 and then as interim in 2025), Robert Vilahamn at Portland Thorns, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur (2023-2025), and then Emma Coates at Bay FC, formerly of the Lionesses U19 and U23 age groups (2017-2025).
New stadiums
The Chicago Stars are trying out a new ground in 2026. After calling SeatGeek Stadium, in the nearby suburb of Bridgeview, home since 2016, the Stars have opted to move to Martin Stadium on the campus of Northwestern University.
Over the years, Chicago has struggled to draw big crowds and finished 13th in average attendance in 2025 with 5,574. The new digs should offer better transport links and a way to tap into the 20,000 students currently enrolled, as well as alumni connected to the university.
Not by choice, but the Seattle Reign will also be playing their first three home matches at One Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Washington, this year due to their home of Lumen Field being a host site for the 2026 men’s World Cup.
There are approximately 280 miles between Seattle and Spokane. So, that is sort of the WSL equivalent of Arsenal playing their home matches in Newcastle.
New kits
Ahead of the new season, 18 new NWSL kits were released. Four of these belonged to Denver and Boston, while all pre-existing teams got one new kit.
Seemingly out of nowhere — or perhaps in an attempt to try and make more money — the NWSL has also started allowing their teams to have third kits. It has been quite fun to see these third kit designs really push the boat and add new colours to team palettes.
Some teams, like the Washington Spirit and Portland Thorns, have also been redefining what a home kit can look like, too.
New signings
Two of the biggest transfers of the offseason involved the reigning number one team in the standings, the Kansas City Current. First, the Current sent midfielder Claire Hutton to Bay FC for $1.1 million. Then, they spent $1 million to lure midfielder Croix Bethune to Kansas City from the Washington Spirit.
In terms of new arrivals into the NWSL, young American full-back Ayo Oke, transferring from Club Pachuca to the Denver Summit, is one to watch. So too is Italy captain Cristiana Girelli coming in on a surprise loan from Juventus to Bay FC until August. Also making the move from Italy to the U.S. is Lucia Di Guglielmo, who joined the Spirit on a transfer from AS Roma.