2026 NWSL Schedule: Top Matchups to Circle on the Calendar

Back and bigger than ever, here are some picks of the best matches to watch from the NWSL’s 248-game slate.

The defending NWSL champions, NJ/NY Gotham FC, will open their season against the Boston Legacy. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The wait is over. The 2026 National Women’s Soccer League schedule is here, and fans can now look forward to 248 games, 16 teams, nine months and three trophies of soccer chaos.

Two new clubs are joining the fray this year: Boston Legacy and the Denver Summit. They are the latest expansion teams, which means the NWSL has swelled to a 30-match regular season for the first time.

The 2026 regular season will kick off on March 13 and close on Nov. 1. Playoffs will be held from Nov. 6 to Nov. 21, with the quarterfinals from Nov. 6 to Nov. 8, the semifinals on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15, and the Championship final booked for Nov. 21.

The Challenge Cup, a trophy contested in a final between the previous season’s Shield winner and the postseason champion, will be held on June 26 at a neutral site in Columbus, Ohio.

This year, the Challenge Cup will see the Kansas City Current face off against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Unlike in the previous two seasons, the Challenge Cup has been moved from the preseason to the middle of the season. This is because Gotham will participate in the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.

As always, the NWSL will take a summer break. This year, the break is being held in June, excluding the one Challenge Cup final match. The NWSL will face a unique challenge in managing resources around the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the United States from June 11 to July 19.

The 2026 season marks the third year of the NWSL’s landmark four-year domestic media rights agreement with CBS Sports, ESPN, ION and Prime Video, which is worth $60 million a season. New in 2026 is the arrival of Victory+, a free-to-consumer platform and the exclusive home of 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET Sunday evening matches.

Here are Sports Illustrated’s picks for the season’s must-watch matchups.

Boston joins the party

Date	Teams	Network	Time
March 14	Boston Legacy vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC	ABC	12:30 p.m. ET

The Boston Legacy will officially enter the NWSL when it plays its inaugural match at Gillette Stadium on the opening weekend of the regular season. There’s something alluring about Boston entering the league against one of its regional rivalries in New York/New Jersey, even if it is too early to call this one a classic.

Former Gotham player Ella Stevens, who signed with the Legacy as a free agent this offseason, will be one to watch as the ties between these two clubs grow. If she scores Legacy’s first NWSL goal, it would be quite the story.

As the reigning NWSL champions, Gotham will not want to let the new kids on the block embarrass them. Considering Gotham will have traveled to London to compete in the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in January, the Legacy couldn’t have asked for a stiffer test as they become the second Boston team to play in the NWSL. (The Boston Breakers folded in 2018.)

Denver opens at Mile High

Date	Teams	Network	Time
March 28	Denver Summit vs. Washington Spirit	CBS	2:00 p.m. ET

Denver fans will have to wait two weeks before the first Summit home match, but good things come to those who wait. For their inaugural home opener, the Summit will head to Empower Field at Mile High, home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos, promising a crowd of over 30,000.

With the NWSL attendance record currently standing at 40,091, the 2026 NWSL expansion team has the opportunity to announce itself as a serious organization by packing the stands in Colorado. A game of this importance lives on CBS with the 2025 runners-up, the Washington Spirit, lining up.

Pride vs. Current officially gets feisty

Date	Teams	Network	Time
July 10	Orlando Pride vs. KC Current	Prime Video	8:00 p.m. ET

With the return of “Rivalry Week” comes a brand-new rivalry. Despite no obvious geographical connection, Orlando Pride and the Kansas City Current have officially been paired as new rivals for the 2026 season. The origin of this new derby appears to date back to the ’24 meetings.

On the way to winning the 2024 Shield and Championship double, the Pride became the first team to win at a match at the Current’s home of CPKC Stadium. After that win, in July 2022, the celebrations of Marta and her Pride teammates came under scrutiny from Current players who said they would be out for revenge.

Vengeance never came, and the Pride went on to eliminate the Current from the 2024 playoffs and lift the title. Fast forward to 2026, as these two feisty sides meet, with the rivalry upgraded.

"It means so much."

Marta is going to her first #NWSLChampionship! pic.twitter.com/ow84uG4Y2M

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 17, 2024

2025 Championship rematch

Date	Teams	Network	Time
October 17	Washington Spirit vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC	CBS	12:30 p.m. ET

Who doesn’t love a rematch? It doesn’t get much bigger than the two 2025 NWSL Championship finalists, the Spirit and Gotham FC, facing off towards the end of the regular season. A nationally televised slot on CBS will elevate the game. This is a cancel-all-your-plans, can’t-miss matchup.

These two East Coast teams have been scrapping since a 2024 playoff semifinal, when the Spirit won on penalties, and Bruninha was sent off after being shown a red card. Last season added another chapter, with Gotham showing off their grit and determination in the 2025 Championship final, pulling off a 1–0 win. Due to where this game falls on the schedule, everything could be on the line, from the Shield trophy to playoff seeding or even a spot in the postseason.

All the drama on decision day

Date	Teams	Network	Time
November 1	Bay FC vs. San Diego Wave	ESPN TBD	5:00 pm. ET
November 1	NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Utah Royals	ESPN TBD	5:00 p.m. ET
November 1	Houston Dash vs. Portland Thorns	ESPN TBD	5:00 p.m. ET
November 1	Angel City vs. Boston Legacy	ESPN TBD	5:00 p.m. ET
November 1	Racing Louisville vs. KC Current	ESPN TBD	5:00 p.m. ET
November 1	NC Courage vs. Denver Summit	ESPN TBD	5:00 p.m. ET
November 1	Seattle Reign vs. Orlando Pride	ESPN TBD	5:00 p.m. ET
November 1	Washington Spirit vs. Chicago Stars	ESPN TBD	5:00 p.m. ET

Decision day is when all the matches on the final day of the season kick off simultaneously, delivering a delicious, two-hour, drama-filled afternoon to round out the regular season and crystalize the league table and who advances to the playoffs.

In 2023, decision day was a raucous ride with 11 teams still in the mix, and nothing settled. Eventually, Angel City leapfrogged into the playoffs over the Orlando Pride thanks to a 5–1 win over the Portland Thorns. In ’24, the NWSL opted to scrap the concept, but the league quickly realized its error and decision day returned in ’25.

Last year, Racing Louisville provided all the drama with Ella Hase scoring the goal to send the Kentucky club to its first postseason on the final day of the regular season.

Get your snacks and multi-screen viewing ready because decision Ddy is where NWSL memories are made. Anything could happen.

FRESH off her first international call up 🇺🇸😎

Ella Hase with her first professional goal to give us the lead! pic.twitter.com/VcFCx635F7

— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) November 2, 2025

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