The 2026 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) season is underway on ESPN's channels in Africa, with several stars from Africa and the USA shining across the league.
Zambia's Barbra Banda is back among the goals for Orlando Pride, while Racheal Kundananji put in a stellar performance in a 2-1 Bay FC win over league debutants Denver Summit.
Denver will soon welcome one of world soccer's biggest stars in United States captain Lindsey Heaps (neé Horan), when the attacking midfielder joins in June after her season with OL Lyonnes.
Had she been actively involved in the Summit team, Heaps would have been in our top 10 Players to Watch, a list including Washington Spirit's Trinity Rodman and new San Diego Wave signing Catarina Macario.
Gift Monday, Washington Spirit
In 2025, Monday established herself as a player whose form was so consistent, Nigeria could ill afford to continue to overlook her. Her 36-minute hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Houston Dash was the fastest from kick-off in NWSL history.
In 2026, she has the opportunity to upscale from a great player to a world class one and challenge for the MVP crown. Ivory Coast winger/forward Kouassi is likely to be a key source of chances for the Spirit, doing legwork mostly out wide, with Monday applying the finishing touches down the middle.
Catarina Macario, San Diego Wave
As per ESPN's Jeff Kassouf, Macario has sealed her transfer to San Diego Wave from Chelsea for around $300,000 on a contract worth roughly $8 million. The Brazil-born USWNT midfielder/forward will be eager to hit the ground running to justify her price tag once the move is officially announced.
Temwa Chawinga, Kansas City Current
Malawi star and reigning MVP Chawinga is recovering from an adductor injury sustained in October. However, her performances in her first two seasons for the Current suggest she is likely to be among the most dominant players in the league when she returns.
In 2024, she won the Golden Boot and MVP award with a record 20 regular season goals, and in 2025, she retained the Golden Boot and MVP prizes with 15 goals and also fired the Current to the NWSL Shield.
With Chawinga out injured for the playoffs, they failed to go all the way and pick up the Championship. When she returns to action, she will have another crown to fight for.
Trinity Rodman, Washington Spirit
If an indication of Rodman's value was ever needed, there could hardly have been a greater tacit endorsement from the league than its adoption of the High Impact Player rule to allow traditional salary cap restrictions to be circumvented for her to stay.
Much has been made of her strained relationship with her father, Dennis, a basketball great. However, the 23-year-old has consistently maintained that she wants to build her own legacy independently of his. Already, the forward is a star in her own right, with a 2024 Olympic gold medal to her name, and all indications are that the best is yet to come.
Barbra Banda, Orlando Pride
The scorer of the winning goal in the 2024 NWSL Championship final missed much of last season with injury. However, now that she is fit again, the Zambia striker will be central to the Pride's hopes of reclaiming the title which Gotham FC clinched in 2025.
Banda was CAF's Women's Footballer of the Year in 2024 and has been the face of a golden era for the women's game in Zambia. She is already off the mark in the NWSL this season, having scored in a 2-1 loss to Seattle Reign.
Racheal Kundananji, Bay FC
For both Zambia and Bay FC, Kundananji is a vital component of the team as she contributes a steady supply of goals while also breaking defensive lines and adding assists.
Capable of spearheading the attack or playing out wide, the one-time world women's transfer record holder has more yet to give than what she has shown in her first two seasons in the NWSL. Playing alongside Cristiana Girelli, who is on loan from Juventus, may unlock a different dimension to her game.
Manaka Matsukubo, North Carolina Courage
The 2025 NWSL Midfielder of the Year is one of world football's brightest talents. Matsukubo won the Silver Ball at the 2024 FIFA U20 Women's World Cup while representing Japan.
An attacking midfielder, her most memorable moment last season was a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Bay FC, which saw her become the youngest player in league history to score one. She is likely to remain a thorn in the side of any defensive unit she comes up against.
Due to Asian Cup duty with Japan, she missed the 2026 season opener, which saw the Courage beat Racing Louisville 2-1.
Michelle Alozie, Chicago Stars
Alozie, a versatile Nigeria fullback, joined the Stars from Houston Dash ahead of the new season. Famous for playing soccer at an elite level while also working as a cancer research technician, the 28-year-old is one of Africa's household names in the league.
Lorena, Kansas City Current
Current and Brazil goalkeeper Lorena da Silva Leite was by far the most accomplished shot-stopper in the league last season. With a league-leading 14 clean sheets -- four more than closest competitor Ann-Katrin Berger -- Lorena picked up the Goalkeeper of the Year award. Along the way, she set not only a league record for single-season clean sheets, but also most consecutive shutout minutes (690).
Tara Rudd (neé McKeown), Washington Spirit
Last season's Defender of the Year is heading into her sixth season in the league after being almost impenetrable in the last three. She had already been named an NWSL Iron Woman by playing every minute of the 2024 campaign, but last year was her best to date.
She ranked in the top two among all defenders for interceptions and top four for blocked shots and tackle success for defenders with at least 1,000 minutes.