Which NWSL teams should CanWNT fans keep a closest eye on in 2026?
The NWSL is back!
After a long offseason, the 2026 campaign kicks off in earnest this week, starting with a clash between the Washington Spirit and the Portland Thorns on Friday.
As has been the case since the league’s launch in 2013, there will be plenty of Canadian content on full display throughout the season, too. With 24 Canadians on NWSL rosters to start the season (and 23 of them set to play some role in this season), there will be plenty of reasons for CanWNT fans to keep an eye on the league, as they’ll be able to watch Canadian stars of the past, present and future every week.
NWSL IS HERE! 😎
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 9, 2026
We're so excited to present select @NWSL matches featuring CanWNT 🇨🇦 stars on OneSoccer, beginning this weekend with a Saturday triple-header 📺 pic.twitter.com/hNpEzwSGyl
Naturally, for Canadians who have watched the league for a bit longer, they’ll have built an allegiance to certain teams. The Thorns were always a popular choice for Canadians due to the presence of CanWNT icon Christine Sinclair, while other clubs like the Houston Dash always seem to host a healthy contingent of Canadian players on their roster.
Now, though, with an increase in Canadians across the league, there are more options for fans to follow. No longer will teams like the ‘Portlanada Thorns’ and the ‘Houston Canadash’ be the default options for Canadians tuning into the league.
Because of that, it feels timely to offer a ranking of which teams will be most worth watching from a Canadian perspective this season. To be clear, this is not a ranking of teams that Canadian fans need to like, as that will always be subjective, but a ranking of the teams most worth watching when exclusively using a Canadian lens.
We asked CanWNT 🇨🇦 stars playing in the NWSL to build their ULTIMATE Canadian player 😎 pic.twitter.com/luqDQJrseb
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 4, 2026
Without further ado, here’s the list.
16-13. Angel City, Gotham FC, KC Current, Racing Louisville
Unfortunately, while all of these clubs are solid teams and have all been home to Canadian players in past seasons, they enter this season without any CanWNT players past or present on their rosters.
Therefore, it’s safe to say that these won’t be the teams that one might seek out when looking to watch CanWNT players - especially when these teams play each other.
12. Orlando Pride
One of the best teams in the NWSL in recent years, the Pride are always worth watching, as they also play an exciting brand of soccer. Therefore, it was easy for Canadians to tune into Pride games after the arrival of the 23-year-old Zara Chavoshi, who made 13 appearances in her first season with the club in 2025. Thanks to her solid play across those minutes, she even cracked the CanWNT fold for the first time, too, earning two caps in 2025.
On a stacked Orlando team, however, it remains to be seen if Chavoshi will be able to earn a bigger role in 2026 or if she’ll have to settle for similar minutes this year. With Canada’s strong depth at centre back, she’ll hope it’s the former, or else she’ll likely only earn more CanWNT call-ups on an emergency basis.
There’s no doubt that she’s one to watch for the future, and the Pride know that, but it remains to be seen what her role in the present looks like heading into 2026 - and that uncertainty pushes the Pride down these rankings.
11. San Diego Wave
After the departure of Kailen Sheridan this offseason, the Wave’s Canadian contingent now sits at one player, with Adriana Leon set to push the Wave forward in her second season at the club.
Leon had a solid first year in San Diego, too, scoring four goals and adding three assists in 27 appearances, although her role diminished in the Wave’s biggest games of the season last fall. That ended up affecting her place within the CanWNT, as she was surprisingly left out of their first squad of 2026, despite being the most prolific Canadian scorer of this decade.
Yet, that’s the challenge Leon has faced in recent years. When in form, she’s scored for fun, both with Canada and her various clubs, but she’s also dealt with bouts of inconsistency, which have led to her bouncing around different teams - the Wave are the fifth team she’s played with since 2022, after all.
So from a Canadian perspective, it’ll be hoped she can find form again, as it’ll make the Wave worth watching.
10. Utah Royals
Healthy again, Cloé Lacasse is hoping that this can be her first full NWSL season, as after joining the Utah Royals partway through the 2024 season, she suffered a major knee injury that cut that 2024 campaign short and held her out of most of the 2025 season, too.
She’s been pretty productive when on the field for the Royals - she scored four goals in nine games in 2024, and had a goal and an assist in 12 games (706) in 2025 - so it’ll be hoped that a healthy Lacasse can elevate this Royals team.
An in-form Lacasse is a sight to behold, as Benfica and Arsenal fans will tell you, so the Royals are banking on her returning to the sort of scintillating form she once had in Portugal and England - as the lone Canadian on the Royals, her play will dictate how closely CanWNT fans will watch Utah this year.
9. Houston Dash
As usual, the Dash are a prominent home to Canadian talent, as four Canadians are on their roster, but when you dive a little deeper, those numbers don’t tell the full story.
One player, Amanda West, is out on loan to Damallsvenskan side FC Rosengård, so that technically drops the number of Canadians to three, and of those other three, two, Sophie Schmidt and Allysha Chapman, are both either officially (Schmidt) or unofficially (Chapman) retired from the Canadian set-up.
That leaves Clarissa Larisey as the big CanWNT interest story, as she’s looking to build off a solid first half-season with the Dash, having scored a goal and added an assist in 10 appearances at the end of 2025. Having shown well in her 12 caps with Canada, she hopes to return to the Canadian fold with a strong 2026 season, and she should hopefully get the minutes needed with the Dash to make that a possibility.
With Schmidt also recovering from a major knee injury, Larisey is the Canadian to watch on the Dash to start the year, so her form will dictate how close an eye Canadians will be keeping on this Houston side - although Chapman earning regular minutes wouldn’t hurt, as she’s always fun to watch due to her intense competitive spirit and desire to defend.
8. Seattle Reign
It's been a wild week for the Seattle Reign in these rankings, as they plummeted after moving Jordyn Huitema to the Chicago Stars, before making a big jump back up the list following their acquisition of Holly Ward from the Vancouver Rise a day later.
From a Canadian perspective, Ward's signing is a huge move, too, as she was one of the best players in the Northern Super League last year, which vaulted her into the CanWNT picture. Still just 22, this move comes at a perfect time for her, as she'll be able to provide an immediate boost to the Reign's attack, but she's also young enough to grow and develop as a player.
Because of that, Canadians will want to keep a close eye on the Reign, given how important Ward could be for the future of the CanWNT. Having already earned 10 caps, scoring two goals, she'll only add to those figures if she can hit the ground running at her new club.
7. Bay FC
Bay FC can thank the North Carolina Courage for the growth of their Canadian contingent, as they acquired defenders Sydney Collins and Brookyln Courtnall from the Courage on separate deals last year, quickly putting them from zero to two Canadians in a matter of months.
Now, it’s expected that both will play a big role for Bay FC this year, having done well to hit the ground running last year, with Collins playing nine games for her new club and Courtnall seven, even pairing together as centre backs in some of those appearances.
Certainly, they left enough of an impression to earn a call-up to the first CanWNT camp of 2026, where they both impressed, so look for them to play a big role together on this Bay FC side again this season.
They might face stiff competition at their respective positions on the CanWNT, with Collins seen as more of a full back and Courtnall a centre back (although Collins could join the mix at centre back if she keeps playing there for Bay FC), but continuing to do well in NWSL action could open the door for more call-ups. Given that they’re set to earn regular minutes, the ball is in their court on that front.
6. North Carolina Courage
After moving Collins and Courtnall to Bay FC, the Courage did well to replenish their Canadian ranks this offseason, as they made a big splash to acquire Kailen Sheridan before adding midfielder Carly Wickenheiser not long after.
Instantly, that makes them a team to watch from a Canadian perspective, as Sheridan will have a huge role to play in net as she looks to bounce back to the Best XI and Goalkeeper of the Year form she had in San Diego, while Wickenheiser is looking to crack a CanWNT squad sorely lacking midfield depth.
Now, the big thing to watch will be to see how much Wickenheiser features, as Sheridan seems a lock to earn good minutes. If both feature prominently, Canadians will keep an extra close eye on this Courage side - if it’s just Sheridan earning prominent minutes, Canadians will still pay attention, but might keep a closer eye on some of the other teams higher up the list.
5. Boston Legacy
In terms of volume, the Legacy have done well to acquire Canadian talent, as they enter their inaugural season with three on their roster in Nichelle Prince, Bianca St-Georges and Amanda Allen.
Based on their experience within the NWSL, Prince and St-Georges should likely play prominent roles on the team, too, with each sitting at over 100 appearances in the league across their various stints at different clubs - Prince with the Dash and KC Current, St-Georges with the Courage, Royals and Chicago Stars.
The real wildcard here, however, is the 21-year-old Allen. When she was with the Pride, the youngster showed glimpses of her potential, but she was unable to find the consistency needed to crack a loaded Orlando side. Perhaps, she can do that on an expansion team, opening the door for her to add to the one cap she’s already earned for the CanWNT - if she does that, Canadians will certainly look to tune into Legacy games to closely monitor her development.
4. Washington Spirit
Sometimes, a quantity over quality approach can be what entices Canadians to watch an NWSL side, and it feels like the Spirit have proven that in recent years. There, Gabrielle Carle has been the name to watch, as she’s played a prominent role on a Spirit team that has been one of the best in the league in both years.
Unfortunately, they came short of winning the sort of trophies their play deserved, as they’ve finished as runner-ups in each of the 2024 and 2025 NWSL Championships, and finished second in the regular season table in both seasons, but that doesn’t take away from how good they’ve been - and how fun they’ve been to watch, too.
That should continue this year, with Carle likely to play a big role again at full-back - that alone makes them a team to watch for Canadians once again.
Yet, that’s not all to keep an eye out for on the Spirit, who also doubled their Canadian contingent by signing centre back Élisabeth Tsé. If she can feature at all, that’ll just add further reason for Canadians to check out the Spirit, especially if Carle has another big season.
3. Chicago Stars
In a late attempt to push their way up these rankings, the Stars made a big splash this week, acquiring Jordyn Huitema from the Seattle Reign, reuniting her with longtime CanWNT teammate and good friend, Julia Grosso.
All of a sudden, that makes the Stars a much bigger Canadian story. Not only are Huitema and Grosso now veterans of the CanWNT (Huitema has 97 caps, and Grosso 81, despite both being 25 or under), but they also have plenty to prove heading into this season.
TRANSFER NEWS ✅
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 12, 2026
CanWNT 🇨🇦 star Jordyn Huitema joins Chicago Stars in a move from Seattle Reign through 2028 for $200K in allocation + $300K transfer fee 🤝
Huitema: "I’m truly excited to be joining Chicago and becoming part of what this club is building. The ambition, vision… pic.twitter.com/vNBgb02YP1
After middling 2025 seasons for both club and country in 2025, they enter 2026 knowing that they’ll need to have big campaigns if they’re to keep playing a big role for Canada in the big games that await this year. Perhaps the opportunity to spend more time together on and off the field can push the pair to the sort of heights they’ve shown capable of hitting in the past - certainly, they should get the opportunity to do that with the Stars, who should give them plenty of minutes.
With Canada’s lack of clear goalscorer up front, and their midfield depth, they’d be ecstatic if Huitema catches fire while leading the line, or if Grosso shows the sort of box-to-box midfield dominance she had a few seasons ago for Juventus.
2. Portland Thorns
It’s not peak ‘Portlanada’ anymore, but the Thorns remain a team to watch for Canadians, as the Thorns still have two key CanWNT players in their ranks in Jessie Fleming and Marie-Yasmine Alidou.
First, there’s Fleming, who could be set to have a massive year for the Thorns after the departure of Sam Coffey. Not only will the Canadian captain likely assume a bigger leadership role on the Thorns, but she’ll have a much bigger role to play in midfield, too, which is good news for someone who still had a solid two goals and five assists for the Thorns last year.
Meanwhile, Alidou hopes that the arrival of a new coach can be what she needs to show the sort of level she has shown for Canada, where she’s been one of the best players since Casey Stoney’s arrival last year. After scoring just one goal and adding just one assist last year, you have to figure that she plays a much more prominent role in the Thorns' attack this year, showing them why they were so eager to acquire her from Benfica in 2025.
Given the importance of both to this Canadian side, Canadians will be keeping a close eye on the Thorns this year, and for good reason.
1. Denver Summit
They might be a brand-new club, but it’ll be hard for Canadians to ignore expansion side Denver Summit, who also have three Canadians on their roster in Janine Sonis, Emma Regan and Megan Reid.
New season. New threads. 🧵
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 25, 2026
CanWNT 🇨🇦 stars Emma Regan & Janine Sonis sporting the brand-new green of @denversummit_fc ahead of the 2026 NWSL season 🤩
Watch NWSL on OneSoccer 📺 pic.twitter.com/eE8Vmup8eN
Each of them should play a pretty significant role, too, led by Sonis, who is set to have a homecoming of sorts after being born in a nearby Denver suburb.
Not only is she reunited with her old head coach, Nick Cushing, with whom she shared some great moments at Manchester City, but she’s expected to play a big leadership role, too, having worn the captain’s armband in preseason. Now a full back full-time, she was excellent for Canada at that position as of late, after playing there a lot for Racing Louisville last year - the Summit will hope she can replicate something similar to the three goals and five assists she had at that position in 2025.
Otherwise, Regan is a fascinating addition, as she was outstanding in the Northern Super League last year, which is why the Summit were happy to pay a fee to acquire her from AFC Toronto. Having become a key CanWNT starter in midfield over the past year, her stepping up and continuing that level of play in the NWSL would be huge news for Canada, who like her profile as a defensive midfielder.
Lastly, there’s Reid, who hasn’t played a huge role for Canada, but remains an important depth piece at centre back. If she can also step in and play a role for the Summit similar to the one she played at her old club, Angel City, that’ll just be gravy for Canadian fans watching this Denver side.
Yet, that shows why the Summit will be a big team of intrigue for Canadian fans, as they’ll offer significant minutes to two key Canadian starters, while likely offering another opportunity to a key depth piece - that’ll make them hard to ignore.
