NWSL Power Rankings: Wave at the top, Spirit regain momentum
It’s Tuesday, and the 2026 NWSL regular season is in full swing, which means it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.
Which teams are poised to rise in the standings? Which ones are at risk of a decline? Our writers analyzed the events from Matchday 4 to establish this week’s ranking of all 16 teams in the league. Let’s take a look.
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1. San Diego Wave FC
Previous ranking: 3
Next match: Saturday, April 25 at Denver Summit, 8:45 p.m. ET
Four consecutive victories and two straight matches with a clean sheet reflect well on Jonas Eidevall’s squad. Fueled by Ludmila’s game-winning goal in the 63rd minute, the Wave edged past Boston with a 1-0 scoreline and now comfortably occupy the top position in the standings. The team deserves recognition for leading the league in xG (expected goals) and xA (expected assists) following Matchday 4.
2. Portland Thorns
Previous ranking: 1
Next match: Sunday, April 26 at Angel City FC, 6 p.m. ET (stream live on ESPN)
Portland experienced a lot of back-and-forth during their match in North Carolina, ultimately finishing in a 2-2 draw after relinquishing the lead twice. Sophia Wilson, in her second start since returning from maternity leave, is still in search of her first goal of 2026. A positive takeaway for Portland is Olivia Moultrie’s fourth contribution to the scoreline this season.
3. Angel City FC
Previous ranking: 2
Next match: Sunday, April 26 vs. Portland Thorns, 6 p.m. ET (stream live on ESPN)
The schedule has become more challenging for Angel City. Just when it seemed they would secure a point in Orlando, the hosts struck back with a chaotic moment in the 98th minute, resulting in Haley McCutcheon’s dramatic game-winning goal that sealed a 2-1 defeat for head coach Alexander Straus. Is this a concerning trend for a team currently ranked 14th overall with dual success rates and 12th in xG?
4. Seattle Reign FC
Previous ranking: 4
Next match: Sunday, April 26 vs. Utah Royals, 8 p.m. ET
Seattle managed to keep Denver from scoring in their 0-0 draw, but expectations were higher at home after being outshot 18 to 13. Following two recent victories, the result from Matchday 4 dampens the momentum for head coach Laura Harvey and her team. Nonetheless, kudos to Seattle’s Sam Meza for her perfect record of seven tackles and winning 10 out of 12 ground duels.
5. Orlando Pride
Previous ranking: 7
Next match: Friday, April 24 at Racing Louisville, 5:30 p.m. ET
Orlando made a significant statement with their performance. Competing fiercely against Angel City and demonstrating resilience with a late game-winning goal, Orlando earned praise for their narrow 2-1 victory at home. With a total of 83 shots over five matches, Orlando is gaining momentum with an unbeaten streak of four games.
6. Houston Dash
Previous ranking: 6
Next match: Saturday, April 25 vs. North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m. ET
In an exciting 4-3 victory over Louisville, there were a total of four penalties (two for each side). The game-winning goal arrived in the 99th minute, making for a tense finish against an opponent that has only one point this season. Kiki Van Zanten, who scored twice in the win, now has four goals this season.
7. Bay FC
Previous ranking: 5
Next match: Saturday, April 25 vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 1 p.m. ET
The Bay roster has more to demonstrate, as they have not kept pace with some of the more prominent teams in the NWSL this season. With only 37.8% possession at home and being outshot 20-6, the Northern California team fell to a 2-0 defeat against the Washington Spirit. Goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz was arguably the standout player for Bay, making nine saves.
8. Washington Spirit
Previous ranking: 11
Next match: Friday, April 24 at Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. ET
Washington ended its four-game winless streak with a 2-0 away victory against Bay. Gift Monday emerged as the hero for the visitors with her goal in the 86th minute, which followed an own goal by Bay’s Brooklyn Courtnall. The team is expected to continue improving, as they hold the second-highest xG and xA in the NWSL.
9. North Carolina Courage
Previous ranking: 9
Next match: Saturday, April 25 at Houston Dash, 8 p.m. ET
North Carolina made their latest match a challenging one against Portland in the 2-2 draw, but that marks three consecutive games without a win for the Courage. However, it would be an exaggeration to claim that expectations were particularly high at the start of 2026, and with a game in hand, North Carolina is just one point shy of a playoff position. Not a bad situation.
10. Denver Summit FC
Previous ranking: 10
Next match: Saturday, April 25 vs. San Diego Wave, 8:45 p.m. ET
No change in position after the 0-0 draw in Seattle. Supporters will need to be patient with the 2026 newcomers, who have now recorded three draws in their last four matches. One area for improvement is their ranking of 14th in the NWSL for shots on target. Although they outshot Seattle, they have only managed to hit the target 27.1% of the time from a total of 48 shots.
11. Kansas City Current
Previous ranking: 13
Next match: Friday, April 24 vs. Washington Spirit, 8 p.m. ET
Welcome back, Temwa Chawinga. The forward may not have been the standout performer for the 2025 NWSL Shield winners, as that honor went to either goal scorers Debinha or Michelle Cooper, but Chawinga’s return in 2026 (along with an assist) brought positive news for the KC side, which secured just their second win of the season with a 2-1 home victory against Gotham.
12. NJ/NY Gotham FC
Previous ranking: 8
Next match: Saturday, April 25 vs. Bay FC, 1 p.m. ET
Despite some late attacking pressure from the 2025 champions, they were unable to secure a result in the 2-1 defeat to Kansas City. The sole goal, netted by Jaedyn Shaw, marks just Gotham’s second goal of 2026. Their underlying statistics are also concerning, as they rank 13th in xG, 12th in shots on target, and 13th in on-target percentage. There is work to be done for coach Juan Carlos AmorΓ³s.
13. Utah Royals
Previous ranking: 14
Next match: Sunday, April 26 at Seattle Reign, 8 p.m. ET
Utah achieved a 1-0 victory over Chicago that did not fully reflect their dominance. This marks back-to-back wins following Mina Tanaka’s second goal of the season, moving them up to seventh in the standings. Can the Royals maintain this momentum throughout 2026? While they may not be the most visually appealing team tactically, they should not be underestimated, as they rank third in the NWSL for duel success rate and fourth in aerial success rate.
14. Racing Louisville FC
Previous ranking: 12
Next match: Friday, April 24 vs. Orlando Pride, 5:30 p.m. ET
Injury challenges are not aiding their cause, and it is perhaps unsurprising to see Racing fall 4-3 to Houston. While they kept the match competitive with three goals, the result confirms a third loss in four games this season. Allowing ten goals in four matches is not an encouraging statistic.
15. Boston Legacy FC
Previous ranking: 15
Next match: Saturday, April 25 at Chicago Stars FC, 6:30 p.m. ET
Like Denver, fans will need to exercise patience with this expansion team, perhaps even more so. There were some promising moments in the first half under coach Filipa PatΓ£o’s guidance, but these ultimately led to San Diego’s surge in the final 45 minutes, resulting in a 1-0 home defeat for Boston. The team is experiencing significant growing pains and is far from being a confident contender in the NWSL.
16. Chicago Stars FC
Previous ranking: 16
Next match: Saturday, April 25 vs. Boston Legacy FC, 6:30 p.m. ET
What can be said about Chicago? They were outshot 27 to 3 in a 1-0 loss to Utah, extending their three-game losing streak and conceding their 11th goal of the season, the highest in the NWSL. Goalkeeper Katie Lund was the standout performer of the night with eight saves. While it is too early for sweeping conclusions about the season, Chicago’s struggles appear to be a safe observation.
