It’s Monday, and with another weekend of 2026 NWSL regular season in the books, it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.
Who’s set for a climb up the table? Who’s in danger of a free fall? Our writers studied the action across Matchday 20 to come up with this week’s order of all 16 teams in the league. Let’s dive in.
Previous ranking: 5
Next match: vs. Boston Legacy, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (stream live on ESPN)
The Spirit beat Portland 2-1 at Providence Park. Despite struggling for long stretches of this one — and being held to just two shots and 0.10 expected goals (xG) in the first frame — Washington managed to put the game away in the second half. A 59th-minute Tara Rudd penalty evened the score before Melissa Bethi‘s first ever goal off a perfect Trinity Rodman ball put the Spirit on top. With this win and league leader Gotham’s loss, they’re quietly closing the gap at the top of the table. And thanks to every other team above them in the rankings losing this week, they’re catapulted to top spot.
Previous ranking: 1
Next match: at Racing Louisville, Friday, 6:30 p.m. ET (NWSL+)
Gotham fell 3-0 to Denver on the road. They struggled to find their footing in this match, only managing 0.59 xG in the run of play and nine shots in this match. Their lack of offensive production is less surprising than the three-goal concession though, considering they headed into this match with an NWSL-low seven goals conceded in ten games on the road and 13 clean sheets. Despite being winless in three, this team still tops the standings, so they can’t fall too far in the rankings this week.
Previous ranking: 2
Next match: vs. North Carolina Courage, Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET (ION)
The Wave fell to Seattle 1-0 on the road. Mimi van Zanten was sent off with a red card in the 13th minute, San Diego was forced to play with 10. Still, they put up an impressive fight, holding the Reign to only four shots on target and essentially steamrolled the home side in the second half but couldn’t find the back of the net. With their three-game unbeaten streak snapped, the Wave are now in fifth place, but tied on points with North Carolina and Utah.
Previous ranking: 3
Next match: at Houston Dash, Saturday, 8:45 p.m. ET (ION)
The Royals fell 2-1 at home to Boston. Kiana Palacios‘ fourth goal of the season — set up by Mandy McGlynn‘s second assist of the year — pulled the Royals level after an early concession, but they couldn’t close out the game. Utah ultimately conceded in the closing minutes of the match to drop points. It’s the eight straight game in which Utah have conceded, and the fourth straight time they’ve lost immediately following a win. With a table as tight as this season’s, that kind of consistency is not exactly what teams should be going for.
Previous ranking: 6
Next match: vs. Bay FC, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (NWSL+)
Seattle beat San Diego by a 1-0 scoreline at home. Although the Reign captured all three points, they didn’t exactly outplay the Wave, who played down a player for 80-plus minutes of the match. Case in point: Seattle only managed 0.04 xG on a single shot while taking one shot in the box in the second half of this game. Good thing Maddie Mercado‘s eighth goal of the season — which came in the first half — was enough to secure Seattle all three points and land them just above the playoff line.
Previous ranking: 4
Next match: vs. Chicago Stars, Sunday, 7 p.m. ET (Roku)
The Thorns lost to Washington by a 2-1 scoreline. A Sophia Wilson penalty put Portland on the board for the second straight game, but two second-half concessions saw the hosts drop all three points. The Thorns conceded the eventual game winner in the 80th minute, which is the 10th time they’ve been scored on in the last 15 minutes of the game this season. Portland’s lackluster defending did them in … again … only this time it cost them their longstanding home unbeaten streak. They’ve also lost 21 points from winning positions in 2026, most in the league.
Previous ranking: 7
Next match: vs. Orlando Pride, Friday, 8 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
The Current beat Bay FC on the road 2-1. Kansas City’s first goal was an Izzy Rodriguez olimpico in the 11th minute, and somehow their game winner was even better. It was a Rocky Rodríguez stunner from distance — assisted by Croix Bethune — that iced this win for KC in the 89th minute. That’s Bethune’s co-league-leading 10th assist of the season, plus the Current’s first win away from home since July 3.
Previous ranking: 9
Next match: at Angel City, Friday, 10 p.m. ET (ION)
Denver beat Gotham 3-0 at home. Yuzuki Yamamoto put the Summit up early in the second half, and Olivia Thomas and Yazmeen Ryan added tallies late in the game. This is the second time that Denver has won back-to-back games this year. Scoring nine goals in those games is a good sign, and the fact that this was the team’s first shutout in 10 games is even better.
Previous ranking: 8
Next match: at San Diego Wave, Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET (ION)
The Courage toppled Chicago 6-0 on the road. Chioma Okafor, Shinomi Koyama and Ryan Williams scored a goal apiece, but really this was the Ashley Sanchez show. She scored a hat trick and extended her season goal total to a record-breaking 18, the most by any American. Although it’s hard to weigh any game against Chicago heavily this year, it’s a positive result following a tough loss at Kansas City last week.
Previous ranking: 10
Next match: vs. Denver Summit, Friday, 10 p.m. ET (ION)
Angel City beat Louisville 2-0 on the road on the back of a second-half Evelyn Shores brace. Although the goals came in the second frame, there was little doubt that the Angels would come out on top in this one: they controlled more than 60% of the possession in the first half and registered twice the expected goals that Racing managed. They carried that momentum into the second half of the game and never looked back.
Previous ranking: 12
Next match: at Kansas City Current, Friday, 8 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
Orlando beat Houston 3-1 at home. Barbra Banda had a direct hand in all three goals: she forced an own-goal early in the first half, slotted home a penalty just before the break and assisted Haley McCutcheon‘s 64th-minute score. It was a dominant performance from the Pride, who registered nearly double the opposition box touches, total shots and expected goals of the Dash.
Previous ranking: 11
Next match: at Seattle Reign, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (NWSL+)
Bay FC lost to Kansas City 2-1 at home. It was a heartbreaker of a result for the Bay after they equalized in first-half stoppage time thanks to a Karlie Lema strike and ultimately conceded just before the end of the second period. After back-to-back losses and other teams’ results this weekend, that leaves the Bay above only Chicago in the standings with their hopes of making the playoffs fading by the second.
Previous ranking: 13
Next match: vs. Gotham FC, Friday, 6:30 (NWSL+)
Louisville lost 2-0 to Angel City at home. Their Taylor Flint-less midfield struggled to find their groove and generate much of anything in the final third. That’s Racing’s third straight loss, with eight goals conceded in that stretch. Still, it was the first time since early July that Louisville had been shut out, so this result wasn’t that bleak.
Previous ranking: 15
Next match: at Washington Spirit, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (stream live on ESPN)
Boston beat Utah 2-1 in the waning minutes of the match. Aïssata Traoré and Aleigh Gambone found the back of the net to hand the Legacy their first win in five matches. Plus, Gambone’s 86th-minute winner was the ninth time this expansion side has scored in the 85th minute or later, which is the most ever in this league (OptaJack). It’s huge to take down a team at the top of the table, but it’s even more impressive to break a record while doing so.
Previous ranking: 14
Next match: vs. Utah Royals, Saturday, 8:45 p.m. ET (ION)
The Dash fell to Orlando 3-1 on the road. Although Houston was more dangerous in the second half, its first-half performance proved too underwhelming to overcome. They managed just four opposition box touches and one shot on target in the first frame while conceding an own-goal and a penalty. Mimi van Zanten put them on the board in the second half to avoid the shutout, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a third straight loss.
Previous ranking: 16
Next match: at Portland Thorns, Sunday, 7 p.m. (Roku)
The Stars lost 6-0 to North Carolina at home. That’s 12 goals conceded in the past two matches for Chicago and the 16th time they’ve been blanked this year. Their minus-40 goal differential is on pace to break a record, and this team is on pace to be the worst statistically that the NWSL has ever seen.
