Goal-Scoring Battles, Explosive Red Cards, and Unstoppable Momentum: NWSL 2026 Heat Up!
From start to finish, the opening weekend of the 2026 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season was filled with history-making moments, comebacks, packed stadiums, superstars returning after lengthy layoffs, nail-biting endings, weather delays and familiar faces in new kits. There were 19 goals scored across the eight matches and no tie games. The soccer itself wasn’t the most scintillating.
But, opening weekend was dramatic, to say the least. Who doesn’t love a sports league trying to compete with Hollywood on the same weekend as the Oscars? Here are some of the biggest takeaways from NWSL’s regular season return.
Parity on display Perhaps the biggest winner of the opening weekend was the NWSL itself. No doubt commissioner Jessica Berman would have been thrilled to see seven of the eight matches decided by one goal, reinforcing the idea that anyone could win on any given day. Furthermore, there was an even home and away split: four home wins, four away wins.
The slate wasn’t perfect, though. Unfortunately, for the NWSL, the final match of the weekend, Angel City FC’s 4-0 win over Chicago Stars FC, stopped the streak of closely fought contests. As the league continues to boast that parity is its “superpower”, with fans unable to predict what will happen, this opening weekend was a near-perfect example of that.
Seven matches decided by one goal in the opening weekend is an increase from the two most recent seasons. In 2024, three matches were decided by one goal or ended in a tie. In 2025, five matches were decided by one goal or ended in a tie.
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