The NWSL’s Rivalry Week Is Coming in Hot

Some rivalries run deep. Others feel as young as the teams themselves. Over six days this July, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) will put four of its best matchups on the same stage — and dare fans to pick a side.

On the heels of the Challenge Cup, Rivalry Week runs July 10–15 — and spans the full spectrum of bad blood. There’s the decades-old Cascadia feud between Seattle Reign FC and Portland Thorns. The SoCal Derby pits the San Diego Wave against Angel City FC — two clubs that can't stand to lose to each other. And you’ve got the league's newest grudge: Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current. Rounding things out? A rematch of the 2025 Championship between Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit, who’ll be playing the first women's game ever at Citi Field in New York.

Some of the action happens the same week as the men's World Cup final, so the league isn’t just fighting for your attention; it’s willing to bet these eight teams can steal it.

"I truly think the energy in these games is unlike any of the other games we play," says Portland Thorns defender Sam Hiatt, who's been part of this rivalry for both Portland and Seattle. 

Here’s what fans should know before the teams take the pitch: 

The Quick History

Rivalry Week is newish to the NWSL. Last year marked the league’s first official Rivalry Weekend. Games took place over three days in August, and featured three key matchups: Cascadia, SoCal, and Gotham vs. Washington. The idea isn't novel (the MLS, MLB, and WNBA all do versions of it), but NWSL fans love it. An April 2024 Thorns-Reign match averaged about 200,000 more viewers than when the two played other teams on CBS, Axios reports.

So the league went bigger for 2026: a six-day span that includes an additional grudge match between Orlando and Kansas City.

The Four NWSL Rivalry Week Matchups

The original: Seattle Reign FC vs. Portland Thorns FC

It’s the oldest grudge in the league — actually, even older than the NWSL itself — and according to Hiatt, bigger than the players. "It's not just the clubs," she says. "It really is Seattle versus Portland, city versus city, deeper than that." Both are proudly Pacific Northwest, and that, Hiatt says, is exactly the problem: "It's like, battle of the Pacific Northwest."

The soccer delivers, too. Last year, Portland won the Rivalry Weekend meeting 4-2, the highest-scoring game in Cascadia history. Then, this past March was another game for the books: Portland went down to nine players after two red cards and still won 2-0. "I will forever remember that game," says Hiatt, who felt like the whole building was behind Portland: "I think we all were on that same wavelength."

Want one more reason to tune in? Reign’s midfielder, Jess Fishlock, a face of this rivalry since 2013, is playing her final NWSL season. "When I entered into these Cascadia rivalries, I was there on the field with Jess Fishlock, Megan Rapinoe, [and] Lu Barnes," Hiatt says. They’re "iconic figures, not just in the Cascadia rivalry… but honestly, in women's sports." Fishlock, she adds, is "the last one kind of standing from that group who really kind of pioneered these rivalries."

The rematch: Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit

This match hasn’t even happened yet, and it’s already making headlines. Billed as the Queens Classic, it's at Citi Field — home of New York Mets — making it both the first women's sporting event ever to be held there and the first NWSL match to take place in New York City. (For added excitement: The 2026 FIFA men's World Cup final kicks off at nearby MetLife Stadium only a few days later, so the spotlight is extra bright.) 

Gotham midfielder Jaedyn Shaw is here for it: "We're all really excited to play in Queens, at Citi Field," she says. "To see a different side of our fans that don't usually get to come to games."

Gotham and the Spirit are among the most-paired teams in NWSL history — 44 times across all competitions. It’s now a series so heated it’s earned the nickname "District vs. Empire." And they've been trading blows: The Spirit knocked Gotham out on penalties in the 2024 semifinals, but Gotham got the last word in the 2025 Championship, winning 1-0 as the eighth seed — the lowest ever to lift the title — on a late-in-the-game goal by midfielder Rose Lavelle. 

"A rivalry game is always fun, and this one is really big for the club and the fans," Shaw says. "A rematch of the Championship? That's always a good game."

The SoCal grudge: San Diego Wave FC vs. Angel City FC

It's been personal since both clubs joined the league in 2022 — and for San Diego native and Wave forward Melanie Barcenas, it comes with the turf. The feud, she says, was handed down from the city's age-old beef with Los Angeles: "It's the overall sports community rivalry between us and LA — the Padres and the Dodgers. That's been passed on to our sport." And the fans, she adds, "always show up and show out, even when we go to LA's stadium."

Here's the stat that gives the SoCal Derby its teeth: Angel City leads the all-time series 4–3. San Diego took the latest win in May, at LA's place, on a game-winning header from rookie defender Mimi Van Zanten. And Barcenas has the most Skimm-worthy receipts: "My dad told me he got booed for wearing a San Diego hat at the stadium [the] last time" the two teams met — "and he was like, ‘No, we beat you guys today,’ which is super funny." (Also: True.) That's the kind of energy this team, its fans, and its family members bring.

"I know [that in] this game there's going to be more aggression, more tackles," Barcenas says. "It's going to be like, duels and duels all over the pitch… you don't want to be the loser in the SoCal rivalry."

The new kids: Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current

The freshest grudge on the list, and the only one making its Rivalry Week debut. It started — where else? — with a celebration. In 2024, Orlando became the first team ever to win at KC's brand-new stadium (the first venue built specifically for a pro women's sports team), and Pride forward (and soccer legend) Marta savored it a little too much for KC's taste. Orlando then knocked the Current out of the 2024 playoffs and went on to win the Championship. Kansas City has not let it go.

Current defender Izzy Rodriguez knows exactly where this one ranks — and why it's fun anyway. "I know there's some [rivalries] that run really deep, like Seattle [vs.] Portland," she says. "But this newer one just brings a little fire." Plus, the odds keep things interesting. "All the games we've played against them, something happens — a weather delay, going into overtime in a playoff game, whatever it is." (Last year's meeting alone had a three-hour-plus heat delay.) "[These] game[s] always bring a little spice. [They] are easy to get up for in the morning — you don't have to pump yourself up."

KC and Orlando haven't met yet in 2026, but they played twice last season — one was a draw, and KC won the other. So there's a score to settle in both directions.

The NWSL Athletes to Know 

In the Cascadia Rivalry: Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock. It’s her last dance in the league's oldest rivalry. On the Thorns side, forward Sophia Wilson — former league MVP and Golden Boot winner — just hit a milestone 50 goals for the club. 

In the Championship rematch: Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle — she scored the goal that won her team the 2025 title and was named US Soccer Female Player of the Year. For Washington, forward Trinity Rodman, who was just named to the 2026 Time 100 sports list, continues to dazzle on the pitch. Plus, she scored the game-winning goal in the team’s first postbreak match. 

In the SoCal Derby: Wave forward Dudinha, who’s playing at an MVP level for a San Diego side that's currently first in the NWSL. But her availability is up in the air — she's been nursing an injury since June. For Angel City, forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir is the most dangerous attacker on the pitch.

In the newest rivalry: Pride forward Barbra Banda, the 2024 Championship MVP and Ballon d'Or finalist. When she's no longer injured, few forwards are harder to stop. For Kansas City, forward Temwa Chawinga, is one of the most lethal scorers in the NWSL, while midfielder Croix Bethune, the 2024 Midfielder of the Year, is shining in her first season with KC, following her million-dollar trade from Washington. 

When to Watch

• Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Friday, July 10, 8 pm ET on Prime Video

• San Diego Wave FC vs. Angel City FC: Saturday, July 11, 8:45 pm  ET, on Ion

• Seattle Reign FC vs. Portland Thorns FC: Sunday, July 12, 4 pm ET, on ESPN (or the ESPN app)

• Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit: Wednesday, July 15, 8 pm ET, on ESPN

The bottom line: You don't need to know the standings to enjoy the games, which is kind of the point. "It doesn't matter which team is ranked higher," Hiatt says. "You're almost always guaranteed a good match."