By OkayGoal
Rivalries have become an important part of the NWSL, with some club matchups shaped by geographic proximity and others by playoff meetings, close games, and memorable moments. Some rivalries date back to the league’s inaugural 2013 season, while others have emerged more recently as the NWSL has expanded.
The league highlighted several of its most notable matchups during NWSL Rivalry Week, which took place from July 10 through July 15, 2026. The event featured Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current, San Diego Wave vs. Angel City, Seattle Reign vs. Portland Thorns, and Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit.
Those four matchups don’t represent every rivalry that has developed in the NWSL. From the long-running Cascadia rivalry to newer contests involving expansion clubs, several teams have developed rivalries with their own histories and identities.
Seattle Reign FC vs. Portland Thorns FC
The rivalry between Seattle Reign FC and Portland Thorns FC is one of the oldest in the NWSL. Known as the Cascadia Rivalry, it dates back to the league’s first season and is part of a much broader soccer rivalry between Seattle and Portland.
The first NWSL meeting between the clubs took place in 2013 at Portland’s Providence Park and attracted 16,479 fans. That figure was particularly notable because the league averaged 4,271 fans per game during its inaugural season.
Seattle and Portland have also met more frequently than any other pair of clubs in NWSL history. Before their July 2026 Rivalry Week meeting, the NWSL reported that the teams had played 45 times over 13 seasons, with Portland holding an 18-16 advantage and 11 matches ending in draws. In addition to this, the players themselves have strong feelings about the rivalry. “We just hate Portland,” Seattle legend Jess Fishlock said before, according to the NWSL’s official website.
The rivalry produced another memorable game earlier in the 2026 season, when Portland defeated Seattle 2-0 despite finishing with only nine players. Cassandra Bogere received two yellow cards before Reyna Reyes was shown a straight red card, but the Thorns still held on for the victory. Seattle, however, got its response in rivalry week. The Reign defeated Portland 2-0 at Lumen Field on July 12, adding another chapter to the long-running series.
The rivalry remains one of the NWSL’s clearest examples of how geography, history, and a large fan base can create a lasting competitive relationship.
Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit
Gotham FC and Washington Spirit have built another major NWSL rivalry through more than a decade of meetings and increasingly important postseason games. Both clubs were part of the league’s inaugural 2013 season, giving their matchup a long history. Their rivalry became particularly significant in recent years after Washington defeated Gotham in a penalty shootout in the 2024 NWSL semifinal.
The clubs met again in the 2025 NWSL Championship. That game was the 44th meeting between the two teams, and Gotham won 1-0 through a late Rose Lavelle goal to claim the championship.
Their rivalry continued to receive major attention in 2026. The teams met during Rivalry Week on July 15 in the Queens Classic at Citi Field, a rematch of the previous year’s championship. Gotham again defeated Washington 1-0, with Lavelle scoring the only goal in the 37th minute. The match also drew 42,175 fans, setting a New York City record for attendance at a women’s sporting event and becoming the second-largest crowd for an NWSL match at the time.
The July meeting gave the rivalry another important moment while also demonstrating the growing audience for women’s professional soccer in the New York area.
San Diego Wave FC vs. Angel City FC
San Diego Wave FC and Angel City FC have a much younger rivalry, but the SoCal Derby has quickly become one of the NWSL’s best-known regional matchups.
Both clubs entered the league in 2022, and their geographic proximity immediately gave the matchup a natural competitive element. The NWSL has referred to the fixture as a battle for Southern California bragging rights. The rivalry has also been characterized by close games and strong attendance. Before the 2025 season meeting, the NWSL noted that only two of the clubs’ first 13 meetings had been decided by more than one goal. Several of their meetings had also attracted crowds of more than 19,000 fans.
The teams met twice during the 2026 regular season by the middle of the year. During Rivalry Week on July 11, Angel City defeated San Diego 2-0 at Snapdragon Stadium, with Maiara Niehues and Ary Borges scoring in the first half. The result added another competitive chapter to a rivalry that has developed quickly despite the clubs having only joined the NWSL in 2022.
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current
Orlando Pride and Kansas City Current represent one of the league’s newer competitive rivalries. The NWSL described the matchup as a “budding rivalry” ahead of their 2026 Rivalry Week meeting.
Much of the rivalry’s recent history comes from the 2024 season. Orlando and Kansas City were both unbeaten when they met during the regular season in July. Orlando ended Kansas City’s unbeaten run with a 2-1 victory after Barbra Banda scored and Marta converted a penalty. The Pride also played the entire second half with 10 players after Carrie Lawrence was sent off.
The clubs met again in the 2024 NWSL semifinal. Kansas City took the lead, but Orlando came back to win 3-2 and advance to the Championship. The Pride then defeated Washington to win the NWSL title and complete the double, as they also won the Shield.
The rivalry remained competitive in 2026. Orlando defeated Kansas City 3-0 during Rivalry Week on July 10, but the Current earned a point in the rematch on September 11 after the teams played to a 2-2 draw in Kansas City. These repeated meetings between the clubs, particularly their important games in 2024 and their continued competitiveness in 2026, have helped establish the matchup as one of the NWSL’s emerging rivalries.
Houston Dash vs. Kansas City Current
Houston Dash and Kansas City Current have another matchup with a rivalry name attached to it: the BBQ Derby, also known as the DerbyQ. The NWSL has used the nickname for the matchup because Houston and Kansas City are both strongly associated with barbecue. The rivalry began after Kansas City joined the NWSL in 2021, and the teams later met in the 2022 NWSL playoffs.
Kansas City defeated Houston 2-1 in that quarterfinal, advancing to the semifinal. The league continued to refer to their regular-season meetings as the BBQ Derby in subsequent seasons. The rivalry remained part of the 2026 schedule, with Houston and Kansas City meeting twice. The Current and Dash played to a 1-1 draw in August, adding another close result to the series.
The BBQ Derby is different from the four matchups specifically selected for the NWSL’s 2026 Rivalry Week. Houston and Kansas City were not part of that July event, so the matchup is better described as a named rivalry with an established history rather than one of the four featured Rivalry Week games.
Boston Legacy FC vs. Denver Summit FC
The NWSL’s expansion to 16 teams in 2026 created an opportunity for entirely new rivalries to develop. Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC are among the first examples. 0Both clubs began their inaugural NWSL seasons in 2026, meaning their rivalry does not have the long history associated with Seattle and Portland or Gotham and Washington.
The NWSL has nevertheless referred to Boston and Denver as the league’s “newest expansion rivalry.” Their first meeting took place on May 3, with Boston winning 3-2 and earning its first victory over Denver. The teams met again on August 2 in Denver. This time, neither side came away with a victory, as the clubs played to a 1-1 draw in front of more than 12,000 fans.
Those first two meetings have already given the expansion rivalry a competitive foundation, although it remains much newer than the NWSL’s established rivalries. Because Boston and Denver are only in their first season, it is more accurate to describe this as an emerging expansion rivalry rather than suggest that it already carries the same historical significance as the league’s older matchups.
How NWSL Rivalries Continue to Develop
NWSL rivalries have developed in different ways. Seattle and Portland benefited from a long-standing regional soccer rivalry, while Gotham and Washington have built their relationship through more than a decade of meetings and important postseason games.
San Diego and Angel City demonstrate how geographic proximity can quickly create a rivalry, particularly when two clubs regularly play competitive games in front of large crowds. Orlando and Kansas City show how significant playoff meetings can accelerate the development of a rivalry, while Houston and Kansas City have a matchup built around both sporting history and a shared connection to barbecue culture.
Boston and Denver represent the next stage of that process. Their rivalry is still developing, but their first two meetings have already produced a Boston victory and a draw.
More to Come
The NWSL’s 2026 Rivalry Week brought several of these matchups into the spotlight, but it did not define every rivalry in the league. As the NWSL continues to expand and clubs accumulate more regular season and playoff history, new rivalries can develop alongside the established ones.
With five regular season games remaining for every club after matchweek 22, there is still time for the 2026 season to add more chapters to several of these matchups before Decision Day on November 1.
Featured image via @nwsl