Award winners will be revealed at 2026 NWSL Awards, presented by AT&T, on Wednesday, November 18
NEW YORK (November 9, 2026) – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) today announced the finalists for the 2026 NWSL Awards, including Most Valuable Player, presented by AT&T, Defender of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, presented by e.l.f., Midfielder of the Year, Rookie of the Year, presented by Ally, and Coach of the Year.
The second annual NWSL Awards, presented by AT&T, will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 18, honoring the league’s top players, coaches and performances of the season in a special event held ahead of the 2026 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel.
The NWSL Awards are voted upon in two rounds, with fans having the opportunity to participate in the final round of the voting process. The final round also includes voting for the 2026 NWSL Best XI, presented by Amazon Prime, celebrating a first and second team representing the top 22 players in the league.
Fans wishing to vote on the individual award winners, Best XI First Team and Best XI Second Team can access the voting ballot here.
All votes must be submitted by Wednesday, November 11, at 8 p.m. ET.
In the preliminary round of voting, players, owners, general managers, coaches and the media voted on individual awards to determine the finalists. The preliminary round used a weighted scale, broken down by players (50%), owners/GMs/coaches (25%) and media (25%).
The finalists for 2026 NWSL Awards are below:
Most Valuable Player, presented by AT&T: Temwa Chawinga (KC), Trinity Rodman (WAS) Ashley Sanchez (NC), Janine Sonis (DEN), Sophia Wilson (POR)
Defender of the Year: Tierna Davidson (GFC), Kate Del Fava (UTA), Sarah Gorden (LA), Janine Sonis (DEN), Kennedy Wesley (SD)
Goalkeeper of the Year, presented by e.l.f.: Ann-Katrin Berger (GFC), Jane Campbell (HOU), Jordan Silkowitz (BAY)
Midfielder of the Year: Croix Bethune (KC), Kenza Dali (SD), Jaelin Howell (GFC), Rose Lavelle (GFC), Mina Tanaka (UTA)
Rookie of the Year, presented by Ally: Jordynn Dudley (GFC), Kat Rader (HOU), Mimi Van Zanten (SD)
Coach of the Year: Juan Carlos Amorós (GFC), Jimmy Coenraets (UTA), Jonas Eidevall (SD)
The final round of voting uses a weighted scale of players (40%), owners/GMs/coaches (25%), media (25%) and fans (10%).
All end-of-year accolades will be announced live at the 2026 NWSL Awards, presented by AT&T. In addition, the winner of the Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide, will also be announced. Kansas City defender Izzy Rodriguez was named the LHIA Fan Impact Challenge winner earlier this season.
The league will also honor the NWSL Championship MVP during a post-match presentation following the conclusion of Saturday’s match.
The 2026 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel, set for Saturday, November 21, kicks off at 8 p.m. ET at Audi Field in Washington D.C., and will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
For more information on the NWSL Championship, or to purchase tickets to the match, click here.
