Spring has sprung and many women’s sports leagues are starting up again. As a high school “soccer girl” and someone who’s been to every US Tennis Open for the last 15 years, it’s safe to say sports are a big part of my life. You may have noticed the insurgence of women’s sports - getting primetime TV slots, making history with viewership and attendance, and taking the world by storm with their unapologetic authenticity (looking at you Alysa Liu). Around here, we’re deeply inspired and motivated by women achieving their dreams and succeeding in “men’s fields,” so allow me to give you a primer for the 2026 seasons.

The US Women’s National Soccer team won the gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Breakout soccer star Mia Hamm partnered with Michael Jordan on the iconic “Anything You Can Do” Gatorade commercials in 1997. In 1998, Lisa Leslie guest starred on an episode of “Sister, Sister”. In the 90s, women’s sports stars were everywhere.

When I gained consciousness in second grade, I begged my parents to let me play soccer. The following year in 1999, the United States hosted the third-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup and Team USA went on to beat China in the final in dramatic fashion: a penalty shoot out in front of a sold out crowd of 90,000 people at the Rose Bowl in California.

All the while, I was captivated by all sorts of strong, successful women especially after the 2000 Olympic games featuring seasoned gymnast Dominique Dawes, tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams, and basketball powerhouse Lisa Leslie. Basically, I’ve been a sports girl my whole life, and now that women’s sports are becoming increasingly mainstream and not relegated to just Olympics fanfare, it’s time I impart my knowledge to bring the prettybusy community up to speed on the 2026 landscape:

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was established in late 2012 after the unceremonious dissolution of the Women’s Professional Soccer league in early 2012 (I was DEVASTATED). Playing since 2013, the league has grown from 8 teams to 16 teams in 2026. Boston finally has a team again this season (rip Boston Breakers) and they had a nearly sold out opening match at Gillette Stadium last week). They play from March to November and the league currently features living legends like Brazil’s Marta (she’s been representing Brazil on the senior team since 2004!!; currently on Orlando Pride) and USA’s own Rose Lavelle (last year she won U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year AND NWSL Championship MVP; currently on Gotham FC). More recent breakout stars like USA’s Trinity Rodman (at 23 she’s already won 2 NWSL championships and an Olympic Gold medal; currently on Washington Spirit) and Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga (back to back NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner in 2024 and 2025; currently on Kansas City Current) are leveling up the competition and entertainment factor tenfold.

Unfortunately the NWSL is not without drama - in recent years they’ve lost a number of key USA and international stars to leagues abroad (like in England and France) because of low pay. In fact, Trinity Rodman almost left the league in the offseason, but she was able to negotiate with the league to literally change the rules so she can get paid what she’s worth, becoming the highest paid player in the league, and according to her manager, women’s sports as a whole ($2M a year baby!). Also the success of the league is shadowed by a number of abuse and misconduct allegations, because of course women can’t just show up and do their job without someone ruining it.

What to know for this season: My team, NY/NJ’s own Gotham FC won their second championship in 2025 and are back to defend their title. USA stars Mallory Swanson (maternity leave), Sophia Wilson (maternity leave) and Lindsay Heaps (transferring to Denver in June from France’s Lyon) are back in the league and ready to stir up the competition. The field is bigger this year, with 2 new teams (Boston and Denver), and notable injuries (Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga among them) bringing lots of unknowns. The competition is higher than ever, and I for one am psyched to see how this season plays out.

Where to watch: Because we can’t have things streamlined in 2026, NWSL matches for the 2026 season are available across multiple platforms with key matchups airing on CBS and ESPN and sometimes ABC??, while Saturday nights feature ION and Sunday nights are on Victory+ (whatever that is).

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) was founded in 1996, and played its first season in 1997 with 8 teams. Coming off a high of the US Women’s basketball team winning gold at the 1996 Olympics, the WNBA is the only women’s basketball league in the states that had the full backing of the men’s NBA, contributing to its longevity. The league has since expanded to 15 teams, with two more joining the 2026 season (Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire). They play from May through September, with the championships culminating in October.

Superstars A’ja Wilson (arguably the best player in the world as a first overall draft pick in 2018 who currently has 2 Olympic gold medals, 2 basketball World Cup gold medals, and 3 WNBA championships ; currently on the Las Vegas Aces) and Brittney Griner (a 3 time Olympic gold medalist and 6 time WNBA All-Star; currently on the Atlanta Dream) are leading the league in talent, strength, and experience. In 2024, the college-rivalry turned WNBA-main-storyline between Angel Reese (2x WNBA All Star and All-American college player; currently on the Chicago Sky) and Caitlin Clark (2024 No. 1 draft pick and 2x WNBA All Star; currently on the Indiana Fever) sparked a frenzy of media coverage, driving record viewership, increased attendance at WNBA games. Beyond the generational talent of the 2024 rookies, the WNBA social media engagement hit record levels, with viral sensations like NY Liberty’s mascot Ellie, Reese and Clark amassing over 5M and 3M instagram followers respectively, and Minnesota Lynx WNBA players Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman becoming streaming and Tiktok sensations on their StudBudz pages.

What’s so fun about the WNBA is they’re really letting their players’ personalities shine. You get diverse personalities and backgrounds, incredible fashion, and fierce competition fueled by deep-seeded rivalries. The atmosphere attending the games reflects the fun - they’re high-energy, community-focused, and in short, a party.

Of course, like the NWSL, the WNBA is not without drama. Most recently, the WNBA players association came to a verbal agreement on a new contract with the League that will see teams’ salary caps increase from $1.5M to $7M (YES LITERALLY, read more about it on last week’s Culture over Coffee). If they did not come to an agreement last week, the season would have been delayed (there were even rumors that the execs in charge of the WNBA were willing to cancel the season entirely to not pay the players what they’re worth). I don’t think this will be the end of the clash between WNBA leadership and the players, but this is a historic step in the right direction.

What to know for this season: Now that the season is set to start on time on May 8th, we have the expansion draft to deal. An expansion draft means that the new teams get to pick from the existing pool of players to staff their teams. From April 1-5 the existing WNBA teams will decide which players on their current rosters they want to protect, and which they want to give up to the draft. Needless to say MASSIVE shakeups are on the horizon.

Where to watch: Just like the NWSL, you can catch basketball everywhere (I hope you have every streaming service): ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, ION, NBA TV, and Prime Video depending on the game. Or you can get the WNBA League Pass app to watch all 200+ games during the season.

Team sports not your thing? Women’s Tennis is an almost year-round sport with tournaments all the time outside of the four majors (the ones you’ve heard about). The major tournaments are called Grand Slams and get all the fanfare: the Australian Open (Jan), French Open (May/June), Wimbledon (June/July), and US Open (Aug/Sept). But, there’s tennis all the time, allowing players to earn points (and $$$$) and compete on three surfaces: hard courts, clay, and grass. The players are officially ranked by the WTA, and rankings are constantly changing due to who’s winning and losing.

World No. 1 since 2023, Aryna Sabalenka (she competes flag-less due to international sporting sanctions against Belarus) is constantly defending her best-player-in-the-world title against Iga Swiatek, injuries, and her own passion/hot-headed-ness. Currently world no. 3, Poland’s Swiatek has actually beat Sabalenka more times than not, but is currently in a slump, having just fired her coach after losing in the second round of the Miami Open. Americans Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Amanda Anisimova are currently ranked 4 and 5, proof of an exciting resurgence of American tennis dominance. Gauff is only 22 and already a 2x Grand Slam winner, quickly becoming American’s darling with her fashion choices and vulnerability. Pegula is 32, and while she doesn’t have any Grand Slam titles yet, she has 10 titles overall and has been hitting her stride in recent years to bring her up to rank #5 (she’s also the daughter of a billionaire who owns the Buffalo Bills but she’s like actually really good at tennis). Anisimova is only 24 and has been on a tear in the last year - making it to the Wimbledon (first American woman to do so since Serena!) and US Open finals in 2025. Former world no. 1, Japan’s Naomi Osaka, currently sits at no. 15, having struggled to find consistency after coming back from maternity leave in 2024. She still throws fits at every turn though.

There’s also doubles tennis, where players compete in teams on two, which is a whole ‘nother world of drama and competition. But for now, know that American powerhouse Taylor Townsend was ranked No. 1 in July 2025 (currently no. 7) is constantly in the tennis headlines for her outspokenness, and her “weight.” Because of course.

Elitism & Racism in tennis: The historically elitist sport is not without it’s social and political tensions. While Coco Gauff is America’s darling in my house, she’s repeatedly faced racism on and off the court. Last year at the US Open, Jelena Ostapenko yelled “you have no education” at Taylor Townsend after losing in straight sets, sparking outspoken defenses from Gauff, Osaka, and others in professional tennis. Let’s not forget the casual sexism: female players are also criticized much more intensely than the men when they share their frustration - breaking rackets, standing up for themselves against bad calls from the umpires - being called overly emotional when men are just seen as “having a bad day.”

What to know for the 2026 season: Building off of the above, you can read this comprehensive deep dive the NYT posted here. But it’s of note that Venus Williams returned from retirement last year and is currently on the WTA circuit while also trying to convince her sister Serena to return to tennis as well. We’ll be watching! Also please look at this insane jacket Venus wore last week!!!!

Where to watch: Grand Slam tournaments are almost always on ESPN (as well as some other tournaments throughout the year), but if you want to catch everything tennis’s got going on, you’ll want a subscription to Tennis Channel+.

If you’ve been pretty busy and haven’t had the chance to catch up on the latest in women’s sports in America, hopefully this has been a good summary. And if you can’t get enough, might I recommend following Coach Jackie on IG or TikTok for all the best women’s sports storylines, TOGETHXR on all socials for coverage across all women’s sports (and those awesome Everyone Watches Women’s Sports tshirts), and your fave players’ podcasts/channels because these girls are putting in work on and off the field/court. If you have an iPhone you can also set up the Apple Sports app for real time notifications for most leagues or get something like ESPN push notifications.

That’s all for now. Hopefully I’ll see you in the future at a local game! And don’t forget, everyone watches women’s sports.