Reviewing NWSL’s bold new 2026 jerseys: Big swings, city ties, and falling short

Clear the runways and pray you have enough in savings (some jerseys will set you back more than $100 a piece), it is time for new kits in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). On Thursday, the league and Nike unveiled at least one new kit for all 16 teams ahead of the start of the 2026 season.

The release features a total of 18 new kits, including inaugural primary and secondary kits for 2026 expansion sides Boston Legacy and Denver Summit, first-ever third kits for nine teams, new primary kits for four existing clubs, and one new secondary kit for the Orlando Pride.

With the majority of the league adding a third kit to their palette, this year’s new looks feature some particularly bold color and design choices.

The league’s press release says the collection sees NWSL teams “expanding their respective visual identities” and that every “jersey nods to their namesake with city-community driven details and punchy, bold colors.”

The Athletic judges just how successful these designs are in accomplishing that.

The “wow” factor

Tamerra Griffin: San Diego Wave, Chicago Stars, Seattle Reign, Racing Louisville, Orlando Pride, Boston Legacy (home)

We’re talking about athletic jerseys, but allow me to de-center the sport for a moment. We’ve (finally!) reached a point where soccer shirts are “The Moment” in the U.S. I am so here for the Dr. Seuss “Green Eggs and Ham” of it all, and lately that’s how I’ve found myself assessing whether I think a soccer shirt works or not. Would I wear it to a brunch? Would I wear it to the club? Would I wear it to jazz up some sweatpants as I skip to the supermarket for oat milk coffee creamer? I’m aware these questions aren’t the most important ones to ask when designing jerseys for players, but I’d argue that from a marketing standpoint, they should be fairly high up the priority list.

To that point, my favorite NWSL kits this season all satisfy that criteria, and I think they’ll look good on the pitch, from close up or far away, whether you’re in the stadium or streaming a match on your phone. They are eye-catching (Seattle, Racing), smart (Chicago — those thick stripes!), and clean (San Diego, bravo on the pivot from last season’s bright color story). And while I appreciate concern over Boston’s home kit being too plain, I am simply obsessed with that shade of green; we should be seeing a lot of that and I’m glad they didn’t interrupt it with patterns!

Melanie Anzidei: Washington Spirit, Wave, Pride, Stars, NC Courage

Similar to Tamerra’s point, my selections here are less about the soccer and more about the moment. More specifically, the moment I first saw the jerseys. I very much let my decisions be fueled by emotion. Each of these designs made me feel something – and, turns out, they also hold deep meaning when you look more closely.

The Spirit’s jersey instantly stands out because of the obvious connection to the city’s beloved cherry blossoms, and it immediately brought me back to spending a weekend there to see the trees in bloom. The collar in San Diego’s ‘Balboa Park’ kit caught my eye and represents the park’s “iconic tile work.” North Carolina’s third ‘Become’ kit features a Venus Fly Trap pattern, which is native to the state. The significance behind Orlando’s “Unity” kit genuinely moved me.

My favorite, though, has to be Chicago’s new primary kit, which blends smoothly together while also featuring a classic football look. It felt like an attempt by Chicago to stay true to its roots as it steps into a 2026 season that will be transformative for the club. It feels like the kind of jersey you’d find browsing the shelves of a vintage store, in the best way.

Theo Lloyd-Hughes: Spirit, Stars, Reign, Wave, Racing, Pride

I, too, really like that Chicago kit because the thick vertical stripes and preppy-come-tidy aesthetic felt like an unexpected design choice. However, it also felt like something Carlton from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” would wear (that’s meant as a compliment).

For me, my process on grading can be either what gives me the most instant aesthetic joy, which has to be my personal favorite kit, the Spirit’s stunning “Spirit in Bloom,” or which kit tells the best story and adds meaning to the design, which was the Orlando Pride’s moving “Unity” kit.

Tamerra: Orlando’s jersey is clearly on a different level with profound meaning — maybe the most symbolic NWSL kit ever?

Theo: Absolutely. The “Unity” kit commemorates 10 years since the tragic shooting at the Pulse Nightclub, a LGBTQ+ venue in Orlando, that claimed the lives of 49 people. The kit highlights the strength and resilience of the community in the aftermath. The multi-colored ribbons etched onto the Pride’s new secondary kit represent the unbreakable bonds of the collective.

An added layer is the connection with Pride head coach Seb Hines. Six days after the shooting in 2016, Hines scored for Orlando City in Major League Soccer and held up a rainbow armband in front of the home crowd during his celebrations. That moment of solidarity in grief and strength will tie Hines to the community in Orlando forever.

Melanie: Last year, the Florida Department of Transportation painted over the rainbow crosswalk outside the former Pulse nightclub, which had served as a memorial to the victims. Locals later used chalk to restore the colorful tribute in protest. This “Unity” kit will serve as a permanent tribute that can never be erased. It is a powerful reminder that sometimes soccer can be about so much more than what happens on the pitch.

At least they tried …

Tamerra: Bay, Angel City, Portland Thorns, Houston Dash, Kansas City Current, Denver (home)

The kits in this category, for me, aren’t here because I think they’re lukewarm. It is just that they didn’t move me quite as much as the top-tier ones. I still really like them!

To that point, the way I felt when I saw Bay FC leaning into this gorgeous fiery poppy was the same way I think we all felt when the Kansas City Current were finally able to lean into their teal: relieved! I do wish Bay had gone with a navy accent, rather than black, just to keep it cohesive with their other kits, but I get that it’s meant to be distinct.

Theo: Houston, Angel City, Boston (away), Bay, Courage, Gotham FC

Bay gets points for using an alternative club crest, opting for “BFC,” but otherwise that kit really didn’t move me. The color choice alone was bold, but everything else fell flat. Like you said, where were the accents and nuances? I can’t make out the embed design and, at first, I thought it was a Golden Gate Bridge red gone wrong. Maybe I need to know more about poppies in the Bay.

I love the story behind the Houston Dash’s “Houston Chronicles” kit, with an emphasis on culture, journalism and diversity. I also warmed up to the return of the powder blue that the team has often rocked since entering the league in 2014. However, I think I would rather buy the new Dash kit as an art print for my living room rather than as a shirt to wear.

We need to talk about Gotham. How are we feeling about that one? Easily the most opinion-splitting of the lot.

Melanie: Gotham, Racing, Portland, Kansas City, Houston, Boston (away)

Gotham’s new look certainly had me doing a double-take! I am conflicted with that one, and was debating whether it belonged in this tier or the next one. But before leaning into that, a brief moment for Houston, Kansas City, Racing, Portland, and Boston’s away kit.

Each of these, to me, shared a similar theme. They feel bold, yet subtle. They just don’t have that wow factor as the kits in the first category do. They felt safer. But their details stayed with me. Racing’s disco ball, love it! The pattern on Current’s storm kit was stunning. The roses on Portland’s jersey were so obvious, yet executed perfectly. Of course, I love the nod to journalism by Houston. Boston also embraced its neighborhood.

Now back to Gotham. I loved that they leaned into Lady Liberty in their imagery, but I was not a fan of the color choice — maybe because I’m a Yankees and Nets fan, and the choice felt very Knicks and Mets. I’ve always loved how Gotham stood out through its own color palette in the crowded New York market, while still holding true to that gritty New Jersey/New York vibe. To me, it puts them on a new level, similar to how the New York Liberty stands out.

I fear that by leaning into those colors (I get it’s the New York City flag!), they lose some of that uniqueness they already found.

Theo: My philosophy is that Gotham trying something entirely unique and bizarre means the shirt has appeal, regardless of the execution. It already feels like a collector’s item. To me, the Lady Liberty shadow with the jagged chevrons effect does remind me of a 1990s American Express card. It’s giving New York carnival fun house with a Lower Manhattan holographic twist. I was shocked, but not in a bad way.

But Tamerra has a different take…

“We were rooting for you”

Tamerra: Gotham, North Carolina, Utah Royals, Boston (away), Denver (away), Spirit

Gotham. Girl. With all due respect, what happened here? On one hand, I am feeling something, even if it’s not positive, but that is still better than ambivalence at the end of the day. On the other hand, this pixelated, off-kilter Statue of Liberty with bright orange shorts is gaudy and, frankly, unbecoming of the reigning champions. And I say this as a member of the small but mighty club of people who genuinely like the color orange!

Utah, you’re up next. For starters, I like this muted black and how the yellow pops against it. But with a crest that crisp, why repeat it on the shirt itself? Why are there so many animals on it, from the lion to the eagle in the America First logo, to now… bees that appear to be attacking the lion’s face? I feel itchy if I look at this for too long.

Melanie: I agree with you, Tamerra. I feel like Utah’s kit is doing too much. Would I have liked it more if the lion featured a clean outline? Probably. But I do love the color scheme. In this case, I do feel like less would have been more.

Theo: Utah’s is the worst of the bunch. There is no way to sugarcoat it. Is it black? Is it grey? Who has spray-painted that Lion so big? You know what, I don’t really care either way.

I think I may be alone here, but the other one that frustrates me is Portland’s new primary kit, ‘Electric Bloom.’ Call me a traditionalist, but this just does not feel like a Thorns home shirt. Something is off. In terms of the specs, for a couple years now, I’ve disliked Nike’s mismatched collar, and the red of the shorts is also clashing for me. It feels messy.

Melanie: Utah, Seattle, Denver (home and away), Bay, Boston (home), Angel City

I would like to clarify that I don’t hate the inaugural kits for Denver or Boston. I actually enjoy their simplicity, but that very simplicity is why I’ve placed them here. It felt like the expansion teams were laying out a very basic foundation for their inaugural seasons — and I do think they were successful at standing out in the growing league. I will never not think of Boston Legacy when I see that shade of “legacy green,” so, by that measure, they were successful. I am, however, looking forward to their future kits, when I’m sure they’ll turn up the bold.

For me, Bay and Seattle mostly landed here by the process of elimination.

Theo: Utah, Denver (home and away), Boston (home), Current, Portland

I’ll defend Seattle. I think that kit is sneaky and complicated, like Bauhaus or Matisse’s “Blue Nudes.” The mini-collar is also a nice touch. I think it will look great during matches when the players move in it.

When it comes to Boston, their simple inaugural home shirt almost gets a pass from me because at least they are being upfront that the mission of the ‘First Light’ kit is to just introduce the club’s main color to the party. Mission accomplished. Albeit, I do not like that green.

In a way, both of the Denver Summit kits feel like worse offenders because they are basic block color stock kits that are allegedly meant to “reflect the state’s untamed beauty” and “evokes the Mile High sky.” The irony here is that I do actually like the Summit’s color palette, but the kits give us next to nothing.

I think the expansion teams are also victims of joining in a year where others pushed the envelope more than most years.

(All in-copy images: Nike)

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Portland Thorns, Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash, North Carolina Courage, OL Reign, Orlando Pride, Gotham FC, Kansas City Current, Washington Spirit, Angel City, Racing Louisville FC, San Diego Wave, Utah Royals FC, Bay FC, Denver Summit FC, Boston Legacy FC, Soccer, NWSL, Sports Business, Women’s Soccer, Culture, Memorabilia & Collectibles

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