The National Women’s Soccer League’s two-time reigning Most Valuable Player, Temwa Chawinga, is one of five finalists for the 2026 honor, announced Monday along with the rest of the year-end awards candidates.
The Kansas City Current forward is joined by Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, North Carolina Courage midfielder Ashley Sanchez, Denver Summit defender Janine Sonis and 2022 winner Sophia Wilson, a forward for the Portland Thorns.
The awards for MVP, Defender of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Midfielder of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year will be presented at the NWSL Awards show on ESPN 2 on Nov. 18 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Fans can vote on the finalists as well as the Best XI first and second teams through Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. The final round of voting uses a weighted scale of players (40%), owners/general managers/coaches (25%), media (25%) and fans (10%).
The finalists for the other 2026 NWSL Awards:
Defender of the Year: Tierna Davidson (Gotham), Kate Del Fava (Utah Royals), Sarah Gorden (Angel City), Janine Sonis (Denver Summit) and Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave).
Goalkeeper of the Year: Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham), Jane Campbell (Houston Dash) and Jordan Silkowitz (Bay FC).
Midfielder of the Year: Croix Bethune (Kansas City Current), Kenza Dali (San Diego Wave), Jaelin Howell (Gotham), Rose Lavelle (Gotham) and Mina Tanaka (Utah Royals).
Rookie of the Year: Jordynn Dudley (Gotham), Kat Rader (Houston Dash) and Mimi Van Zanten (San Diego Wave)
Coach of the Year: Juan Carlos Amoros (Gotham), Jimmy Coenraets (Utah Royals) and Jonas Eidevall (San Diego Wave).
–Field Level Media
