The best in the world play in the NWSL, and The Guardian’s annual ranking of the world’s top female footballers proves it to be true.
The list of “100 Best Female Footballers in the World 2025” dropped this week, and with 18 players and eight teams making the cut, the NWSL is well represented.
It should come as no surprise that Temwa Chawinga is among the Top 10. TC6 – fittingly – landed at No. 6, moving up 13 spots from 2024. Despite finishing the year on the sidelines due to injury, Chawinga led a history-making Current team with 15 goals and three assists. In her first two years in the NWSL, she has swept the end-of-year honors, taking home both the Golden Boot and MVP in back-to-back seasons.
Even though she spent much of the season on SEI, Orlando’s Barbra Banda still managed to crack the Top 20, which only speaks to just how strong of a year she was having before the injury. Gotham’s Esther González made the biggest jump, going from No. 76 in 2024 to No. 17 in 2025, and five NWSL players earned a spot on the list for the first time – Sofia Cantore, Manaka Matsukubo, Bia Zaneratto, Lorena, Leicy Santos, and Gift Monday.
Check out the full list of NWSL players below, and you can read about The Guardian’s entire Top 100 Female Footballers here.
No. 6 - Temwa Chawinga, Kansas City Current (2024 - No. 19)
No. 14 - Barbra Banda, Orlando Pride (2024 - No. 7)
No. 17 - Esther González, Gotham FC (2024 - No. 76)
No. 19 - Marta, Orlando Pride (2024 - No. 27)
No. 23 - Ann-Katrin Berger, Gotham FC (2024 - No. 32)
No. 29 - Delphine Cascarino, San Diego Wave (2024 - No. 58)
No. 35 - Trinity Rodman, Washington Spirit (2024 - No. 5)
No. 44 - Sofia Cantore, Washington Spirit (First time)
No. 55 - Sam Coffey, Portland Thorns (2024 - No. 89)
No. 56 - Manaka Matsukubo, North Carolina Courage (First time)
No. 67 - Rose Lavelle, Gotham FC (2024 - No. 45)
No. 72 - Debinha, Kansas City Current (2024 - No. 80)
No. 90 - Bia Zaneratto, Kansas City Current (First time)
No. 93 - Lorena, Kansas City Current (First time)
No. 94 - Jacquie Ovalle, Orlando Pride (2024 - No. 86)
No. 95 - Leicy Santos, Washington Spirit (First time)
No. 97 - Gift Monday, Washington Spirit (First time)
No. 100 - Racheal Kundananji, Bay FC (2024 - No. 53)