Temwa Chawinga and Barbra Banda lead NWSL Golden Boot race
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Aug 7, 2026, 7:46 PM
Last updated Aug 7, 2026
As the 2026 National Women’s Soccer League season progresses, Temwa Chawinga of Kansas City Current and Barbra Banda of Orlando Pride are at the forefront of the Golden Boot race. Chawinga has scored nine goals in 11 appearances, while Banda leads with 12 goals from 15 matches. The competition is intensifying with other players like Ashley Sanchez of North Carolina Courage following closely with 10 goals. The recent Women’s African Cup of Nations has affected their availability, with both front-runners participating in the tournament. As the season nears its conclusion, the battle for the top scorer title remains competitive, particularly with Chawinga's ongoing form dependent on her match fitness after international duty.
- •Chawinga has scored nine goals in just 11 appearances.
- •Banda leads the Golden Boot race with 12 goals.
- •Ashley Sanchez follows with 10 goals for North Carolina Courage.
- •Recent AFCON impacts the availability of top scorers Chawinga and Banda.
- •Competition intensifies as the season nears its conclusion.
- 7:46 PMYahoo Sports — NWSL Golden Boot race: Can anyone overtake Temwa Chawinga or Barbra Banda?
"The 2026 National Women’s Soccer League season is the biggest yet, with 16 teams vying for a title. And yet, with a little more than half the season completed, the likelihood of a player taking the Golden Boot crown from Kansas City Current’s Temwa Chawinga, and eclipsing her record of 20 goals in 2024, is already shrinking. As the NWSL approaches the business end of the 2026 season, the league’s top scorer title is very much up for grabs — which is exciting. The two perennial frontrunners, Chaw
Sources
External linksOriginal reporting and copyright belong to the linked sources. SportsNewsReport.com aggregates and links — it does not republish full articles.
Related Stories
Last 14 days- NWSL•Aug 6, 2026, 6:04 PMNWSL Week 15: Goals galore, Gotham posts their favorite scoreline twice, and Evelyn Ijeh blows up
- NWSL•Aug 5, 2026, 10:16 AMHow ‘Ted Lasso’ found a love for women’s soccer in Kansas City
- NWSL•Aug 3, 2026, 1:16 PMNWSL Matchweek 15: Top goals and saves
- NWSL•Aug 2, 2026, 4:07 AMTaylor Suarez ties it for Angel City against Kansas City Current
- NWSL•Aug 1, 2026, 4:30 AMNWSL Availability Report (Matchweek 15 – Saturday): Racing Louisville vs Chicago Stars, KC Current vs Angel City FC, Houston Dash vs Gotham FC
- NWSL•Jul 30, 2026, 3:31 PMNWSL terminates media rights agreement with Victory+ over non-payment: Sources
