There are few days in woso that are universally anticipated, but today is one of those days. Today is the day that we all wait for, and historically has come far later into the offseason than this so hooray for that, but today is NWSL Regular Season Schedule release day! Yes, that means we can now start circling our calendars and planning out those away days as Angel City FC, along with the rest of the league, has released the upcoming schedule for the 2026 campaign. If you just want to jump into the full schedule, you can do so HERE, but first, let us highlight and talk about some key matchups that you should be looking forward to this season.
Your Angel City FC 2026 schedule is HERE!https://angelcity.com/2026-schedule
— Angel City FC (@angelcity.com) 2026-01-15T16:38:45.991908032Z
Opening Day at Home! – March 15th VS Chicago Stars
That’s right, Angel City FC will kickoff the 2026 NWSL season from the comfort of their own home as they take on Chicago Stars on Sunday March 15th, at BMO Stadium as part of the NWSL Kickoff weekend. This season vey much feels like a “vengeance on our minds” type of season for Angel City as they look to finally establish themselves as perennial contenders in the NWSL and what better way to start that type of year than facing off at home, against a team who beat you to cap off the 2025 season. Angel City will not only have a chance at vengeance right away, but starting the season at home means they will also have a chance to make a statement on match day one.
Early Rivalry Matchup – March 21 @ Bay FC / Oct. 24th VS Bay FC
After getting a small chance at vengeance to open up the season, Angel City will hit the road to keep that hate in their heart when they take on rivals Bay FC just a week later. It took a few years, but Angel City finally got their first regular season win over Bay in 2025, and now they will look to tilt the rivalry in their favor with their first regular season win in the Bay Area. The two teams will meet again later on in the year during spooky season, when Bay comes to LA. Surely ACFC will be hoping that meeting is one where they are preparing for the postseason, but as for the first matchup, the schedule is set up nicely for Los Angeles to send a message that this is well and truly their year.
Budding Hatred – May 9th VS San Diego Wave / July 11th @ San Diego Wave
After the first few matchups between these two clubs where a rivalry narrative felt a bit forced, we might finally have something brewing here. Over the last few meetings it has become increasingly clear, these two teams are starting to genuinely hate each other. For proof, look no further that the SD Wave schedule release video where they refer to Angel City FC as not having “enough heart, hustle, or hunger.” Pretty strong words for a club that hasn’t beaten ACFC since 2023. Personally, love the spice because this is what true rivalry is about, hating with your whole heart. Bulletin board material acquired, this should be a fun series in 2026.
New Kids on the Block – Aug. 31st @ Boston Legacy / Nov. 1st VS Boston Legacy
NWSL welcomes two new clubs in 2026 with Angel City playing Boston Legacy first, as they take the trip to Boston in late August. They will also close out the 2026 campaign against Legacy when the new club makes the West Coast trip in the fall at the start of November. Boston has quietly been building a pretty solid roster, so it will be interesting to see how they fare in their inaugural NWSL season.
New Kids on the Block, Part Two – Sept 11th VS Denver Summit / Oct. 17th @ Summit
The other club embarking on their NWSL voyage this season will be Denver Summit FC, a team that plenty of eyes will be on throughout the season. Denver is a city with a lot of history when it comes to women’s soccer, and the fact they now have a team in the NWSL, only adds to that history. A bit of advice, if you’re planning an away trip for this matchup be sure to get those tickets and hotel accommodations settled immediately as it’s always busy in Denver during ski season.
It’s Freakin’ Bats – Aug. 23rd VS Gotham FC / Oct. 4th @ Gotham FC
You know we had to talk about the defending champions eventually. If ever there was a matchup that Angel City needed to make a statement with, especially if this is really going to be their ‘vengeance tour’ season, it’s Gotham FC. It’s been all East Coast in this attempted rivalry, with Angel City not beating Gotham since their inaugural season in 2022. Not only that, aside from one draw since then, it’s been all New York/ New Jersey with the bats winning six of the last seven meetings by a combined 14-4 scoreline. Yea, it’s time for some major get-back, and it all starts in late August when the defending champs make the trip to Los Angeles. You want to be the best? It’s about time you beat the best.
Thoughts on the 2026 schedule? Any matchups you are looking forward to the most? Drop us a comment below!