NWSL Reports Eight Sexual Misconduct Complaints in 2026

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) received eight complaints concerning sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, or retaliation between February and June of 2026. This information comes from documents obtained by Defector Media and filed with the attorneys general of Illinois, Washington, D.C., and New York. The filings are a requirement of a 2025 settlement stemming from investigations into systemic abuse within the league.

All conclusions from the resulting investigations, as well as the names of the teams involved, are redacted in the released documents. The league is obligated to submit these compliance reports twice a year, detailing its efforts to investigate and prevent abuse.

The Eight Anonymous Complaints

The report covering February 1 to July 31, 2026, lists the complaints with minimal detail. Most information is blacked out.

• In February, an anonymous report of sexual misconduct was made involving a club labeled "Team B."
• That same month, sexual harassment and retaliation were reported involving "Team C." The only unredacted portion references "sexually inappropriate comments."
• Also in February, two reports were received involving "Team D." One contained allegations of sexual misconduct. Another stated a person approached the NWSL's safety officer about a report, but the substance is redacted.
• In March, a report of sexual misconduct was made concerning "Team E." All other details are hidden.
• An anonymous report classified as retaliation was received in April. The team involved was listed as "unknown."
• A May report was classified as sexual misconduct. In this entry, even the anonymized team letter was redacted.
• In June, someone disclosed sexual misconduct. The document lists November 2025 as a relevant date, and the team's assigned letter is also redacted.

Defector contacted both the NWSL and the NWSL Players Association for comment. Neither responded before publication.

A Pattern of Redaction and Rising Numbers

The eight complaints represent an increase from previous reporting periods. When Defector requested a similar document last year, it showed five complaints in the first half of 2025, none of which involved sexual misconduct. League materials from that time indicated the NWSL had received 43 complaints in total in 2024.

Information about those five 2025 investigations was heavily redacted. Attorneys general offices cited privacy concerns and ongoing investigations as the reason. A subsequent report, covering the second half of 2025 and early 2026, detailed five investigations into toxic work environments and emotional misconduct at four different teams. It mentioned no complaints of a sexual nature. That report also arrived at the AGs' offices with redactions already applied.

Missing Player Survey Results

As part of the settlement, the NWSL is required to share anonymized player survey results on safety with both the government and the players' union. The documents indicate these results are being shared. However, when Defector requested copies, records custodians in Illinois and Washington said they had no documents to provide.

Erika Stilabower, the FOIA officer for Washington, D.C., stated the survey results were provided "as part of a presentation by the NWSL," which is why no records exist. April McLaren, deputy press secretary for the Illinois attorney general, said, "We receive sensitive player information from the league in various formats, and we meet regularly with them to discuss compliance." New York denied all public records requests and did not respond to requests for comment.

Evolving Compliance Submissions

Now in its third round of mandated submissions, the league appears to be adjusting its reports. The first submission included a copy of the league's anti-harassment training, which stated it had received 43 complaints in 2024. After Defector published an article about that document, the league submitted a slightly different version of the training for its second report. This new copy omitted the number of complaints received.