{"id":249893,"date":"2026-06-24T18:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T18:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/24\/time100s-most-influential-women-in-soccer\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T18:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T18:00:11","slug":"time100s-most-influential-women-in-soccer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/24\/time100s-most-influential-women-in-soccer\/","title":{"rendered":"TIME100\u2019s Most Influential Women in Soccer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TIME recently released its list of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/collection\/100-most-influential-people\/2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TIME100 Most Influential People of 2026<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It lists influential figures throughout the world and spreads across a variety of industries. Outside of the general list, TIME named 100 most influential people in specific industries, notably sports. With the growth of women in sports, six women in soccer were declared as one of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/collection\/time100-sports\/2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TIME100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This group of women includes current and former National Women\u2019s Soccer League (NWSL) players, executives, and international <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">icons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Trinity Rodman\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61893\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61893\" style=\"width: 576px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61893\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-61893 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Claudio-Villa-Getty-Images-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"576\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Claudio-Villa-Getty-Images-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Claudio-Villa-Getty-Images-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Claudio-Villa-Getty-Images-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Claudio-Villa-Getty-Images-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Claudio-Villa-Getty-Images-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Claudio-Villa-Getty-Images-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\"\/><\/noscript> Photo Credit: Claudio Villa\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trinity Rodman is a forward for the NWSL\u2019s Washington Spirit and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USWNT<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. With feats such as an Olympic gold medal, NWSL Championship, and multiple <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.topendsports.com\/sport\/soccer\/awards\/ballondor-women-history.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ballon d\u2019Or F\u00e9minin<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> nominations, she is recognized as one of the best women\u2019s soccer players. This offseason, Rodman set a new precedent with her record-breaking contract in which the Spirit went beyond the league\u2019s salary cap to pay her. To keep Rodman from playing overseas, the league created an exception called the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/nwsl-implements-high-impact-player-rule-to-help-increase-player-salaries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High Impact Player Rule<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, also known as the Rodman rule, to increase her salary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Khalida Popal<\/b><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61894\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61894\" style=\"width: 599px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-61894 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Kelly-DefinaGetty-Images-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"599\" height=\"337\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61894\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-61894 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Kelly-DefinaGetty-Images-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"599\" height=\"337\" srcset=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Kelly-DefinaGetty-Images-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Kelly-DefinaGetty-Images-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Kelly-DefinaGetty-Images-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Kelly-DefinaGetty-Images-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Kelly-DefinaGetty-Images.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\"\/><\/noscript> Photo Credit: Kelly Defina\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Khalida Popal was a founding member of Afghanistan\u2019s first national team in 2007 and a captain of the country\u2019s women\u2019s soccer team. However, as the Taliban returned to power, they dismantled women\u2019s sports and by 2021, many of the country\u2019s talented female soccer players left the country. Popal now lives in Denmark, where she helped organize <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/inside.fifa.com\/womens-football\/news\/afghan-women-united-cook-islands-new-zealand-pauline-hamill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Afghan Women United<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a soccer team made of Afghan refugees from around the world. The organization is recognized by FIFA and allows them to be eligible for international competition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Michele Kang<\/b><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61895\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61895\" style=\"width: 584px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-61895 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PhotoCreditWashingtonSpirit-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"390\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61895\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-61895 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PhotoCreditWashingtonSpirit-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PhotoCreditWashingtonSpirit-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PhotoCreditWashingtonSpirit-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PhotoCreditWashingtonSpirit-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PhotoCreditWashingtonSpirit-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PhotoCreditWashingtonSpirit-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PhotoCreditWashingtonSpirit-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\"\/><\/noscript> Photo Credit: Washington Spirit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Michele Kang is a self-made technology billionaire and women\u2019s sports advocate. She currently owns three womens soccer clubs, including the Washington Spirit, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">OL Lyonnes, and the London City Lionesses. She was also the first woman of color to be a majority owner of a NWSL franchise.\u00a0 Kang spearheads the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DRxf4C2Dbq_\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kang Women\u2019s Institute<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kynisca.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kynisca Innovation Hub<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Both are dedicated to supporting female athletes on and off the field. In 2025, ESPN named Kang the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/espn\/citizenship\/story\/_\/page\/Sports-Philanthropist-of-the-Year-Award\/sports-philanthropist-year-award\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sports Philanthropist of the Year<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for her efforts to level the playing field for women in sports.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Alex Morgan<\/b><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61896\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61896\" style=\"width: 617px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-61896 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Ron-SmitsSOPA-ImagesLightRocket-via-Getty-Images-1024x681.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"617\" height=\"410\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61896\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-61896 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Ron-SmitsSOPA-ImagesLightRocket-via-Getty-Images-1024x681.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"617\" height=\"410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Ron-SmitsSOPA-ImagesLightRocket-via-Getty-Images-1024x681.webp 1024w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Ron-SmitsSOPA-ImagesLightRocket-via-Getty-Images-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Ron-SmitsSOPA-ImagesLightRocket-via-Getty-Images-768x511.webp 768w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Ron-SmitsSOPA-ImagesLightRocket-via-Getty-Images-1536x1022.webp 1536w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Ron-SmitsSOPA-ImagesLightRocket-via-Getty-Images-2048x1362.webp 2048w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Ron-SmitsSOPA-ImagesLightRocket-via-Getty-Images-600x399.webp 600w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-by-Ron-SmitsSOPA-ImagesLightRocket-via-Getty-Images-scaled.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 617px) 100vw, 617px\"\/><\/noscript> Photo Credit: Ron Smits\/SOPA Images, LightRocket via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alex Morgan is known as one of the best former soccer players in the world. She had a historic 12-year NWSL career and was a storied member of the USWNT. Two years ago, Morgan retired from playing and since then, she has been a huge advocate for women\u2019s sports. Since her retirement, Morgan\u2019s venture capital firm, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/trybevc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trybe Ventures<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, has invested in a women\u2019s golf league and helped launch <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a professional mens and women\u2019s flag football league.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Asisat Oshoala<\/b><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61897\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61897\" style=\"width: 555px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-61897 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Justin-Setterfield-1024x576.avif\" alt=\"\" width=\"555\" height=\"312\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61897\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-61897 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Justin-Setterfield-1024x576.avif\" alt=\"\" width=\"555\" height=\"312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Justin-Setterfield-1024x576.avif 1024w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Justin-Setterfield-300x169.avif 300w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Justin-Setterfield-768x432.avif 768w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Justin-Setterfield-600x337.avif 600w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Justin-Setterfield.avif 1460w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 555px) 100vw, 555px\"\/><\/noscript> Photo Credit: Justin Setterfield<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asisat Oshoala is currently a forward for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. She is one of the most decorated women\u2019s soccer players in the world and has played professionally in six different countries. Some of her accomplishments include 6-time <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cafonline.com\/news\/osimhen-oshoala-named-african-men-s-and-women-s-player-of-the-year-at-the-caf-awards-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Confederation of African Football Women\u2019s Footballer of the Year<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2-time <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/us\/dictionary\/english\/golden-boot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Golden Boot<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> winner, and top scorer in the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chinese Women\u2019s Super League and the Primera Divisi\u00f3n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Oshoala is also a vital member of the Nigeria national team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Aitana Bonmat\u00ed<\/b><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61898\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61898\" style=\"width: 561px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-61898 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/FRANCKFIFEAFP-1024x682.avif\" alt=\"\" width=\"561\" height=\"374\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61898\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-61898 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/FRANCKFIFEAFP-1024x682.avif\" alt=\"\" width=\"561\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/FRANCKFIFEAFP-1024x682.avif 1024w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/FRANCKFIFEAFP-300x200.avif 300w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/FRANCKFIFEAFP-768x512.avif 768w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/FRANCKFIFEAFP-600x400.avif 600w, https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/FRANCKFIFEAFP.avif 1112w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 561px) 100vw, 561px\"\/><\/noscript> Photo Credit: Franck Fife\/AFP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aitana Bonmat\u00ed is currently a midfielder for Barcelona and the Spain national team. She is considered the best female soccer player in the world, as she is the reigning <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/en\/the-best-fifa-football-awards\/2025\/articles\/womens-player-2025-winner-aitana-bonmati\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Best FIFA Women\u2019s Player<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the most recent recipient of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.allforxi.com\/nwsl\/9043\/aitana-bonmati-wins-third-straight-ballon-dor-feminin-yashin-trophy-and-kopa-trophy-winners-also-announced-vicky-lopez-hannah-hampton-barcelona-spain-chelsea-england-arsenal-sarina-wiegman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ballon d\u2019Or F\u00e9minin<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Throughout her playing career, she has won a World Cup title, seven consecutive Liga F titles, and three Champions League titles. She has used her platform as a global soccer star to lead by example and set up the next generation for success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Featured image via <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/collection\/time100-sports\/2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TIME<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">_<\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: YOUR SOURCE FOR GIRLS SOCCER NEWS<\/h4>\n<p> <!-- CONTENT END 2 --><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/girlssoccernetwork.com\/time100s-most-influential-women-in-soccer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TIME recently released its list of TIME100 Most Influential People of 2026. It lists influential figures throughout the world and spreads across a variety of industries. Outside of the general list, TIME named 100 most influential people in specific industries, notably sports. With the growth of women in sports, six women in soccer were declared [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":249894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6805],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-249893","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-womens"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249893\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}