Forward Sophia Wilson will return to the Portland Thorns FC in 2026 by executing her player option, the team confirmed on Wednesday.
Her option year is worth $1 million, a source confirmed to ESPN, marking the first seven-figure contract year in NWSL history.
Sportico first reported the value of Wilson's option.
Wilson -- an NWSL champion and league MVP in 2022, and a 2024 Olympic gold-medal winner for the United States -- missed the entire 2025 NWSL season while on maternity leave. She gave birth to her first child, Gianna, in early September.
"Coming back to Portland is so special to me because Portland is where I started my professional career and where I've grown up in a lot of ways," Wilson said in a statement.
"I'm excited for the city. I love living here. I love the people here. I'm excited to get back with everyone and play in Providence Park and to play in front of the Riveters. There's no place like it. That is the place to play and I'm excited to be back in it."
Wilson held a player option for 2026 on the contract she originally signed in early 2024.
The deal made her the league's highest-paid player annually, the Thorns confirmed at the time, although neither they nor Wilson's management specified what the record-setting salary was.
Wilson's future was the source of speculation throughout 2025 as the Thorns waited on the 25-year-old USWNT star's decision.
Denver Summit FC's entry into the NWSL in 2026 as an expansion team added further uncertainty.
Wilson is a native of Colorado, and Summit FC has additional allocation money to spend as an expansion team.
Portland, however, is where Wilson has spent her entire professional career to date. The Thorns selected Wilson No. 1 overall in the 2020 NWSL Draft after she led Stanford to an NCAA championship in 2019. She has scored 50 goals across 97 matches in all competitions.
"We are thrilled to have a world-class player like Sophia continue to call Portland her home," Thorns president and general manager of soccer operations Jeff Agoos said in a statement.
"Sophia is an exceptional global star that can change the game in an instant. She will strengthen our roster's attack, and her return makes our front line one the most formidable in the NWSL."
Wilson quickly became a fixture with the USWNT, appearing in the 2023 World Cup and scoring three goals at the 2024 Olympics as the USWNT won the gold medal. Wilson (nee Smith) finished fourth in the voting that year in the Ballon d'Or.
Wilson and husband, Michael Wilson, a wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, announced earlier this year that they are expecting their first child. Portland finished third and made the semifinals this year despite missing Wilson in addition to several other injured starters.
The Thorns still fired head coach Rob Gale in late November after his only full season in charge. Portland's search for a head coach is ongoing.
Wilson's option is only for 2026, meaning she will be eligible to speak with teams as an impending free agent beginning on July 1, 2026.
By then, her contract options as one of the NWSL's star players could look drastically different from when she signed her current deal.
ESPN reported last week that the NWSL's board voted to approve a new star player rule that would allow teams to spend up to $1 million over the salary cap for top players who meet certain criteria.
That could make $1 million contracts the norm for the league's elite stars.
The NWSL's board is currently meeting in person. The rule, and the finer details of how it will be executed, is still pending consultation with the NWSL Players Association.
Sources said that the proposed rule is meant to address the NWSL's future and to allow teams to better retain and attract world-class talent.
But the timing of it, as other sources confirmed, has been pushed and made urgent by the ongoing uncertainty around Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman -- one other third of the "Triple Espresso" USWNT attack from the 2024 Olympics -- and whether the NWSL and the Spirit can financially compete with offers Rodman has from Europe.