Kundananji Banda Claims Third Straight NWSL Best XI Nod
ORLANDO, Fla. — The numbers keep climbing, the accolades keep coming, and defenders across the NWSL keep suffering.
Kundananji Banda has been named to the NWSL Best XI of the Month for May, presented by Prime, the league announced Friday. It is the Orlando Pride striker’s third consecutive Best XI selection of the 2026 season, a streak that underlines just how completely she has taken hold of this campaign.
Eight different clubs are represented in May’s Top 11, but Banda sits at the center of the conversation. She isn’t just in form; she’s setting the standard.
Golden Boot leader, relentless finisher
Banda leads the NWSL Golden Boot race with 11 goals in 12 matches this season, a pace that has turned every Pride fixture into a showcase. May was her most ruthless month yet: six goals, one assist, and a constant sense that any half-chance in the box might end up in the net.
Two of those goals decided games on home turf at Inter&Co Stadium. First came the clinical finish in a 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage on May 8, a night where one moment of quality separated the sides. Then, on May 29, she struck again in a 3-1 victory over Bay FC, sealing another statement result in front of the Orlando crowd.
The pressure on back lines has been relentless. Banda produced two braces in May alone, starting with a double against the Washington Spirit on May 2. She repeated the feat in that same 3-1 win over Bay FC, turning a tight contest into one Orlando controlled on the scoreboard.
Rewriting the Pride record book
Her impact is no longer just about hot form; it’s drifting into club-history territory. With 36 goals in 54 appearances across all competitions, Banda already sits second on the Pride’s all-time scoring list.
She has reached that mark with the kind of efficiency that changes how a team thinks about every attack. A loose ball in the box. A quick transition. A cross whipped in at the near post. With Banda on the pitch, those moments feel less like possibilities and more like probabilities.
For a club that has been steadily building its identity in a fiercely competitive league, having a striker of this profile turns ambition into something more tangible. Every goal drags Orlando’s ceiling a little higher.
A pause, then another stage
The NWSL now steps aside for the league-wide break during the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, a rare lull in a season Banda has been driving at full throttle. When play resumes, the Pride head west.
Orlando return to action on Friday, July 3, traveling to face Angel City FC at BMO Stadium. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
By then, the Golden Boot race may have tightened. Defenses will have reset, analysts will have pored over every run and finish.
The real question is simple: after three straight Best XI honors and a season already defined by her goals, who is actually ready to stop Kundananji Banda?
