Orlando Pride Re-Sign Forward Barbra Banda through 2029

The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has re-signed forward Barbra Banda to a new contract through the 2029 season. According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Banda’s new deal uses the NWSL’s High Impact Player (HIP) mechanism.

Per this recent league rule, enacted on July 1, HIP signings allow the club to exceed the salary cap and counts only part of the player’s salary against the cap limit. The Ballon d’Or candidate fits the requirements and is a signing worthy of spending that slot on.

“Barbra is a transformational player whose impact extends far beyond the goals she scores on the field,” Orlando Pride Owner and Chairman Mark Wilf said in a club press release. “She represents the ambition, excellence, and winning culture we’ve built and want to sustain long-term. Since arriving in Orlando, she has helped elevate our club to new heights and establish us among the world’s premier women’s football organizations. Securing Barbra’s future is a reflection of our commitment to competing for championships year after year and investing in the players who define our club. We are proud that Orlando will continue to be her home for
years to come.”

“Barbra is a cornerstone of everything we are building at the Pride,” Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Caitlin Carducci added in the club’s release. “She is one of the most dynamic players in world football and her impact on our club has been extraordinary from the moment she arrived in Orlando. As we continue to compete for championships, it is critical that we not only attract top talent but also create an environment where the world’s best players want to stay and build their careers. Barbra’s decision to
commit her future to Orlando is a reflection of the culture, ambition and standards that have been established throughout the club. We are excited to continue building around a player of her caliber as we pursue even greater success in the years ahead.”

The Pride signed the Zambian international for a then-record transfer fee of $740,000 from Chinese Women’s Super League side Shanghai Shengli FC on March 7, 2024. Her initial deal with Orlando was set to run through 2027, but her performances have warranted a new contract to extend her stay in the City Beautiful.

Banda, 26, led Orlando to the 2024 NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship in her first year with the club, scoring in each of the Pride’s three playoff games en route to the title and won the NWSL Championship MVP Award. She scored 13 goals to lead the Pride during the 2024 season, adding six assists, becoming one of the league’s most dangerous attacking players. That year, she ended the Pride’s long wait for a hat trick, scoring the club’s first. At season’s end, she was named to the 2024 NWSL Best XI First Team and won BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year honors.

Banda added eight more goals in 16 games in an injury-shortened 2025 season as the Pride again reached the NWSL playoff semifinals and came within a goal of a second consecutive final appearance.

Now in her third season in Orlando, Banda has spent much of the 2026 season leading the league’s Golden Boot race before being jumped by North Carolina’s Ashley Sanchez, who is having a career year. With six games still to play, Banda has scored a club single-season record 16 goals in 2026, besting the 13 she and Marta (2017) previously shared, and she’s chipped in three assists for 19 total goal contributions on the Pride’s 31 goals this season, despite missing four games due to injury/international duty and being limited in minutes in a few others. She sits three goals behind Sanchez in the Golden Boot race.

The Zambian’s totals with Orlando are staggering: 41 goals and 11 assists in 62 appearances across all competitions in three years, while drawing several penalties that others have converted — something that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. Over that span, she has also been selected to the FIFPRO Women’s World 11 in 2024 and 2025, and she has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or Fémenin three times in her career

“I am very happy to continue my journey with Pride,” Banda said in the club’s release. “I want to thank my teammates, coaches, staff, and the fans for believing in me and supporting me every day. Orlando has become a special place for me, and I am excited to keep fighting for this club and win more trophies together.”

What It Means for Orlando

Locking Banda down for another three seasons allows Carducci to rebuild the struggling club around her. The Pride have had an unexpectedly subpar 2026 season due to injuries, inconsistencies, and poor form. No secondary scorer has truly emerged behind Banda, which was costly during her time with the Zambian Women’s National Team for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The poor results eventually led to the club parting ways with 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year Seb Hines less than a year since he guided the Pride to the NWSL playoff semifinals for the second straight year.

Several Pride players will be out of contract or will have their option considered at season’s end. One of those players is Marta, whose availability has been less-than-reliable in 2026. If the 40-year-old retires, it will free up an important chunk of salary and a spot on the team Carducci can fill.

Banda’s presence in Orlando should also help the club attract interest from a number of coaches and players around the world. She is a prolific attacker and there are several pieces in place who can play with her, but upgrades to the attacking group are needed — and what defender wouldn’t want to have a target to hit over the top for an assist? And by using the HIP designation, this deal should ease fan concerns that a club in Europe will try to sign her away. That could happen anyway, but all Orlando can do is make one of the league’s top-tier talents one of the NWSL’s best-paid players.

Even if Carducci and whoever the next permanent coach is can’t get the Pride back to where they were in 2024, Banda will continue to be worth the price of admission. Her two goals Friday at Kansas City were magical moments in an eventual 2-2 draw in which the team was badly outplayed. Getting a point in that game comes down to having someone like Banda, who can make the difference between no points on the road and at least bringing home one. She is, in short, a difference maker.