2026 Donruss NWSL: Godfrey Rated Rookies, Marta Ink and the Paper Debut

Lia Godfrey’s Rated Rookies No. 19 is a lively place to start with 2026 Donruss NWSL. In Panini’s preview, the pink border picks up her shorts and the trim on her San Diego Wave kit. Navy and turquoise bands keep the frame from becoming a solid wall of pink, while the familiar blue Rated Rookie badge sits beside her running stride. Godfrey gets most of the card; the branding works around her.

This is the paper Donruss release, introduced in Panini’s September announcement and confirmed as launched in the manufacturer’s October NWSL update. It has its own checklist entries and parallels alongside the separately released Donruss Optic NWSL. The shared designs connect them, but paper Godfrey, an Optic Godfrey and her autograph are different collecting projects.

Fifty Rated Rookies, with Godfrey at the center

The manufacturer checklist separates 200 Base cards, numbered 1–200, from 50 Rated Rookies, numbered 1–50. That makes the Rated Rookie badge more than a decoration on selected base cards: it identifies a separate numbered run. Chicago’s Elise Evans opens it at No. 1, Kansas City’s Laney Rouse follows at No. 2, and Houston’s Kate Faasse appears at No. 25.

Godfrey’s No. 19 has several ways to build a numbered collection. Her Laser versions run Blue /49, Pink /25, Gold /10, Green /5 and Black 1/1. Lava offers Red /50, Purple /30, Gold /10 and Black 1/1. The Dots family uses Blue /20, Pink /15, Gold /10 and Black 1/1. Gold Laser, Gold Lava and Gold Dots are therefore three separate /10 cards, not three names for the same ten copies.

There is also an unnumbered Rated Rookies Holo entry. For Godfrey, the attraction of the design begins before any serial stamp: the white shirt gives her face and movement room to stand out, and the pink shorts pull the surrounding color back into the photograph. A numbered version adds a particular finish and edition size to an already distinctive rookie card.

Chawinga shows what the regular base can do

Temwa Chawinga’s Base No. 23 is all forward movement. Her knee pushes toward the lower edge, her arms extend across the inner frame, and the teal Kansas City uniform carries the club’s color through the center. The red border and Current crest make a strong pair; the blue outer field supplies contrast without competing with her face.

The regular Base run includes Trinity Rodman at No. 18, Marta at No. 75, Riley Tiernan at No. 81 and Jaedyn Shaw at No. 124. It uses the same numbered Laser, Lava and Dots limits as Rated Rookies. A Current collector following Chawinga can therefore pursue those specific finishes on No. 23 without needing to change the underlying card or photograph.

Marta’s autograph has its own paper checklist

Marta’s The Beautiful Game Autographs Holo No. 23 pairs a large action portrait with a substantial signature panel. The autograph sweeps across almost the full width below the title. Orange around the outside and Orlando purple through the inner frame give the preview a completely different mood from Godfrey’s pink-and-turquoise rookie.

Marta’s regular Holo autograph is /60. Her parallels are Orange /40, Blue /15, Gold /10, Green /5 and Black 1/1. Godfrey’s No. 36 is also /60, while Rodman’s No. 16 is /25. Those player-specific limits matter: “Holo autograph” does not mean every signer has the same edition size.

The Beautiful Game Autographs Holo has 38 subjects. A second family, Signature Series Holo, has 39, with Marta at No. 15 /60, Rodman at No. 20 /25 and Tiernan at No. 8 /199. These are the paper release’s Holo autograph entries; the Optic families in the same manufacturer download have separate names and limits.

Downtown gives Rodman a Washington setting

Rodman’s Downtown No. 20 is the biggest change of scenery among these previews. Her yellow Spirit kit stands against a peach-pink cloud, with the Washington Monument rising beside her and a reflecting pool stretching into the foreground. The little windows inside the DOWNTOWN letters extend the city theme right to the top. It is a club card with a sense of place.

Downtown has 20 cards, including Godfrey No. 4, Tiernan No. 6, Marta No. 12 and Chawinga No. 15. Night Moves and Kismet each have 20 as well. Panini’s box identifies all three as ultra-rare inserts, but the regular checklist entries have no serial limit or published pull rate attached to them.

The broader insert lineup offers a useful change of scale. Net Marvels and Pitch Queens have 25 cards each; Tunnel Vision has ten. Godfrey appears in Net Marvels at No. 20 and Pitch Queens at No. 12, while Rodman has Tunnel Vision No. 10. Godfrey also has Rookie Queens No. 18 in that 20-card family, giving her a rookie-focused insert as well as the Rated Rookie.

The 36-card blaster and its parallel chases

The blaster contains 36 cards, arranged in six packs of six. Panini’s packaging calls out blaster-exclusive Lava and Laser parallels, plus autograph chases and the Downtown, Night Moves and Kismet inserts. It puts the numbered versions of cards such as Godfrey No. 19 and Chawinga No. 23 at the heart of the format’s appeal.

Our favorite part of this paper debut is how much identity survives the familiar Donruss frame. Godfrey’s pink shorts and rookie badge make her card immediately hers; Chawinga’s teal kit and forward stride give the base design a different rhythm. Marta’s wide autograph panel and Rodman’s illustrated Washington then take the set in two other directions. The blaster may be compact, but the cards inside the checklist offer much more than one repeated look.