Orlando Pride have extended Barbra Banda's contract through the 2029 NWSL season, adding two years onto a deal that was set to expire in 2027. For a club that won its first championship only recently, keeping their most dangerous attacker off the market until the end of the decade is about as important a piece of business as they could do.
The numbers explain why. Since arriving in Orlando in 2024, Banda has scored 41 goals and added 11 assists across all NWSL competitions. This season alone she has 16 — a new club single-season record — and she's currently sitting second in the Golden Boot race. She also scored the first hat-trick in Pride history in 2025. That's not a player you let drift toward free agency.
What this means for Orlando's title ambitions
The Pride aren't signing Banda to survive. They're signing her to keep competing for championships, and that framing matters when you look at the NWSL's increasingly competitive landscape. A striker producing at this rate is the kind of asset contenders build around — and the kind rival clubs would happily poach.
Banda put it plainly: "Orlando has become a special place for me, and I am excited to keep fighting for this club and win more trophies together." That's not boilerplate. When your striker is scoring at record pace and still wants to stay, something is working behind the scenes.
From a betting perspective, Orlando's title odds deserve a second look. A forward this prolific, locked in through 2029, gives the Pride a level of attacking certainty most NWSL sides simply don't have. Squads built around one elite goalscorer tend to stay dangerous as long as that player stays fit — and Banda, at the peak of her powers, shows no signs of slowing down.
Orlando's next test comes Saturday, September 19th against Portland Thorns at 4 PM ET. With 16 goals already banked this season, Banda will be the name on everyone's teamsheet.
