Gotham FC are the 2025 NWSL champions. They have not been invited to the White House. The club confirmed it, and their spokesperson's response to whether they'd accept one — that the team "won't speculate on hypotheticals" — tells you most of what you need to know about the temperature around this situation.
This isn't an isolated case. The Las Vegas Aces, WNBA champions since October, are also waiting. The Orlando Pride, who won the 2024 NWSL title, never got an invite. The New York Liberty, who won the 2024 WNBA crown, skipped the White House entirely and visited the Obama family in Washington instead — which is a fairly pointed way of filling a Tuesday afternoon.
The pattern is hard to ignore
During Trump's second term, the White House has hosted Inter Miami, the Panthers, the Dodgers, the Eagles, Indiana football, and the U.S. men's hockey team. The only women's team to receive a solo visit was the 2019 NCAA champion Baylor women's basketball squad — from Trump's first term.
There was a group visit on April 21 that included four women's teams: Texas A&M volleyball, Georgia tennis, Youngstown State bowling, and Florida State soccer. Four teams, one event, bundled together. Make of that what you will.
The U.S. women's hockey team was invited to the State of the Union in February — via a call to the men's team, during which Trump joked he'd face impeachment if he didn't extend the invite. They declined, citing scheduling. Trump promised they'd visit eventually. The PWHL and NCAA hockey seasons have since ended. They haven't visited.
What this means beyond the politics
For Gotham, this is background noise on what should be a straight celebration. They made history in 2024 as the first NWSL team to visit the White House at all. Whether the 2025 version of that moment happens is, by the club's own framing, not worth speculating about.
The NWSL has genuine momentum right now — growing crowds, expanding media deals, increasingly competitive rosters. A White House snub doesn't derail any of that. But it does say something about which champions get the full treatment and which ones don't.
The White House has not responded to requests for comment.
