41 lesbian sports power couples who are winning at life and love

From left: lesbian sports power couples Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird; DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith; Lena Oberdorf and Natalia Padilla-Bidas.

Sports fans are all too familiar with fierce team rivalries and player feuds, but when it comes to sapphic athletes, love is in the air!

From married soccer greats to hockey players in love to more than a dozen rugby couples to WNBA stars who play for the same team, there are lesbian power couples on the ice, court, and field who have found love with a fellow athlete.

These lesbian power couples are proving that it’s possible to be a fierce competitor and find time for love!

Lena Oberdorf and Natalia Padilla-Bidas

German soccer stars Lena Oberdorf and Natalia Padilla-Bidas play together on FC Bayern Munich, where they have been a winning combination on the pitch, but now they’ve taken their relationship to a whole new level. Soccer's newest power couple hard-launched their relationship on social media in September 2025 by posting matching Instagram stories of them holding hands.

Natasha Cloud and Isabelle Harrison

Natasha Cloud and Isabelle Harrison are not only partners in life but on the basketball court as well. After keeping their love story a secret, Cloud finally hard-launched their relationship earlier this year on The Pivot Podcast, where she called it “the most beautiful, most calming, sound thing to my career, to my life.” Now, the pair not only play on the New York Liberty together, but they also share their adorable relationship with fans on Instagram and TikTok.

Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird

Megan Rapinoe #15 of OL Reign holds hands with Sue Bird after losing to NJ/NY Gotham FC in the 2023 NWSL Championship game at Snapdragon Stadium on November 11, 2023 in San Diego, California.

When it comes to professional athlete power couples, there is no question that Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird would be at the top. Rapinoe played for various teams, including the U.S. Women's National Team, and is one of the most decorated players in the sport. Bird boasted a stellar career in the WNBA, playing for the Seattle Storm, as well as for Team USA in five consecutive Olympics. The two have been dating since 2017, were engaged in 2020, and post-retirement from professional sports, the duo hosts the podcast A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe together.

Allie Quigley and Courtney Vindersloot

Courtney Vandersloot (L) #22 and Allie Quigley #14 of the Chicago Sky warm up before a game against the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena on August 11, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Allie Quigley and Courtney Vindersloot are the ultimate WNBA power couple on and off the court. The two got married in 2018 while both women were playing for the Chicago Sky, and then wowed everyone when they became the first married couple to win a professional sports championship together after taking home the trophy for the WNBA Championship in 2021.

Vandersloot is a five-time WNBA All-Star and two-time WNBA champion who just returned to play for the Sky after leaving to join the New York Liberty, where she helped the team win the WNBA Championship in 2024. Quigley, who was named the WNBA All-Star in 2017, 2018, and 2019, played for the Sky until 2023, when she announced she’d be sitting out the season but didn’t officially retire.

The couple welcomed their first child earlier this year, a daughter they named Jana Christine Vandersloot Quigley.

Kristie Mewis and Sam Kerr

Chelsea's Sam Kerr (left) poses with girlfriend Gotham FC's Kristie Mewis after victory in the Vitality Women's FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, London. Picture date: Sunday May 15, 2022.

Soccer love birds Kristie Mewis, who plays for West Ham United, and Sam Kerr, who plays for Chelsea, met in 2020 and made their relationship Instagram official after a hug between them was caught on film at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and went viral, setting off speculation by fans. The pair got engaged in 2023, announced in November 2024 that they were expecting a baby together, and then shared a photo of the two of them with their son when he was born in May 2025.

Kahleah Copper and Binta Daisy Drammeh

Kahleah Copper, a four-time WNBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist, is engaged to Binta Daisy Drammeh, a player on Sweden's national basketball team. The couple shared incredible photos of the moment Copper popped the question. We love their love so much!

Helen Richardson-Walsh and Kate Richardson-Walsh

Former Great Britain hockey captain Kate Richardson-Walsh (R) and her wife Helen pose at Buckingham Palace in London after the investiture ceremony where they received an OBE and MBE respectively on February 17, 2017.

British hockey players Helen Richardson-Walsh and Kate Richardson-Walsh aren’t just winners; they’re winners together! Helen and Kate became they were the first same-sex married couple to ever win an Olympic gold medal when Team Great Britain won at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Both women have since retired from the sport but have been using their fame to speak out publicly against anti-trans sports bills and JK Rowling’s anti-trans views.

Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead

English football players Beth Mead and Viviane Miedema pose for photos during the Green Carpet Arrivals prior The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 on February 27, 2023 in Paris, France.

Pro soccer players Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead started dating back in 2022 and played for Arsenal together before Miedema moved on to Manchester. Miedema left Arsenal after dealing with panic attacks and anxiety, and while Mead is supportive of her exit, she hopes they won’t have to play against each other in the future.

“Obviously, she wanted something new, she wanted a new challenge, and I wish her the best—just not when she’s playing against Arsenal,” Mead told OneFootball.

Anya Packer and Madison Packer

Anya Packer, Madison Packer at iHeartRadio Z100's Jingle Ball 2024 at Madison Square Garden on December 13, 2024 in New York, New York.

Hockey stars Anya Packer and Madison Packer aren’t just making headlines together on the ice, but behind the microphone as well! Madison retired in 2024 after playing with the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s New York Sirens, and Anya played for the Connecticut Whale before retiring to give birth to the couple’s two children before becoming the general manager for the Metropolitan Riveters and executive director of the Players Association. Now, the two moms are working together as hosts of their podcast, These Packs Puck, where they talk about the trials and tribulations of parenthood.

Julie Chu and Caroline Ouellette

Married retired hockey greats Julie Chu and Caroline Ouellette have moved off the ice and onto coaching as a duo. The two lovebirds, who share children Liv and Tessa, both had successful pro hockey careers before retiring; in fact, Ouellette was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2023. During their time on the ice, Ouellette won six gold medals at the IIHF Women’s World Championships and four Clarkson Cups, and Chu was a four-time Olympian with Team USA, Out Sports reports.

Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner

DeWanna Bonner #24 of the Connecticut Sun and Alyssa Thomas #25 of the Connecticut Sun walk the orange carpet prior to the Welcome Reception at RPM Seafood restaurant during the 2022 WNBA All-Star Weekend on July 8, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois.

WNBA stars Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner are teammates once again! After moving to the Indiana Fever, Thomas is headed back to the Phoenix Mercury. They previously both played for the Connecticut Sun and are such huge basketball lovers that they even got engaged during WNBA All-Star Weekend in 2023. Now, that’s what we call teamwork!

DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith

Indiana Fever forward NaLyssa Smith and Connecticut Sun guard/forward DiJonai Carrington pose for a photo following Game 2 of the first round of the WNBA Playoffs between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun on September 25, 2024.

Couple DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith are still going strong despite a heartbreaking trade that saw Smith traded to the Las Vegas Aces after the two were set to play together on the Dallas Wings for the 2025 season. The basketball dream couple are college sweethearts who started dating when they both played together at Baylor University.

Diamante and Kiera Hogan

All Elite Wrestling power couple Diamante and Kiera Hogan first went public with their relationship back in 2019, just weeks after Hogan first came out. The couple has been dating ever since and are now two of the hottest queer stars in the ring!

Christen Press and Tobin Heath

Christen Press and Tobin Heath attend RE-INC Women's World Cup Watch Party at Chief Clubhouse on July 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Olympic soccer stars Christen Press and Tobin Heath dated in private for close to a decade before finally making their relationship public during an interview at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The cleat-wearing power couple is clearly a success story on and off the pitch since they earned a bronze for Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and were also part of the 2015 and 2019 World Cup-winning teams together.

Anna Petrakova and Candace Parker

Anna Petrakova and host Candace Parker attend Candace Parker’s Ace All-Star Party, presented by adidas and Meta at Cindy’s Rooftop on June 9, 2022 in Illinois.

Former basketball players Anna Petrakova and Candace Parker not only found success on the court but have also built a loving family together. The two were married back in 2019 and now share three children. Parker, nicknamed “Ace,” is regarded as one of the best WNBA Players, making history as the first woman to commentate for the NBA ever, and is now the president of Adidas women’s basketball. Petrakova is a former Russian basketball player and four-time Olympian who met Parker when they were playing together for UMMC Ekaterinburg and shared their first kiss after practice, People reports.

Breanna Stewart and Marta Xargay Casademont

Marta Xargay and Breanna Stewart attend "A Celebration of Olympic Basketball" presented by NBC Universal and NBA at Team USA House, Palais Brongniart on August 05, 2024 in Paris, France.

Breanna Stewart and Marta Xargay Casademont are another WNBA power couple we can’t get enough of! Stewart is a New York Liberty player who married retired Spanish basketball player Xargay Casademont back in 2021 after speed running their relationship. The couple met while they were both playing for a Russian professional women’s basketball before getting engaged, married, and welcoming the first of their two children, all within a few months. Sometimes when you know, you know!

Marta and Carrie Lawrence

Soccer GOAT Marta, who played in six consecutive Olympics and is the leading scorer in the history of both men’s and women’s World Cups, is now just as successful in her personal life after getting engaged to Orlando Pride teammate Carrie Lawrence in 2024, after the soccer sweethearts started dating in 2022.

Marie-Philip Puolin and Laura Stacey

Marie-Philip Poulin #29 and Laura Stacey #7 of Team Canada celebrate during the medal ceremony after the Women's Ice Hockey Gold Medal match between Team Canada and Team United States on Day 13 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Wukesong Sports Centre on February 17, 2022 in Beijing, China.

Marie-Philip Puolin and Laura Stacey make amazing teammates on and off the ice. The pair play together for the PWHL’s Montreal Victoire and became a rallying cry for inclusion after they were married in 2024. They’ve been playing together since 2017 and have racked up an impressive record, taking home gold medals at the Olympics and World Championships as teammates.

Tziarra King and Jess Fishlock

Soccer dream couple Tziarra King and Jess Fishlock tied the knot back in 2023. King has been racking up goals since she was in high school before moving on to pro soccer, where she played on the Seattle Reign alongside Fishlock before hanging up her cleats in 2024. Fishlock is still kicking butt on the pitch, where she has played 11 seasons for the Reign and is also the Wales national team’s all-time scorer.

Emma Greco and Michela Cava

Hockey players Emma Greco and Michela Cava met while playing together on the Premier Hockey Federation’s Toronto Six, and then were both brought on to Minnesota’s PWHL team. Now the couple is engaged and, for the first time, are having to play on different teams after Greco signed with the Boston Fleet and Cava remained with Minnesota. Luckily, the couple has managed to stay happily together and has yet to face off against each other, The Hockey News reports.

Meghan Duggan and Gillian Apps

Sometimes rivalry breeds attraction! Romeo and Juliet might have ended in tragedy, but Meghan Duggan and Gillian Apps have found love despite once being on opposing teams. The now-retired pro hockey players and former hockey rivals walked down the aisle together in 2018 and now have three beautiful children together.

Daria Kasatkina and Natalia Zabiiako

Aussie tennis star Daria Kasatkina and former Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako found a forever teammate in one another. The couple announced they were engaged on June 7, 2025, with a photo of the two of them holding hands and showing off a diamond ring. The couple shares their lives with fans on thier YouTube channel “What the Vlog”.

Maddy Westbeld and Olivia Miles

Women's basketball fans were over the moon when Olivia Miles and Maddy Westbeld finally confirmed thier long-rumored romance. Miles is a point guard for the TCU Horned Frogs, and Westbeld is enjoying her rookie year on the Chicago Sky. The two previously played together for Notre Dame and are now proud cat moms to their adorable cat Bean Miles-Westbeld.

Paige Bueckers & Azzi Fudd

Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers are seen at 'Good Morning America' on April 16, 2025 in New York City.

Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd were your classic rivals, to bestie, to girlfriends story. The two met in high school when they were trying out for the USA National Team. They both made the team, and when it was time for college, they made sure they went together to UConn. In 2024, the two attended the WNBA Draft, while Fudd decided not to enter the 2025 draft and is returning to UConn for a fifth season, Bueckers was the first overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings. Fudd. Many saw the Draft as their soft launch; since then, they have made it clearer, posting "princess" videos and Fudd hard launching via her phone case.

Nina Jobst-Smith & Ashton Bell

Nina Jobst-Smith and Ashton Bell are the newest women's hockey power couple. After previously playing together for the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, first Bell — who also won gold along with the Canadian women's hockey team at the Beijing 2022 Olympics — was drafted into the PWHL in Ottawa Charge in the inaugural 2023 PWHL Draft, and then again selected first overall in PWHL expansion draft by Vancouver in 2025. Now Jobst-Smith has joined her, having also been drafted by Vancouver. While the two are fairly private about their romance, Jobst-Smith did share a sweet birthday post celebrating their love. "Happy birthday to the girl who puts a smile on my face every single day. I love you," she wrote in the caption.

Martina Sablikova & Niky Zdráhalová

Olympic speedskater Martina Sablikova both came out and hard launched her relationship with fellow Czech Olympian Niky Zdráhalová in a single post on Instagram. Talk about a power move. “So here it is, straight from me: Niky Zdráhalová and I are a couple. She’s been my rock, we’re happy, and we’ve been sharing a beautiful life together for over 12 years. Spread love!” she wrote in the post. Sablikova earned two gold medals at the 2010 Winter Olympics and one gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. She also won silver in 2014 and 2018 and bronze medals in 2010 and 2022. While Zdráhalová did not medal at the Olympics, she participated in the 2018 and 2022 games.

Tierra Ruffin-Prat & Victoria Vivians

Retired Washington Mystics star Tierra Ruffins-Prarr married her WNBA sweetheart, Victoria Vivians, after getting engaged in 2021. Vivans played in the WNBA for six years before retiring to serve as the assistant coach for her alma mater, the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Mikaela Dombkins & Leilani Mitchell

Australian basketball stars Mikaela Dombkins and Leilani Mitchell share two children together, son Kash and daughter Elle. Mitchell is a dual U.S. and Australian citizen, so she played for the Phoenix Mercury back in 208, but now plays for the WNBL. Team the Southside Fliers in Australia. Dombkins played pro ball in Australia for 11 years before retiring to coach the WNBL’s Bendigo Spirit.

Charli Jacoby and Lori Cramer

About 18 months ago, rugby greats Charli Jacoby and Lori Cramer started dating after having met playing the sport they both love. They normally play together on the Exeter Chiefs, but are currently battling it on the pitch playing for opposing teams at the Women’s Rugby World Cup, where Jacoby is playing for the U.S. and Cramer is competing for Australia.

Julia Schell and Rachel Malcom

Rugby stars Julia Schell and Rachel Malcom have been in a long-term relationship for the past year and a half. The pair started dating while playing together on the Exeter Chiefs (does Cupid also play on this team?!), but are in the middle of a fierce competition, playing for opposing teams in the Rugby World Cup.

Kelsey Jones and Sarah Beckett

Kelsey Jones and her partner, Sarah Beckett, may be dating, but that doesn’t mean they won’t compete against each other just as passionately, and they love each other. They usually play together for Gloucester-Hartpury, but at the 2025 Six Nations Championship, the two rugby champs competed against each other on rival teams.

Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald

Lovebirds Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald got married in May 2025 on the Greek Island of Rhodes. After getting married, the two women hyphenated their last names so that when they played against each other in the Rugby World Cup, both of their uniforms had the same last name. When they aren’t going head-to-head on opposing teams, they are playing together for the Exeter Chiefs.

Alev Kelter and Kathryn Treder

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Alev Kelter not only took home a Bronze medal, but she also proposed to her girlfriend, Kathryn Treder. The two rugby stars are joined at the hip in life and on the pitch. They are both representing the U.S. at the 2025 Rugby World Cup and are set to play together in the inaugural season of Elite Women’s Rugby for the Bay Breakers

Marlie Packer and Rosie Galligan

English rugby players Marlie Packer and Rosie Galligan got engaged in 2025 in a beautiful lakeside proposal that the happy couple shared on Instagram. But Packer and Gilligan aren’t just partners in life, they are also competing together for England in the Rugby World Cup and are teammates on the Saracens.

Mckenzie Carson and Sarah Bern

Rugby couple Mckenzie Carson and Sarah Bern are known as fierce competitors on the field when their opposing teams face off — Carson plays for Gloucester-Hartpury and Bern is a star on the Bristol Bears — and lovers off the pitch. Most of the time, Carson and Bern play on different teams, but at this year’s Rugby World Cu,p they’ve gotten the opportunity to see what it’s like to be teammates while competing for England’s Red Roses.

Holly Aitchison and Hannah Botterman

Holly Aitchison and Hannah Botterman

College sweethearts Holly Aitchison and Hannah Botterman first bonded over their love of rugby while playing for Hartpury College together. Now, a decade later, their love story is making headlines alongside their athletic accomplishments. The couple is currently playing together in the Rugby World Cup, where they are representing England, but soon they’ll be playing on rival teams since Botterman plays for the Bristol Bears and Aitchison is joining the Sale Sharks ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Dannah O’Brien and Katie Whalen

Star player Dannah O’Brien has been competing for Ireland in the Rugby World Cup without her significant other, but she normally plays alongside her partner Katie Whalen for Leinster.

Giordana Duca and Michela Sillari

Italian player Giordana Duca is in a relationship with her teammate Michela Sillari. The couple make great teammates in life and on the pitch, play together in the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup, competing on the same team in the Six Nations Championship, and battling it out side-by-side at the 2025 World Cup games.

Leia Brebner-Holden and Elis Martin

Teammates Leia Brebner-Holden and Elis Martin play together for Loughborough Lightning and at the 2025 Rugby World Cup, but they used to be rivals when Brebner-Holden was playing for Gloucester-Hartpury and Martin was competing for Loughborough Lightning without her.

Jasmine Joyce-Butchers and Alisha Joyce-Butchers

Welsh rugby players Jasmine Joyce-Butchers and Alisha Joyce-Butchers got married in 2023, and at the beginning of 2025, they started their IVF journey. Now, the happy couple, who play together for the Bristol Bears, is expecting their first child in November.

Kayleigh Powell and Lucy Burgess

Not only are rugby stars Kayleigh Powell and Lucy Burgess dating, but they used to both play for the Bristol Bears, and now they’re competing together for the Harlequins.