San Diego Rebellion 2026 Season Preview: A Championship Window Wide Open

Head Coach: Knengi Martin

Home Stadium: Chick Embrey Field at Escondido High

League: Women's National Football Conference

Division: Pacific

Official Website: SanDiegoRebellion.com

The San Diego Rebellion are entering their eighth season of football (7th in the WNFC) in 2026, and the standard has never been higher. After a 7-1 campaign in 2025 that ended with a 36-0 loss to the eventual IX Cup champion Texas Elite Spartans in the Western Conference Final—the Rebellion return with a clear mission: finish the job.

By the Numbers: 2025 in Review

Points Per Game: 29.2 (2nd)

Points Allowed Per Game: 6.8 (2nd)

Rushing Yards Per Game: 224.2 (1st)

Passing Yards Per Game: 32.2 (17th)

The backfield was a two-headed monster in 2025. Kesz Wesley piled up 482 rushing yards (8.3 YPC) with 8 touchdowns, while Regina Escoto Macias added 448 yards (6.8 YPC) and 6 scores. The pair combined to form the most productive rushing tandem in the league.

Defensively, the Rebellion were equally relentless. Linebacker Brittani Lusain racked up 46 tackles (8 for loss), forced fumbles, and intercepted two passes . Fellow linebacker Katie Claxton added 45 tackles (10 for loss), a forced fumble, and a 47-yard pick-six that iced a 44-3 blowout of Seattle . Up front, Alena Kuzmova led the pass rush with 4.5 sacks.

Quarterback Daniella Trainor missed time in 2025, forcing Alia Karmali into action. Karmali responded admirably, throwing for 97 yards and adding 89 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. When healthy, Trainor is a dual-threat who gives the offense another dimension. Her return to full strength is the X-factor for 2026.

The 2026 Schedule: New Faces, Familiar Foes

March 28: @ Golden State Storm (Oakland, CA)

April 4: vs. Los Angeles Legends

April 11: @ Las Vegas Silver Stars

April 28: vs. Golden State Storm

May 2: @ Kansas City Glory

May 16: vs. Utah Falconz

Week 1 (March 28) @ Golden State Storm: The season opens with a historic matchup against the league's newest franchise. The Golden State Storm, based in Oakland, will play their inaugural game at Laney Field, and the Rebellion will be the ones welcoming them to the WNFC . For San Diego, it's a chance to spoil the party and set an early tone.

Week 2 (April 4) vs. Los Angeles Legends: The Rebellion's home opener is a Pacific Division rivalry game against the Los Angeles Legends. San Diego has never lost to LA, holding a commanding 6-0 all-time series lead that includes a shutout and a playoff win in 2025 . Expect the Legends to arrive hungry to snap that streak.

Week 3 (April 11) @ Las Vegas Silver Stars: Another opponent the Rebellion have never lost to. San Diego is 7-0 all-time against the Silver Stars . Las Vegas will be looking for their first win in this series, but history suggests the Rebellion travel well.

Week 5 (April 28) vs. Golden State Storm: The Storm come to Escondido for the rematch. By Week 5, Golden State will have four games under their belt. The Rebellion will look to complete the season sweep.

Week 6 (May 2) @ Kansas City Glory: This is the headline game of the regular season. The Rebellion travel to the Midwest to face the Kansas City Glory, a perennial playoff contender from the Northwest Division. It's the first-ever meeting between the two programs, and with playoff seeding implications, this one will feel like a postseason preview.

Week 8 (May 16) vs. Utah Falconz: The regular season finale brings the Utah Falconz to San Diego. The Rebellion opened the 2025 season with a 40-6 win over Utah, and they hold a 4-3 edge in the all-time series. A win here would send the Rebellion into the playoffs with momentum.

2026 Outlook

The biggest news for the Rebellion offense in 2026 is the return of Melina Malaxos at running back. The Swedish standout missed the entire 2025 season after suffering a torn ACL. In 2024, Malaxos was nothing short of dominant, rushing for 488 yards and 3 touchdowns while averaging over 7.0 yards per carry. Her return gives San Diego a proven workhorse back who ranked second in the WNFC in rushing that season.

Kesz Wesley returns after a solid 2025 campaign. Wesley was explosive last year, piling up 482 rushing yards (8.3 YPC) with 8 touchdowns. She now forms a productive one-two punch with Malaxos. The two combined for 600 rushing yards in 2024.

The offensive line remains a fortress. Returning starter Ronnika Burks joins All-WNFC center Tanya Luna and Johanna Aspenberg, the 2024 Trench Player of the Year, to anchor a physical front that will create holes for one of the top rushing attacks in the league.

Defensively, the Rebellion return their entire core. Linebacker Brittani Lusain racked up 46 tackles (8 for loss) with 2 interceptions in 2025. Katie Claxton, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, added 45 tackles (10 for loss) and a 47-yard pick-six that iced a 44-3 blowout of Seattle. Knengi Martin, Elisa Nguyen, Kim Cade-Henry, and the return of Cachrelle Nguyen adds more talent and veteran presence to an already stacked group. Up front, Sabrina Kessler and Monica Johnson returns with Alena Kuzmova, who led the pass rush with 4.5 sacks last year.

Quarterback Danny Trainor returns for her third season in San Diego. When healthy, she is a dual-threat who keeps defenses honest with her legs. Trainor accounted for 12 touchdowns (5 rushing, 7 passing) in 2024 and had a solid 2025 before the injury that cut her season short. She will look to build chemistry with a receiving corps that includes speedy veteran Nisha Taylor, who is also a standout cornerback and kick returner.

The Rebellion have one of the most proven formulas in the WNFC: run the ball, stop the run, control the clock. With Malaxos and Wesley forming a devastating backfield tandem, a defense that allowed just 6.8 points per game in 2025, and a favorable schedule, San Diego is poised for another run to the Conference Championship.

This Saturday's matchup against Golden State is a potential trap—an expansion team loaded with veteran talent with nothing to lose playing their first game in franchise history. But if the Rebellion handle business early, the path to a division title and another shot at the IX Cup is clear.

Season Opener: March 28 @ Golden State Storm (Laney College, Oakland, CA)

Home Opener: April 4 vs. Los Angeles Legends (Escondido High School)