9 times lesbian & sapphic athletes kissed or celebrated with their girlfriends on the sideline

The sapphics are taking over women’s sports, and we love to see it!

There are more LGBTQ+ players than ever in the WNBA, the 2025 Rugby World Cup was full of lesbian couples playing together or even against each other, and women’s soccer has long been a bastion of sapphic love.

And these couples know how to support each other. This is why female athletes keep making headlines and going viral for kissing or hugging their girlfriends on the sidelines after big wins.

Megan Rapinoe

After soccer legend Megan Rapinoe won her second World Cup for the U.S. she celebrated the hard-eared victory by finding her basketball GOAT girlfriend Sue Bird on the sidelines and kissing her her. The two woman shared a kiss on the sidelines again when after Bird won a gold medal at the 2021 Olympics.

Kelley O’Hara

After the U.S. team won the Women’s World Cup in 2019, soccer star Kelley O’Hara came out publicly when she kissed her now-fiancée Kameryn Stanhouse in the stands to celebrate.

Alice Bellandi

Taking home Olympic gold medal means you need to celebrate big and that’s exactly what Italian Judo star Alice Bellandi did at the Paris Olympics when she kissed her girlfriend Jasmine Martin on International TV after winning her match.

Perris Benegas

Mikaela Herres spent the Paris Olympics cheering on her BMX star girlfriend Perris Benegas. The two went viral when their congratulatory kiss after Benegas snagged a silver medal was photographed.

Megan Jones

When Red Roses star Megan Jones won the Women’s Rugby World Cup, her rugby star girlfriend Celia Quansah was in the stands to hug her while she cried happy tears.

Abby Wambach

Soccer stars Abby Wambach and Sarah Huffman were the subject of an iconic photo after the two kissed when Wambach won the World Cup title in 2015. The photo shows Huffman bending down from the stands to plant a kiss on her wife.

Magdalena Eriksson

Swedish soccer star Magda Eriksson found her partner and fellow soccer player, Pernille Harder, in the crowd after she helped defeat Canada at the Women’s World Cup to give her a sweet kiss. Little did the pair know that the kiss they shared would go viral after photos made their way onto social media.

NaLyssa Smith

Las Vegas Aces star player NaLyssa Smith took home her first WNBA Championship in 2025, and her girlfriend Minnesota Lynx guard DiJonai Carrington was waiting on the sidelines to congratulate her. At the end of the Aces triumphant 97-86 victory over the Phoenix Mercury, Smith found Carrington and gave her a giant hug and kiss.

Jewell Loyd

After winning the 2025 WNBA Championship with the Las Vegas Aces, Jewell Loyd celebrated with her girlfriend, Natalie Marshall, by posting a series of cute photos on Instagram. The post features pictures of Loyd in her championship T-shirt, while Marshall wore Loyd’s jersey as the couple posed with the championship trophy.