As the U.S. women’s national team prepares for the 2023 World Cup, Just Women’s Sports is taking a look at its opponents — including its three group-stage adversaries and its likely matchups in the knockout rounds.

Next up is a recent foe and potential opponent in the 2023 World Cup final: England.

Manager: Sarina Wiegman

Fans of women’s soccer know the name Sarina Wiegman. The 53-year-old joined the club from the Netherlands, where she had been head coach from 2016-21 after a long international career as a player. Since taking over as manager in September 2021, Wiegman has led the club to its first-ever Euros title — a year after also winning it with the Netherlands — and to victory over Brazil in the first-ever women’s Finalissima. The 2022 Best FIFA Women’s Coach’s first loss as England coach came just this year, a 2-0 defeat in a friendly against Australia.

Key player: Mary Earps

England has a multitude of offensive and defensive weapons, but perhaps no player is more important than goalkeeper Mary Earps. The 30-year-old Manchester United keeper is the glue that holds the Lionesses together as they look to win their first-ever World Cup. Earps is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, becoming the first to reach 50 clean sheets in the WSL in May, and England will rely on her all tournament.

World Cup history

England has advanced to the knockout stage of every World Cup they’ve played in, including three quarterfinals appearances in 1995, 2007 and 2007 and a third-place finish in 2015. The Lionesses followed that up with a fourth-place finish in 2019 after the USWNT knocked them out of the semifinals, 2-1. England then lost to Sweden 2-1 in the third-place match.

Group stage schedule

England will play in Group D alongside Denmark, China and Haiti. Take a look at the schedule below, or check out the full World Cup schedule.

• Saturday, July 22 – 5:30 a.m. (FOX)
  • England vs. Haiti
• Friday, July 28 – 4:30 a.m. (FS1)
  • England vs. Denmark
• Tuesday, Aug. 1 – 7 a.m. (FOX)
  • England vs. China

Keys to beat the USWNT

This England squad looks vastly different from the one that won Euros a year ago and beat the USWNT 2-1 in a friendly at Wembley last October. Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby are all out with injuries sustained in the last year, with Williamson perhaps the team’s biggest loss.

Despite the injuries, England is considered one of the favorites to win the World Cup title. And based on the bracket, if the USWNT is to meet England in the tournament, it will be in the final.

This is a team full of stars who have come into their own since winning the Euros title last year. Ella Toone and Georgia Stanway are dangerous midfielders, while Rachel Daly, Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly provide England with a well-balanced attack up front. The team is anchored by Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright and Lotte Wubben-Moy on the backline and in front of Earps.

England has struggled to find its footing of late, taking a 2-0 loss to Australia and 0-0 draw with Portugal into the World Cup as their latest results. To beat the USWNT once again, they’ll look to follow a similar playbook as their win in October: strike early and attack often. They’ll also need to contain Sophia Smith, who had the USWNT’s lone goal in that game. The speed of the USWNT’s other attackers — Trinity Rodman, Lynn Williams and Alex Morgan — could also pose problems for England.

But if England can get rolling early, they’ll put the USWNT into a vulnerable position they don’t often find themselves in, needing to respond rather than attack.

Nike is sending Team USA to Italy in style, with the sportswear giant's ACG (All Conditions Gear) brand releasing the designs for a special 2026 Winter Olympics collection this week.

Branded with Nike ACG badges alongside Team USA patches, this year's collection builds off a traditional red, white, and navy color scheme to outfit the country's Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as fans, ahead of the 2026 Games' February 6th opening ceremony in Milan.

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The designs include a long-sleeved T-shirt displaying an animated, winter sports-bound bald eagle and a zipped fleece sherpa and Therma-Fit skirt, both emblazoned with a bald eagle soaring over mountains.

Additionally, the collection boasts multiple T-shirts, long-sleeved sweat-wicking shirts, Polartec® jackets, and accessories including a baseball cap and winter beanie.

Nike is just one of many major brands outfitting Team USA for this year's competition, with the athletic corporation joining J.Crew in inviting fans to gear up for the Games after the fashion retailer dropped its own Winter Olympics capsule collection earlier this month.

How to purchase items from the Nike ACG x Team USA collection

The Nike ACG x Team USA line will hit shelves on Friday, January 23rd, with fans able to snag pieces prior to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The collection will be available for purchase via nike.com.

Stars of the 2025 Euro stole the EA FC 26 spotlight this week, as the video game giant's fan-voted 2026 Team of the Year recognized some of international soccer's top achievers on Thursday.

Champions England fielded four honorees as forward Alessia Russo joined a trio of Lioness defenders — Leah Williamson, Millie Bright, and Team of the Year captain Lucy Bronze — on the 11-player list.

"Being named the first-ever Women's EA Sports FC TOTY Captain is an honour," Bronze said in a statement. "2025 was an amazing year — winning the Euros again and picking up my first BWSL with Chelsea — so much of that success is thanks to our fans, and it's great to see them recognize my efforts with this award."

The rest of the EA FC 26 Team of the Year also favored European titans, as Euro runners-up and Nations League winners Spain also saw a quartet of players make the roster. La Roja fully owned the Team of Year midfield as stars Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, and Alexia Putellas joined forward Clàudia Pina on Thursday's lineup.

Rounding out the squad were three other European club standouts as EA FC 26 also tapped Chliean goalkeeper Christiane Endler (OL Lyonnes), French defender Selma Bacha (OL Lyonnes), and Polish forward Ewa Pajor (FC Barcelona).

The first Grand Slam of 2026 has arrived, as the main draw of the Australian Open hits the court on Saturday evening, promising some early-round fireworks.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka enters as the tournament favorite, though the rest of the WTA Top 10 promises to give her a run for her money — as No. 2 Iga Świątek chases the only major tournament title still eluding her.

Meanwhile, No. 9 Madison Keys will attempt to defend her 2025 crown, as fellow US products No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 6 Jessica Pegula also locked down top seeds.

Another US superstar will return this weekend, with 45-year-old Venus Williams following up her impressive 2025 performances by accepting a wild-card entry to her first Australian Open in five years.

"Even though I've been on tour for a long time, this is also still my first experience as [reigning champion]," Keys said. "I'm really just trying to soak in all of the really cool fun parts."

How to watch the 2026 Australian Open

The 2026 Australian Open begins at 7 PM ET on Saturday, with Williams as well as top-seed Sabalenka and world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini set to face their first opponents on the first day of the Slam's main draw.

The second day of first-round matches will see the rest of the WTA elite in action, as No. 2 Świątek, No. 3 Gauff, No. 4 Anisimova, No. 6 Pegula, and No. 9 Keys — as well as No. 5 Elena Rybakina, No. 8 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 10 Belinda Bencic — will hit the hardcourt in Melbourne starting at 7 PM ET on Sunday.

All matches in the 2026 Australian Open — from the first round through the women's final on Saturday, January 31st — will air live across ESPN platforms.

Monday's NCAA basketball action will put two of the nation's top guards to the test, as No. 10 TCU faces No. 14 Ohio State in Newark, New Jersey's Coretta Scott King Classic — part of a stacked MLK Day slate.

Buckeye sophomore Jaloni Cambridge is on a tear in this season, averaging 21.8 points per game — good for No. 10 in the country — and tallying 102 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists across Ohio State's last three games.

At the same time, TCU has seen similar stylings from Notre Dame transfer Olivia Miles, with the senior putting up a career-high 19.2 points per game while sitting at No. 9 in the nation behind her 7.3 assists average for the Horned Frogs.

Even more, Miles is lapping her collegiate cohort in triple doubles on the season, posting four of the elite stat-sheet performances while all other NCAA players have a maximum of one.

Both teams are meeting expectations head-on this season, impressing following 2025 NCAA tournament exits that spurred significant offseason roster changes.

Ohio State star forward Cotie McMahon transferred to Ole Miss after the Buckeyes' second-round ousting, while TCU graduated standout starting guard Hailey Van Lith and center Sedona Prince.

With Miles and Cambridge leading the charge, however, both squads are flourishing: TCU faltered just once in their 2025/26 campaign so far — a January 3rd overtime loss to unranked Utah — while Ohio State's two season losses came at the hands of titans No. 1 UConn and No. 3 UCLA.

"Ultimately, [TCU forward] Marta [Suarez] and Miles are two of the best players in college basketball," Horned Frogs head coach Mark Campbell said after Sunday's win over Arizona State. "But for our team to reach our full potential, we need these other players to show great growth. And I think we have."

How to watch TCU vs. Ohio State basketball on Monday

The No. 10 Horned Frogs will take on the No. 14 Buckeyes at 12 PM ET on Monday, airing live on FOX.