Ary Borges had her coming-out party for Brazil in the team’s 4-0 group-stage win against Panama.

In her World Cup debut, the 23-year-old showed no sign of hesitation, completing the first hat trick of the tournament and jumping into the lead of the Golden Boot race. But who is Borges? Just Women’s Sports has you covered.

Age: 23
Position: Forward/Attacking midfielder
Brazil debut: September 17, 2021 vs. Argentina
Total caps: 30

Who is Borges?

Borges is a 23-year-old forward and attacking midfielder with Brazil and Racing Louisville FC. Born in São Luís, Maranhão, she moved to São Paulo at age 10 with her family, where she played as one of three girls on the Santos FC youth team before switching to Centro Olímpico. With that club, she played on the girls’ U-15 team at just 11 years old, as there was not a U-13 option.

A decade later, she stars for club and country, and her life revolves around the game. In her downtime, she watches soccer and plays FIFA.

“There’s always soccer,” she told The Athletic in June. “I play soccer at work and then I go to soccer (after work). Soccer is life.”

Where does she play professionally?

She joined NWSL club Racing Louisville at the end of January and has one goal through 13 appearances. And that goal was a beauty, coming in just her second appearance for the club.

Before joining Racing Louisville, Borges played professionally in Brazil, most recently for Palmeiras from 2020-22. Through 87 appearances with the club, she scored 37 goals as a striker, while at Louisville she has taken on a role in the midfield. That adaptability helped her earn a call-up for the World Cup, where she is also playing in the midfield.

What does she bring to Brazil?

Since earning her first national team call-up in 2021, Borges has scored eight goals – including the three in Brazil’s 4-0 win against Panama.

The move to Racing Louisville has helped her on the international stage. Entering 2023, she had just four goals in two years. Since April, she has matched that total for Brazil, including the team’s lone goal against Germany in their friendly on April 11.

Borges brings versatility to the national team, with the ability to move and flow with the pace of the game. She excels in the midfield but can also contribute on the attack. And while this may be her first World Cup, she’s become comfortable with her role.

“If I say that I don’t think about it, I’d be lying,” she said upon making the World Cup roster. “It’s about a dream. It’s my dream to play and represent my country with the Seleção.”

And she knows her club play with Racing Louisville had a huge impact on Brazil coach Pia Sundhage’s decision to bring her to the World Cup.

“I’m very comfortable with what I’m doing,” Borges added. “I’ve been very comfortable with what I’ve been producing. But I can’t get there if I don’t work well here.”

What have players and coaches said about Borges?

Jaelin Howell, Racing Louisville midfielder: “Ary, I don’t think she gets enough credit for what she does in the middle. I can step out and press because I know that she’s behind me holding it down.”

Kim Björkegren, Racing Louisville head coach: “She is very talented, and already at 22 she has proven that she is an important player not only for Palmeiras but also in the Brazilian national team. She is a box-to-box midfielder. She can win the ball for your team but also finish and score goals.”

Marta, Brazil forward: “I’m very happy for her. Scoring three goals in a debut is not easy, she was blessed. She even gave an assist, so it’s almost four goals. I was honored to step into her shoes, I was even more relaxed.”

The Connecticut Sun is still on the chopping block, with reports surfacing Tuesday that the WNBA made a $250 million offer to buy the team in order to control its final landing place.

The Mohegan Tribe — the Sun's current owners — are reportedly still seeking clarity on the league's preferred relocation destination, after two prospective outside bids stalled in front of the Board of Governors.

Multiple offers remain on the table, including two $325 million bids from groups in Boston and nearby Hartford, Connecticut — as well as a plan to raise capital via minority investments rather than a full sale.

Recent reports point to the league's desire to control the Sun's fate while preserving certain markets for expansion, with the Mohegan Tribe under pressure to bend to the WNBA's interests.

The WNBA offer to buy the Connecticut Sun outright is reportedly part of a larger plan to flip the team to a different prospective ownership group without an additional relocation fee — and rumors say Houston is in the lead.

The Mohegan Tribe already turned down a low-ball bid out of Cleveland, with WNBA later awarding the Northeast Ohio city an expansion team for a $250 million fee.

NBA co-ownership was a clear priority during the league's most recent expansion, with officials now looking to force that strategy onto the Sun's future.

While the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx watch from above, the race for the No. 2 postseason seed is taking center stage, with teams like the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury eyeing 2025 WNBA Playoffs spots as the league nears the regular-season home stretch.

Big Tuesday wins helped boost the No. 2 New York Liberty and No. 5 Las Vegas Aces up the WNBA standings, while the Mercury refused to lose pace with a 98-91 victory over the No. 7 Golden State Valkyries.

"We're just continuing to try to build," Phoenix head coach Nate Tibbetts told reporters afterwards. "We're on the right step, but there's still work to be done."

Multiple talent-stacked teams are continuing to sharpen their form with the 2025 Playoffs looming, with only a half-game currently separating the New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream, Phoenix Mercury, and Las Vegas Aces on the WNBA table.

The Mercury have benefitted a healthy Big Three — Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally, and Kahleah Copper — with Copper leading Phoenix's five double-digit scorers by registering 25 points in Tuesday’s win.

"Our support staff has been great and our culture and my teammates have been great in helping me navigate through [early-season injuries] and just being able to get back out there," Copper said this week.

How to watch the Phoenix Mercury this week

The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury will have their work cut out for them on Thursday, when they'll visit Las Vegas to tip off against the surging No. 5 Aces and their eight-game winning streak at 10 PM ET.

Live coverage of the clash will air on Prime.

The No. 9 Sparks haven't given up the fight, with LA sitting just outside the 2025 WNBA playoff picture ahead of Wednesday night's clash with a No. 11 Dallas Wings side facing postseason elimination.

The Sparks have had an up-and-down season, arriving at a 16-18 record with six wins in their last 10 games.

"We control our destiny, so what do we do with it?" LA head coach Lynne Roberts said on Tuesday. "And I love that we're in that spot, but we'll see how competitive we are."

"Obviously we feel like there's some games that we should have and could have won at the beginning of the season early on, but [you] can't change the past," echoed Sparks forward Dearica Hamby. "We have good momentum right now still. We're still in good position to make the playoffs, so just take it a game at a time."

Meanwhile, Dallas will try to stave off joining the last-place Connecticut Sun in playoff elimination, though their draft lottery odds rise with every loss.

The Wings will be even more shorthanded on Wednesday after losing Li Yueru to a season-ending ACL sprain on Friday, with the center now joining star guard Arike Ogunbowale, who is suffering from knee tendinitis, on the sideline.

How to watch the Dallas Wings vs. LA Sparks on Wednesday

The No. 9 Sparks will host the No. 11 Wings at 10 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage airing on WNBA League Pass.

The No. 6 Indiana Fever are officially down another guard due to injury, with the team confirming Tuesday that Sophie Cunningham suffered a season-ending right MCL tear during the squad's Sunday matchup against the No. 13 Connecticut Sun.

"If you're going to hurt your knee, that is the best possible case," Cunningham explained on her podcast on Tuesday. "A couple more inches to the left, [I] would've torn a whole bunch more s—t. I'm very thankful for where I am at, so it's all good."

Cunningham posted an average of 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 46.9% from the field on the season for Indiana.

In response to losing the seven-season WNBA standout, Indiana signed veteran guard Shey Peddy to a seven-day hardship contract on Tuesday, one day after releasing previous hardship addition Kyra Lambert.

Cunningham became the third Fever guard sidelined with a season-ending injury in less than two weeks, after Indiana lost both Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald to an ACL tear and broken foot, respectively, in the same game on August 7th.

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The trio join superstar guard Caitlin Clark on the Fever's injured list, after the WNBA sophomore's lingering right groin issue has seen her on the bench since before the 2025 All-Star break.

That said, Clark has reportedly been participating in practice this week, ramping up her game fitness as she eyes a return to the 2025 WNBA court.