The WNBA is nearing a deal to bring an expansion franchise to the Bay Area, according to multiple reports.

The league is in discussions with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, and an announcement could come as early as October, The Athletic and ESPN reported Tuesday night. The new team would play its home games at the Chase Center in San Francisco, which also serves as the home for the Warriors, but would be headquartered in Oakland.

“We have had productive conversations with the WNBA and look forward to the possibility of being a part of the league’s expansion plans. However, it would be premature to assume any potential agreement has been finalized,” the Warriors said in a statement to The Athletic.

The news of the Bay Area getting a WNBA team should not come as a surprise. For the last year, the city has been a top candidate for expansion.

Oakland had been among a number of cities to express interest in an expansion team, and even had multiple ownership groups in play. While the WNBA is negotiating with the Warriors, a second group — African American Sports and Entertainment Group, led by former WNBA star Alana Beard — had petitioned Oakland for rights to purchase the Coliseum complex with an eye toward an expansion franchise.

Retired WNBA star Sue Bird also threw her support behind the Bay Area, saying last year that she would pick San Francisco as a top candidate for expansion.

“I would pick the Bay Area, San Francisco probably. I think Portland would be a good one. I hear rumors and whispers of Toronto being interested, and I actually hear great things about that city,” Bird said on Just Women’s Sports‘ “The Players’ Pod” last May.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert also has maintained that the Bay Area is a “top candidate” for expansion.

Back in February, Engelbert said expansion was “two to four years” out. In May, she revealed that the league had narrowed its list to 20 cities in consideration for two expansion teams. The WNBA has 12 teams, and the Bay Area team would be No. 13.

Chelsea FC are vying for a bit of UWCL revenge this week, as the perennial Champions League contenders take on 2024/25 finalists Barcelona in the 2025/26 campaign's league-phase slate on Thursday.

Last season's runners-up have ousted Chelsea in the Champions League semifinals two years in a row, with Barcelona going on to win three of the last five tournament titles.

Unfortunately for the Blues, Barcelona have never lost at Chelsea FC's Stamford Bridge home pitch — and they're one of just three 2025/26 Champions League clubs to maintain a winning record so far this season.

Chelsea won't be the only WSL titan to host a Spanish side this week, as reigning UWCL champs Arsenal look to bounce back from a frustrating 1-2 league-phase start against Real Madrid on Wednesday.

"I think it's easier to get to the top than staying at the top," Arsenal coach Renée Slegers said of her team's losing run. "We have high expectations on ourselves because we know what we're capable of. At the same time, I know that the squad is really good at being in the moment, taking it game to game, and preparing as well as possible to be able to execute."

How to watch Arsenal, Chelsea in 2025/26 Champions League play this week

In their fourth of six total league-phase matches, Arsenal will kick off against Real Madrid at 3 PM ET on Wednesday before Chelsea hosts Barcelona at the same time on Thursday.

All 2025/26 Champions League matches air live on Paramount+.

The WNBA has put a new CBA offer on the table, a source told the Associated Press late Tuesday, with the league proposing to raise the maximum player salary to more than $1.1 million while also implementing a new revenue-sharing plan.

The league is targeting a minimum salary exceeding $220,000, boosting the average salary to over $460,000 in the first year of the agreement.

The CBA offer would apply to more than 180 WNBA players upon initial ratification, with paydays continuing to scale upward over the life of the contract.

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The WNBA and the Players Association recently agreed to extend talks from the existing CBA's original October 31st expiration to November 30th, a similar move to the previous CBA negotiations in 2019, which finally settled in early 2020.

In accordance with that prior deal, this past season's minimum salary ranged from $66,079 to $78,831 depending on terms while the maximum salary was $214,466 — meaning players averaged $102,249 league-wide.

In response to significant league growth, the WNBPA opted out of that CBA earlier this year to push for a more lucrative revenue-sharing model as well as increased salaries, better benefits, a less rigid salary cap, and other improvements.

The pressure is on to settle on a new CBA before the latest deadline, with a potential work stoppage threatening to derail a league exploding in popularity.

"When it comes to things like renewals and partnership opportunities, sitting here with an uncertain labor negotiation, it's already having an impact on the basketball calendar and the business," a source told ESPN this week.

Sweden veteran defender Magda Eriksson is hanging up her international boots to focus on her health, with the 32-year-old officially announcing her retirement from her national team on Sunday.

Eriksson will continue competing at the domestic level for her German club, Bayern Munich.

The longtime captain sat out the most recent international window due to a head injury, watching as world No. 3 Sweden fell to No. 1 Spain in the two-leg 2025 Nations League semifinals.

"It's by far the toughest decision I've ever made," Eriksson said in her social media announcement. "But I'm listening to my body and mind instead of my heart."

"I've landed in the fact that unfortunately it's a decision that has to be made."

After an 11-year career with the Swedish senior national team, Eriksson retires as a two-time Olympic silver medalist, earning those podium finishes in Rio in 2016 and at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games.

Often leading Sweden through major tournaments where early domination dissolved into a third-place finish, Eriksson also helped her team eke onto the World Cup podium in both 2019 and 2023.

"It is heavy news," said Sweden head coach Tony Gustavsson after Eriksson announced her international retirement, calling her "one of our most important players for a long time."

"[Magda's] professionalism, courage, and heart have left a strong mark on the national team," he added.

Chelsea FC's £1 million gamble is paying dividends, as USWNT rising star Alyssa Thompson continued her goal-scoring momentum for the six-time defending WSL champs on Sunday.

The young forward found the back of the net in the ninth minute of the Blues' 1-1 Sunday draw with Liverpool, solidifying her status as a decisive attacking threat for her new club.

"You can see how much talent she has and the quality she brings to the team," Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor said of Thompson earlier this month. "She's improving game after game, becoming more connected to her teammates, and understanding the way we want to play better."

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Thompson left NWSL side Angel City for Chelsea on a then-record £1 million transfer fee in early September, with the 21-year-old going on to notch three goals and one assist in four matches across both WSL and Champions League play.

"Being able to play with players that are the best in the world is an amazing opportunity," said the striker. "I want to learn, grow, and develop a lot. I feel like Chelsea is such an amazing environment to do that in."

Beyond individual accomplishment, Thompson's success underscores Chelsea's depth as they continue to hunt domestic and continental honors on a now-34 match WSL unbeaten streak — while also looking to potentially draw more USWNT stars away from the NWSL.