The BBC dropped its 2024 Footballer of the Year shortlist on Tuesday, with three of the five nominees hailing from the NWSL.

Orlando striker Barbra Banda, Portland forward Sophia Smith, and San Diego center back Naomi Girma headline the 10th edition of the traditionally UK-heavy award. Barcelona FC standouts Aitana Bonmatí and Caroline Graham Hansen round out the five-player selection.

A panel that includes coaches, players, journalists, and administrators selects the award's shortlist, with the final winner determined by fan votes.

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Footballer of the Year looks outside the UK

Seven of the nine previous winners of the London-based broadcaster's award played their soccer, whether club or country, in the UK.

Only two-time BBC Footballer of the Year Ada Hegerberg, a Norwegian national and striker for Lyon, has earned the honor without a connection to England.

Hegerberg's 2019 win also came during the only other year when all five of the BBC's Footballer of the Year nominees played outside the UK.

Stellar resumes back the 2024 Footballer of the Year nominees

After winning Olympic gold in Paris this summer, USWNT stars, NWSL game-changers, and longtime friends Smith and Girma have dominated on both international and domestic pitches this year.

Along with her three Olympic goals, Thorns forward Smith has already matched her 2023 NWSL Golden Boot-winning tally of 11 goals in her 2024 campaign — despite being recently hampered by an ankle injury.

Representing the back line, Girma was the only field player to feature in every minute of the 2024 Paris Games, with USWNT boss Emma Hayes calling her "the best defender I have ever seen."

Despite such praise, the 2023 US Soccer Player of the Year was notably snubbed last month from the 2024 Ballon d'Or shortlist. The other four BCC-nominated players feature on both lists.

Meanwhile, with 13 NWSL goals so far this season, Zambian national Banda is a frontrunner for the league's 2024 MVP award. With three hat tricks across the Tokyo and Paris Games, her 10 goals across those tournaments make her Africa's all-time leading Olympic scorer.

As for the Barça athletes, Norwegian national Hansen's injuries left her underrated for much of the 29-year-old's career, but her last two seasons with the Liga F side has seen her score an astounding 45 goals in 55 appearances.

Meanwhile, Bonmatí has secured every possible club-level trophy during her Barcelona career, including three UWCL titles. The 2023 World Cup champion with Spain is also the 2023 Ballon d'Or winner.

How to vote for the BBC 2024 Footballer of the Year

Fans worldwide can cast their votes online now through 5 AM ET on October 28th, with the winner announced on November 26th.

The WNBA is taking a weekend road trip, as the No. 2 Atlanta Dream and No. 8 Seattle Storm head across the border to Vancouver, British Columbia, for the league's first-ever in-season Canada Game on Friday night.

The game features a rematch of Atlanta's 85-75 win over the Storm on Wednesday, with the win propelling the Dream up the WNBA standings — and threatening to drop Seattle out of postseason contention entirely.

"Time is running out, and the team knows it," Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn said earlier this week. "I didn't want to put so much pressure on them, but they know the situation, and they understand the urgency."

While Friday marks the first regular-season WNBA matchup played outside the US, the league has previously staged two preseason games in Canada, tipping off in Toronto in 2023 and Edmonton in 2024 — both in front of sold-out crowds.

Toronto's 2023 exhibition appeared to serve as a trial run for expansion, with the league awarding the Canadian city its first franchise — the 2026-incoming Toronto Tempo — earlier this year.

While plans for a formal move to Vancouver hasn't yet surfaced, the WNBA's explosive popularity and rapid growth outlook provide plenty of room for new markets to enter the conversation.

How to watch the 2025 WNBA Canada Game

The No. 8 Seattle Storm and No. 2 Atlanta Dream will square off inside Vancouver's Rogers Arena at 10 PM ET on Friday night.

Live coverage of the WNBA Canada Game clash will air on ION.

Coming off a series of strategic transactions, the No. 10 Washington Mystics will forge ahead on Friday night, taking on the short-staffed No. 6 Indiana Fever with a chance to play spoiler as they reshape their 2025 expectations from below the postseason cutoff line.

"There's just so many different success stories with this group," Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson said following Washington's 88-83 loss to the No. 7 Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday.

The Mystics have lost five of their last six games, and will take the court on Friday without injured new addition Jacy Sheldon and starting center Shakira Austin.

While Washington exceeded this year's early-season projections — skyrocketing above the playoff line behind leading scorer Brittney Sykes and the dynamic rookie duo of Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron — the now-fading Mystics chose to shift gears at the trade deadline, sending Sykes to the No. 8 Seattle Storm and shipping second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards off to the No. 13 Connecticut Sun.

With their natural 2026 draft pick secured, Washington has a shot at adding a top first-round prospect should they play out the rest of the regular season at the bottom of the WNBA standings — in other words, by strategically tanking the final weeks of 2025 play.

On the other hand, the injury-laden Indiana enters Friday's action eyeing a win after falling to the No. 11 Dallas Wings by just one point on Tuesday.

How to watch the Washington Mystics vs. Indiana Fever on Friday

The No. 10 Mystics will take on the No. 6 Fever in Indianapolis at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage airing on ION.

A top-table battle headlines the NWSL this weekend, as the No. 1 Kansas City Current hosts the No. 2 Orlando Pride for a possible postseason rehearsal on Saturday.

Led by Golden Boot frontrunner Temwa Chawinga, the Current enter the weekend with a full 12-point lead over the rest of the league, as reigning NWSL Shield and Championship winners Orlando push to make a statement.

"We are resilient. That is part of our identity. We never give up and we are always playing to win, and we always believe in ourselves," Pride defender Kylie Nadaner said following last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Racing Louisville.

More than just a clash between the top two teams in the NWSL standings, history shows very little love lost between these perennial heavy-hitters.

Last season, Orlando snapped KC's NWSL-record 17-game unbeaten streak on the Current's home turf, then took Kansas City down again in the pair's 2024 semifinal playoff match.

"We will remember the way they acted after the cameras were off," Current forward Michelle Cooper posted to social media after their July 2024 loss.

Kansas City has already issued some regular-season revenge on their way up the table this year, defeating the Pride 1-0 back in May.

How to watch Kansas City vs. Orlando this NWSL weekend

The No. 1 Current will kick off against the No. 2 Pride at 4 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on CBS.

NBA 2K is going all in on the WNBA, with the popular video game expanding its MyTEAM mode this week to allow athletes from both leagues to star on the same team when the 2K26 edition drops next month.

"MyTEAM is where competition meets a basketball fan's wildest imagination," explained Visual Concepts VP of NBA development Erick Boenisch. "By integrating the WNBA into one of our most popular modes, we're not only giving players the opportunity to customize their all-time dream rosters but shining a spotlight on some of the game's most iconic hoopers. We're looking forward to giving our players a new and deeper way to engage with the WNBA."

"Players can now mix and match current superstars and legends from both leagues, and compete with more dream lineup combinations than ever before," NBA 2K said in Thursday's release.

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"Pair Paige Bueckers with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, throw a lob from Sheryl Swoopes to Shaquille O'Neal, or run a pick-and-roll with Angel Reese and Carmelo Anthony," the franchise continued.

NBA 2K has ramped up its WNBA integration significantly since the league's debut in the 2K20 edition, expanding from Play Now and Season modes to the upcoming 2K26 version's virtual press conferences, pre-draft interviews, social media refreshes, and Top-10 player ratings.

How to buy the WNBA Edition of NBA 2K26

With Chicago Sky sophomore Angel Reese playing cover star, the WNBA Edition of NBA 2K26 will be sold exclusively in physical form at GameStop, dropping along with the other versions of the popular video game on September 5th.

Fans can purchase the WNBA version through the gaming retailer's presale now.