FC Barcelona promised a spectacle for its record-breaking Champions League fixture at Camp Nou, and that’s exactly what fans got.

In front of a historic crowd of 91,533 supporters, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-2, advancing to the UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinals with an aggregate score of 8-3.

Wednesday’s stand was the first time the Barcelona women’s team played at the cavernous Camp Nou stadium in front of spectators, marking a significant turning point for the women’s game.

“Our responsibility is to make sure we do all our best to write this new page in the club’s history, the team’s history,” Barcelona captain Alexia Putellas told reporters Tuesday ahead of El Clásico. “I believe it will be a turning point for women’s football in Barcelona, in Catalonia, in Spain and, hopefully, all around the world.”

The match surpassed the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final attendance record, which saw 90,185 fans fill the Rose Bowl to watch the U.S. Women’s National Team win. The new women’s soccer attendance record of 91,533 at Camp Nou ushers in a new era for the sport.

Culers, the world record for attendance at a women's football match is ours! pic.twitter.com/Hu94A9PXDO

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 30, 2022

The quality on the pitch exceeded the anticipation leading up to the fixture, with Madrid and Barcelona executing top-quality finishes.

María Pilar León kicked off the scoring in the 8^th minute, striking an in-swinging ball over Madrid’s keeper to put Barcelona up 1-0.

What a goal that is 🤩

Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

🇬🇧🎙👉 https://t.co/g4y6urk6O0
🇪🇸🎙👉 https://t.co/ronaygfgaK pic.twitter.com/mOXiclKQUr

— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022

Less than 10 minutes later, a handball in the box awarded Madrid a penalty, which Olga Carmona calmly converted to level the score.

The visitors took the lead to start the second half as Claudia Zoronza struck the goal of the night, chipping Barcelona’s keeper in the 48^th minute.

UNBELIEVABLE GOAL FROM @claudiazornoza 😱

Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

🇬🇧🎙👉 https://t.co/g4y6urk6O0
🇪🇸🎙👉 https://t.co/ronaygfgaK pic.twitter.com/UJQEvM6ggt

— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022

However, the advantage quickly evaporated. Aitana Bonmati slotted home a cheeky goal and Claudia Pina curled in a banger for Barcelona in quick succession to put the home team back on top.

Putellas also got in on the scoring in the 62nd minute, much to Camp Nou’s delight. The captain snuck a sputtering shot over the goal line, and then the reigning Ballon d’Or winner took a bow and blew a kiss to the adoring Barcelona fans.

.@alexiaputellas now has 8 goals in 7 El Clásico matches 🤩 pic.twitter.com/tjvQCCPyl8

— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022

Caroline Graham Hansen finished off the offensive masterclass from Barcelona, tapping in a deflected cross to put the game at 5-2.

In true Barcelona fashion, the club finished the match with 66 percent of the possession while outshooting Madrid 6-2.

“At the end of the match, I had to hold my tears back,” Graham Hansen told DAZN’s Serma Hunter after the game. “I didn’t imagine anything like it, and it’s just goosebumps all over the place.”

Barcelona is a certified powerhouse, with three-consecutive league titles, a Champions League trophy, a Ballon d’Or recipient in Putellas and a winning streak of 41 games. But though Barcelona seems undeniable, the Camp Nou event was anything but inevitable.

Marta Torrejón, a defender who joined Barcelona in 2013, has watched the club evolve at warp speed. She told The New York Times in 2021 that she remembers training sessions taking place in the evening to accommodate players who worked or went to school during the day.

The team of 2013 is a far cry from the club that dominated Chelsea 4-0 to claim its first Champions League trophy in 2021.

Barcelona understood the assignment. #UWCL pic.twitter.com/DBizI7Ef0Y

— Our Game Magazine (@OurGameMagazine) May 16, 2021

After the club fully professionalized in 2015, investments poured in, which brought in some big names like Lieke Martens, who signed with Barcelona in 2017.

For the most part, however, Barcelona has cultivated its core. Putellas, who joined Barcelona in 2012, serves as a shining example of the club’s ability to develop key players. A decade after her start, Putellas is an undeniable star and has scored seven goals in six Champions League matches so far this season.

The club’s success has rubbed off on Spain’s national team. In 2019, the Spanish women gave the USWNT a run for their money in the World Cup quarterfinal, nearly upsetting the eventual winners. Spain is currently ranked seventh in the world according to FIFA, jumping six places from its No. 13 ranking entering the 2019 World Cup.

Barcelona has steadily risen the ranks since its professionalization in 2015, making a Champions League semifinal appearance in 2018-2019 and a final appearance in 2019-2020 before raising the trophy in 2020-2021.

“In Barcelona, it’s not enough to win, it’s about how you play, and I think that’s in the roots of this team,” Barcelona midfielder Ingrid Syrstad Engen said.

That perfectionist ethos has elevated not just Barcelona but the international women’s game overall as the club sets a new standard for investment and performance.

“I believe that tomorrow can be the start of a new era because at the end of the day tomorrow’s match is going to be inspiring for so many girls, I am guessing, that will be coming tomorrow to Camp Nou or who will be seeing us from TV, and they will be seeing women playing in Camp Nou,” Putellas told media ahead of Wednesday’s win. “And I am sure in the future, in the mid or long run, we will be collecting the fruits of tomorrow’s match.”

Women’s soccer will undoubtedly collect the fruits of Barcelona’s Camp Nou triumph. And the marquee match may have also cemented Barcelona as the new epicenter of women’s soccer, a distinction that has been years in the making.

South Carolina vs Texas A&M ended in a routing, as the Gamecocks overcame a shorthanded roster and motivated Aggies squad to secure a 71-56 victory on Monday.

Sophomore forward Joyce Edwards delivered a dominant performance in the SEC showdown, scoring 28 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Edwards was particularly clutch in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of her points in the final period.

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Junior guard Tessa Johnson provided support with 19 points, tying her career-high with five made three-pointers. Johnson caught fire early, sinking her first four attempts from beyond the arc and finishing 5-of-11 from range.

The Gamecocks built a 16-point lead late in the third quarter, before Texas A&M responded with a 7-0 run. That's when senior Aggies guard Ny'ceara Pryor hit a buzzer-beating three to cut South Carolina's advantage to 55-47.

Texas A&M pulled within four points early in the final period. But Edwards quickly shifted the narrative, scoring eight points on a 9-0 run to push South Carolina's lead to 67-53 with under two minutes remaining. The breakout performance subsequently sealed the results for South Carolina vs Texas A&M.

"The team that's able to grab it at any given moment can win basketball games," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said postgame.

"They had it at the end of the third quarter, and we tried to figure out how to do that. I think we had more probably defensive momentum after we stopped fouling in the fourth quarter and then we were able to score."

The victory improved surging South Carolina to a 22-2 overall record and 8-1 in SEC play. They've also held tight to their No. 3 AP Poll ranking, despite missing starters Ta'Niya Latson and Agot Makeer to lower-leg injuries.

How to watch South Carolina women's basketball this week

South Carolina hosts unranked Mississippi State on Thursday at 6:30 PM ET, live on ESPN.

The Gamecocks' next ranked matchup comes on Sunday, tipping off against skidding No. 19 Tennessee at 3 PM ET, live on ESPN.

This year's Olympic hockey schedule is bringing the head, with the women's tournament kicking off on February 5th in Milan — one day before the Opening Ceremony.

The 2026 Winter Olympics features 10 nations competing across two groups through February 19th, when medal games will determine the podium finishers.

One heated rivalry is at the center of this year's hockey schedule. Defending champions Canada are seeking their sixth Olympic gold, while Team USA enters as the reigning world champions after ousting Canada from the 2025 World Championship.

From the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena to the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, competition is expected to be fiercer than ever, as the third-year PWHL has elevated play across all participating nations. Here's everything you need to know.

Which countries feature in the Olympic hockey group stage?

Group A brings together the world's top-ranked teams: United States, Canada, Finland, Czech Republic, and Switzerland. These five teams automatically qualified based on IIHF world rankings, and were subsequently guaranteed quarterfinal spots. Group B consists of host nation Italy, plus Japan, Sweden, Germany, and France, all earning their positions through qualification tournaments.

Olympic hockey's preliminary rounds run through February 10th, with each team playing four group-stage matches. The knockout rounds follow, with the bronze and gold medal matches slated for February 19th.

Complete 2026 Winter Olympics hockey schedule

Olympic Hockey Schedule: Preliminary Round

Thursday, February 5th (Group stage)

• 6:10 AM ET — Sweden vs Germany (Group B)
• 8:40 AM ET — France vs Italy (Group B)
• 10:40 AM ET — Czechia vs United States (Group A)
• 3:10 PM ET — Canada vs Finland (Group A)

Friday, February 6th (Group stage)

• 6:10 AM ET — France vs Japan (Group B)
• 8:40 AM ET — Czechia vs Switzerland (Group A)

Saturday, February 7th (Group stage)

• 6:10 AM ET — Germany vs Japan (Group B)
• 8:40 AM ET — Sweden vs Italy (Group B)
• 10:40 AM ET — USA vs Finland (Group A)

Sunday, February 8th (Group stage)

• 10:40 AM ET — France vs Sweden (Group B)
• 3:10 PM ET — Czechia vs Finland (Group A)

Monday, February 9th (Group stage)

• 6:10 AM ET — Japan vs Italy (Group B)
• 10:40 AM ET — Germany vs France (Group B)
• 2:40 PM ET — Switzerland vs USA (Group A)
• 3:10 PM ET — Canada vs Czechia (Group A)

Tuesday, February 10th (Group stage)

• 6:10 AM ET — Japan vs Sweden (Group B)
• 10:40 AM ET — Italy vs Germany (Group B)
• 2:10 PM ET — Canada vs USA (Group A)
• 3:10 PM ET — Finland vs Switzerland (Group A)

Olympic Hockey Schedule: Knockout Round

Friday, February 13th (Quarterfinals)

• 10:40 AM ET — TBD
• 3:10 PM ET — TBD

Saturday, February 14th (Quarterfinals)

• 10:40 AM ET — TBD
• 3:10 PM ET — TBD

Monday, February 16th (Semifinals)

• 10:40 AM ET — TBD
• 3:10 PM ET — TBD

Thursday, February 19th

• 8:40 AM ET — Bronze Medal Game
• 1:10 PM ET — Gold Medal Game

While SC Corinthians fell just short of the inaugural intercontinental title on Sunday, the 2026 FIFA W Champions Cup final did prove a massive success for the Brazil league's champions, scoring the highest viewership for a women's club match in the South American country's history.

Brazilian network CazéTV covered the competition's semifinals and final, with the broadcaster registering more than 1 million concurrent streams during Sunday's championship match — a viewership that rivals Brazil's 2023 World Cup group-stage games.

Perhaps even more impressive, Sunday's 3-2 extra-time loss to WSL side Arsenal also coincided with Corinthians' men's team's Brazil Super Cup battle, stressing the growing popularity of the club's women's squad.

"It doesn't matter if it's basketball or football, women's or men's, I'm a Corinthian supporter," a traveling Brazilian fan told The Athletic, with many news outlets reporting on the team's sizable fan support at the FIFA tournament in London last week.

Sunday's Champions Cup viewership also reflects the Brazil club's overall rising attendance, with the team featuring in every one of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A1 league's five highest-attended matches — and winning the Top 4.

Claiming seven of the last eight league championships — including the last six straight trophies — Corinthians' 2024 title match against São Paulo saw 44,529 fans pack Neo Química Arena, netting the largest crowd at a women's club soccer match in South American history.

The fan clamor for Corinthians bodes well for another upcoming FIFA tournament, with Brazil preparing to host the first-ever World Cup in South America in 2027.

"Football is about love and Brazil loves football," said Brazilian soccer legend Marta in a video for a 2027 World Cup event just last month. "Our country is ready to embrace the women's game with pride, emotion and belief."

Spain soccer star Alexia Putellas is hitting the pitch in style, with Nike releasing the two-time Ballon d'Or winner's first Player Edition with the sportswear giant — a bespoke Phantom 6 boot — earlier this week.

Drenched in a bold red, black, and metallic colorway, the Putellas boots include glitter designed to "create additional distinction under bright stadium lights."

With multiple elements highlighting the FC Barcelona attacker's lucky number 11, the Phantom 6 boots also feature the custom Nike logo for Putellas emblazoned on the heel.

Constructed from a pair of interlocking 11s that combine with the letter "A," Putellas's new logo forms a crown, referencing her nickname of "La Reina" — Spanish for "The Queen."

"Growing up in Spain, I could only watch men playing football," Putellas said in a Nike statement on Sunday. "I never dreamed about playing at Camp Nou or having my own Nike boot. This is crazy, but I'm enjoying the process."

Just days before her 32nd birthday, Putellas adds her new Nike Player Edition Phantom 6 boot to a resume stacked with a World Cup (2023), three UEFA Champions League trophies, and numerous Liga F titles as well as her two Ballons d'Or.

How to purchase the Alexia Putellas Nike Phantom 6 boots

The Nike Phantom 6 Alexia Putellas Player Edition boots are currently available for purchase in both adult and kids sizes at select retail stores and online at nike.com.