Christine Sinclair is retiring from the Canada women’s national team.

With 190 goals in 327 games for Canada, the 40-year-old forward steps away as the all-time leading international scorer. She won an Olympic gold medal in 2021, and she played in her sixth World Cup tournament in 2023.

“Honestly, you can’t play forever,” Sinclair told Reuters. “And this seems like a good time to be done.”

Yet while she is hanging up her boots on the international stage, as she teased in an Instagram post Thursday night before officially announcing her retirement Friday, she plans to play another season for the NWSL’s Portland Thorns.

The Thorns captain is leading her team into the 2023 playoffs. As the No. 2 seed, Portland has a bye into the semifinal round on Nov. 5, where the defending champions will face either the North Carolina Courage or Gotham FC.

Sinclair also will make a few more appearances for Canada as a send-off tour during an upcoming international window, from Nov. 27 to Dec. 5.

“The way the schedule is lining up, it’ll be a nice way to end it,” Sinclair said.

Hours after Nike quietly put Mary Earps’ England goalkeeper kit on sale, the jersey had sold out.

The release came as a surprise to Earps, who said in an Instagram story Monday that she was unaware the jerseys would be going on sale. Still, the 30-year-old goalkeeper thanked everyone for their “incredible support,” noting the jerseys already had sold out.

While Nike would not comment on the number of jerseys sold Monday, the shirts did not appear for sale on its website or through the England Football Association as of Monday night, Reuters reported. In a statement to Reuters, Nike said that “more will be for sale later this season.”

Earps starred for England at the 2023 World Cup, winning the Golden Glove award for the tournament’s top goalkeeper. Last month, she was voted the England Women’s Player of the Year.

Yet her jersey was not available for purchase during the World Cup, which prompted backlash against Nike from fans and from Earps. The Lionesses made their first appearance in a World Cup final this summer, losing to Spain. During their tournament run, more than 170,000 people signed a petition calling on Nike to sell Earps’ and other goalkeepers’ jerseys.

On Aug. 24, Nike announced that it would make women’s goalkeeper kits for the USWNT, England, France and the Netherlands available for sale. Nike did not comment on why Earps’ jersey was released in October, per Reuters.

The “Welcome to Wrexham” docuseries became a global sensation in its first season, highlighting a men’s soccer team owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney that found its way back to EFL League Two after 15 years.

And now the sixth episode of the series’ second season is shining the light on the Wrexham FC women’s team, an amateur team that features stories previously untold. If you ask McElhenney, there’s a reason they decided to feature the women’s team in the new season.

“It’s not just an ethical responsibility, but also a huge business opportunity,” he said.

Women’s soccer has been experiencing an uptick in popularity – particularly in the United Kingdom, as England won the Euros for the first time in 2022 and made it all the way to the World Cup final in 2023.

Upon taking over the club, Reynolds and McElhenney invested in Wrexham’s women’s side to the tune of $60,000. The team won a Tier One license and was promoted to Adran Premier, a semi-professional league that tops women’s soccer in Wales.

While players previously had to buy uniforms and equipment themselves, they no longer have to do so under the new ownership group.

“In terms of change of ownership and what that’s brought, that’s basically given us a platform to be able to increase what we’ve wanted to do, it’s allowed us to reach the ambitions that we set for ourselves,” Gemma Owen, Wrexham’s head of women’s football, told the LA Times.

“Barriers have been commonplace in women’s sport, and particularly women’s football, in the U.K. for many years. We want to get rid of as many of those barriers as possible.”

The women’s club will continue to be covered on the docuseries as it looks to win a playoff and earn promotion. And while some of the team’s players still need to take on second jobs, there is more of a focus on soccer than there was before.

“We’ve had to work harder to kind of get where we are. But I think that adds to the togetherness and the family that we have at Wrexham,” Lili Jones said. “We’ve all got different skills and different things that we’ve learned from having to work. It’s just a part of the women’s game.

“Eventually that will die out and I’m so excited for future generations to get the chance to be professional footballers. That foundation is set now for the future of Wrexham Football Club to be part of something very special.”

Almost all of the players called up to the Spanish women’s national team for its September training camp agreed Wednesday to end their strike after reaching an agreement with their national federation.

More than seven hours of meetings between the players and the Spanish football federation (RFEF) ended with the RFEF saying it would make “immediate and profound” structural changes. Those meetings ended around 5 a.m. local time in Spain.

Of the 23 players selected for the September roster, 21 of them had signed a statement last week demanding action from the federation before they would return to the team. But they still received national team call-ups, and if they refused, they could have faced fines of up to €30,000 and a ban of their federation license for up to 15 years, among other possible sanctions, though officials later said they would not have imposed any sanctions.

While most of the players agreed to play for the national team in the upcoming Nations League matches after the meetings with RFEF, two — Mapi León and Patri Guijarro — decided to leave training camp. Both players were part of “Las 15,” the group of players who refused to play for the national team starting last October and missed the 2023 World Cup.

“They are working on changes. It’s a different situation for us,” Guijarro said. “It’s tough, it’s difficult. Being here, after the way everything has happened, mentally we were not ready to stay. That’s the explanation.”

While the dispute between the players and their federation stretches back to before the World Cup, Spain’s World Cup win on Aug. 20 deepened the divide. Luis Rubiales resigned as RFEF president as a result of the backlash against his forced kiss of star player Jenni Hermoso at the World Cup final, and controversial head coach Jorge Vilda has been fired. Yet those changes “are not enough for the players to feel safe, where women are respected, where there is support for women’s football and where we can maximize our potential,” players said in a statement Friday.

Victor Francos, president of Spain’s national sports council, helped mediate the meetings.

“A joint commission will be created between RFEF, CSD and players to follow up on the agreements, which will be signed tomorrow,” Francos told reporters. “The players have expressed their concern about the need for profound changes in the RFEF, which has committed to making these changes immediately.”

Amanda Gutierrez, president of global players union FUTPRO, said that the meetings are a start of a “long road” for the players and the federation.

“The players see it as a rapprochement of positions. It is the beginning of a long road ahead of us,” Gutierrez told reporters. “Once again, they have shown themselves to be coherent and the vast majority have decided to stay for the sake of this agreement.”

One of the first measures taken is to remove “female” from the women’s national team’s official brand. From this point forward, both the men’s and women’s teams will be known as the “Spanish national football team.”

“Beyond it being a symbolic step, we want it to be a change of concept, and the recognition that football is football, no matter who plays it,” RFEF president Pedro Rocha said.

Spain is set to make its debut in the Nations League against Sweden on Friday, with another match set for Sept. 26 against Switzerland.

Despite Spain players’ plans to strike, selected players have arrived at their national team camp following threats of a fine or a domestic league ban. But what does it all mean? And how did we get here?

Just Women’s Sports is breaking down the major storylines as Spain players continue to be at odds with their federation.

What has happened so far?

  • Spain players reported for national team duty Tuesday despite saying Friday that they would not return to the national team until further changes were made. Nothing about that stance had changed from Friday to Monday, when Spain announced its squad for upcoming UEFA Nations League games against Sweden and Switzerland.
  • Of the 23 players selected to the roster, 15 were present at the 2023 World Cup and 21 signed the statement last week demanding action from the Spanish football federation (RFEF). The team has been embroiled in controversy since its World Cup title win on Aug. 20.
  • If the players refused their call-ups, they could have faced fines of up to €30,000 and a ban of their federation license for up to 15 years, among other possible sanctions. While they tried to get out of the training camp, saying the RFEF did not inform them in a timely manner per FIFA rules, they did show up Tuesday.

What have players said?

  • Asked by reporters Tuesday if the players were in agreement with head coach Montse Tomé’s squad list, goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez simply said: “No.”
  • Jenni Hermoso was not called up to the squad, a decision she saw as a manipulative move by the RFEF and a sign that “nothing has changed,” she said in a statement. Hermoso received a nonconsensual kiss from former RFEF president Luis Rubiales at the 2023 World Cup final, which spurred a tidal wave of backlash from Spain’s players and the global soccer community. Rubiales has since resigned.
  • Mapi Léon refused a World Cup call-up as one of the original 15 players to protest the federation starting last October, but she was called up Monday. She said Tuesday: “We would have to talk at length about whether the place is safe or not safe when they are forcing us. I believe that my position has been very clear, at no time have I changed my mind.”

What comes next?

  • Victor Francos, the president of the supreme council for sports in Spain, confirmed the possible sanctions for players if they did not participate in the camp and ensuing friendlies. The sports council is expected to act as a mediator between players and the federation. “If the players don’t show up, the government will do what it has to do, which is to apply the law,” Francos said. “Unfortunately, the law is the law, but I still hope that there can be a solution. I am going to talk with the players. I am going to try.”

Longtime Ireland defender Diane Caldwell says that the team made their first World Cup “in spite” of former coach Vera Pauw.

The team parted ways with Pauw following the World Cup. Controversy had marred her final months with the team, which included butting heads with team captain Katie McCabe during the team’s World Cup run. Before joining Ireland, Pauw led the NWSL’s Houston Dash. A July report from The Athletic detailed Pauw’s behavior with the club, which players called “abusive” and “belittling,” though Pauw strongly denied the allegations.

Under Pauw, the team made its first appearance at the World Cup. But Caldwell said Tuesday that it wasn’t because of Pauw that the team made it. Instead, she says they weren’t put in a place to succeed by the coach.

“From my position, as a pretty experienced player, I don’t think it was up to the standard expected at international level,” Caldwell said. “I think the results and performances that we got were in spite of Vera being our coach.”

Instead, she says that a group of players who were “destined for success” happened to come together at the right time. She says players voiced their concerns about certain conditions following the 2022 European qualifying campaign, which was unsuccessful. Instead, Pauw was offered a contract extension.

“After the European campaign [in 2021], myself and Katie [McCabe] also reflected with Ruud Dokter [then the FAI’s high performance director] about certain aspects that needed to be improved and changed, but ultimately that fell on deaf ears and she got a contract extension,” she said.

“I think preparation for games could have been better, physical preparation, opponent analysis, match tactics, in-game match tactics, changes, systems of play,” she continued, noting that players had asked Pauw to “professionalizing” elements of the team’s preparations but that it “was hard to get change.”

Eileen Gleeson was tasked with leading the team in the interim as FAI looks for a new coach. Caldwell said Tuesday that the change has been welcomed, as well as additional investment from their FA.

“I’m very happy there is change and it gives us all a new lease of life,” Caldwell said. “Straight away, the level of professionalism. There are three new roles that have been introduced that we haven’t had before. That is a massive sign of intent from the association that we want to raise the level.

“It is a new beginning, and with the changes the FAI has made with the new roles, it just shows intent and standards are going to be raised. They have listened to the stakeholders in this team and realized that these girls are good but we can be getting even more out of them. They can be performing at a higher level and be achieving more success than what they have been.”

Even after Spain’s players refused to return to their national team, World Cup stars including Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí received call-ups Monday for upcoming Nations League matches.

Of the 23 players selected to the roster, 15 were present at the 2023 World Cup and 21 signed a statement just last week demanding that the Spanish football federation (RFEF) make further changes before they return. Per Spanish newspaper El Periódico, the players found out about their call-ups through the televised roster announcement.

If the 21 players refuse to play for the national team, they could face serious consequences. In Spain, the rejection of a national team call-up is punishable by a financial fine of up to €30,000, by a ban of up to 15 years, as well as other possible sanctions.

In the aftermath of Spain’s World Cup win, the national team and federation have been embroiled in controversy. Luis Rubiales resigned as RFEF president as a result of the backlash against his forced kiss of star player Jenni Hermoso at the World Cup final, and controversial head coach Jorge Vilda has been fired. But those changes “are not enough for the players to feel safe, where women are respected, where there is support for women’s football and where we can maximize our potential,” they said in a statement Friday.

The dispute between the players and their federation stretches back to before the World Cup. In October 2022, 15 players refused to play for the national team, and they were left off subsequent rosters, including the World Cup team. Several of “Las 15” were included on the most recent roster, including Mapi Léon and Patri Guijarro.

“The players of the Spanish team have, at all times, been open to dialogue, seeking to convey clear and well-argued reasons that we believe are necessary to be able to carry out our work at the highest level with the respect we deserve,” the players wrote last week. “The specified changes to the RFEF are based on zero tolerance for those people who, from a position within the RFEF, have had, incited, hidden or applauded attitudes that go against the dignity of women.”

The players have called for more systemic changes in addition to the departures of Jorge Vilda and Luis Rubiales.

“We firmly believe that strong changes are required in leadership positions in the RFEF and specifically, in the area of women’s football,” the players wrote. “We want to end this statement by expressing that the players of the Spanish team are professionals, and what fills us most with pride is wearing the shirt of our national team and leading our country to the highest positions.”

Hours before Monday’s roster announcement, the Spanish federation released a statement, urging players to join them in structural change. According to Spanish outlet Relevo, national team players had not responded to RFEF’s ultimatum ahead of the announcement because they felt as though their previous statement was “clear and firm.”

“The Federation itself is aware of the need to make structural changes and has recently begun to materialize them,” the RFEF said. “Therefore, players are urged to join this change led by the Federation, understanding that the transformations that must continue must be solid and fair.”

Notably, Hermoso was not one of the 23 players selected, with head coach Montse Tomé saying Monday that the team respects her stance and stand behind her “in everything.”

“The first thing to say is that we are with Jenni in everything,” she said. “We have believed that the best way to protect her in this call is like this. We count on Jenni.”

Jenni Hermoso, Alexia Putellas and the rest of the Spanish women’s national team will not play for their country until more changes are made within the Spanish football federation (RFEF).

Luis Rubiales resigned as RFEF president as a result of the backlash to his forced kiss of Hermoso at the 2023 World Cup final, and controversial head coach Jorge has been fired. But those changes “are not enough for the players to feel safe, where women are respected, where there is support for women’s football and where we can maximize our potential,” the players said in a statement.

The players are demanding the restructuring of the women’s football organization, the presidential cabinet and general secretary, the communications and marketing department and the ethics and integrity department.

Head coach Montse Tomé, who took over in the wake of Vilda’s firing, is set to announce her first squad Friday. The World Cup champions are set to play in Nations League games against Sweden and Switzerland on Sept. 22 and 26.

“The players of the Spanish team have, at all times, been open to dialogue, seeking to convey clear and well-argued reasons that we believe are necessary to be able to carry out our work at the highest level with the respect we deserve,” the players wrote. “The specified changes to the RFEF are based on zero tolerance for those people who, from a position within the RFEF, have had, incited, hidden or applauded attitudes that go against the dignity of women.”

Before Rubiales stepped down earlier this week, he had vowed not to resign in a meeting of the RFEF. Many in the audience at the meeting applauded Rubiales, though some have since apologized, saying that they felt pressured to do so.

At the time, players said they would not play for Spain again “if the present leadership continues.” They also asked for “real structural changes that help the national team continue to grow.” Though Vilda and Rubiales are out, the players want to see more systemic changes.

“We firmly believe that strong changes are required in leadership positions in the RFEF and specifically, in the area of women’s football,” the players wrote. “We want to end this statement by expressing that the players of the Spanish team are professionals, and what fills us most with pride is wearing the shirt of our national team and leading our country to the highest positions.

“We believe that it is time to fight to show that these situations and practices have no place in football or society, that the current structure needs changes and we do it so that the next generations can have equality in football and at the level that we all deserve.”

Alexia Putellas and the rest of the Spain women’s national team are aiming to inspire change beyond soccer as the fallout from their World Cup controversy continues.

Luis Rubiales resigned as president of the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) earlier this week as the result of mounting pressure from his behavior at the 2023 World Cup final. Following Spain’s 1-0 win over England, Rubiales kissed star midfielder Jenni Hermoso, a gesture which she has maintained came without her consent.

Hermoso’s teammates have stood with her in the wake of the incident, which created an international uproar and has led to multiple investigations into Rubiales.

So when FC Barcelona Femení became the first sports team to win the Medal of Honor from the Catalan parliament, Putellas used the platform to call attention to their fight for change.

“We are the first men’s or women’s team to be distinguished with this Medal of Honour — this would have been unthinkable five, 15, 20 years ago, but it has happened,” she said in her acceptance speech Wednesday. “This has not been achieved from scratch, so I would like to thank all those pioneers who, before our arrival, promoted women’s sport at Barca or in other organizations. This medal also belongs to them, we are very aware of that.”

Launched in 2000, previous winners include recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, former presidents and soccer manager Pep Guardiola, the only previous winner related to sport.

Barcelona received the award for their success as four-time Spanish league winners and two-time Champions League winners, but also because of the impact that they have had on sport in Catalonia. Twice, the team has filled Camp Nou and broken women’s attendance records.

“At Barca, we are helping to build a fairer, more equal society with more opportunities through football. Our efforts and our victories are making us a point of reference for many children, young people and adults,” Putellas said. “Our commitment to women’s sport and society is unquestionable, but we need more help to keep growing, so that this is not just a fad. And here, if I may, I would like to demand more support for women’s football, more and better facilities, more pitches and more investment at grassroots level.”

Noting that women in sports are “here to stay,” Putellas also noted a commitment to “help those that come after us.”

“There is still a long way to go, as we are seeing these days with the serious situation we are facing with the [RFEF] and the changes we are all asking for so that no woman, inside or outside football, ever has to live a situation of disrespect or abuse,” she said.

“We need consensus, courage and leadership from the institutions. We will not stop here. Those who fought before us deserve it, we deserve it for the effort we make every day and all the girls and boys who today dream of being like us deserve it. We will not fail you.”

Lindsey Horan is the lone U.S. women’s national team player to receive a nomination for the 2023 Best FIFA Women’s Player award.

The 29-year-old co-captain scored two goals for the USWNT at the 2023 World Cup, tied with the team’s lone Ballon d’Or nominee Sophia Smith. No other U.S. player scored a goal at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. Horan also starts in midfield for French club Lyon in Division 1 Féminine.

Alexia Putellas, who won the 2021 and 2022 Best Player awards, is notably absent from the 2023 list after spending the last year recovering from an ACL tear. Beth Mead and Alex Morgan, the runners-up for the 2022 award, also failed to make the cut. Mead has been out since December 2022 with an ACL tear.

World Cup champion Spain counted four nominees, including Aitana Bonmati, who won the Golden Ball at the World Cup, as well as Jenni Hermoso, Mapi Leon and Salma Paralluelo.

England tied Spain with four nominees, with Rachel Daly leading the way. Alex Greenwood, Lauren James and Keira Walsh also are nominated.

Australia star Sam Kerr received a nod, and she is joined by two fellow Matildas in Caitlin Foord and Mary Fowler. Colombia’s Linda Caicedo, France’s Kadidiatou Diani, Sweden’s Amanda Illestedt and Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa, the World Cup Golden Boot winner, round out the nominees.

Nominees for the Best Coach award include England’s Sarina Wiegman, who won the award last year, Australia’s Tony Guastavsson and Sweden’s Peter Gerhardsson. Two club coaches also received nominations: Chelsea’s Emma Hayes and FC Barcelona’s Jonatan Giráldez.

England’s Mary Earps is once again nominated for Best Goalkeeper and is looking to win the award in back-to-back years. She’s joined by Mackenzie Arnold (Australia), Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany), Christiane Endler (Chile), Zecira Musovic (Sweden), Catalina Coll (Spain) and Sandra Paños (Spain).