The Little League Softball World Series kicked off last Tuesday, marking the second year in a row that the event has graced the fields of Greenville, N.C.

For the first time, the competition featured 12 teams in a brand-new expanded bracket. A total of eight U.S. teams and four international teams fought for the title.

Four teams will battle it out Sunday for a place in the Little League Softball World Series final, with Southwest (Midway Little League), Southeast (Chesterfield Little League), Mid-Atlantic (Delmar Little League) and Asia-Pacific (Negros Occidental Little League) competing in the semifinals.

LLSWS teams

Central: Daniel Boone Little League (Columbia, Mo.)

For the second straight year, Daniel Boone represents the Central Region. The team placed third last year and looks this year to become the first team from Missouri to win the tournament.

Mid-Atlantic: Delmar (Md.) Little League

A newcomer, Delmar recorded 48 runs across four games in the the first-ever Mid-Atlantic Region tournament. The defending state champion is the only team from Maryland to make it to the LLSWS.

Northwest: Issaquah (Wash.) Little League

Issaquah features a one-two punch in star pitchers Shaelyn Erickson and London White. The team went undefeated in its regional tournament to reach the LLSWS for the seventh time.

Southwest: Midway Little League (Hewitt, Texas)

A three-time LLSWS champion from Texas, Midway nearly missed the tournament after losing to Louisiana early in the Southwest Region tournament. The team rebounded in the championship game and aims to win the World Series once again.

North Carolina (Host): Pitt County Girls Softball Little League

Pitt County beat two-time LLWS champions Rowan to claim the first spot in Greenville in early July.

New England: Milford (Conn.) Little League

Another team with a dominant pitching duo, Milford went 4-0 in the first-ever New England Regional softball tournament. With 18 strikeouts over four victories, the team allowed just three earned runs.

Southeast: Chesterfield (Va.) Little League

This year’s appearance from Chesterfield marks the seventh time a team from Virginia will make the tournament. It’s the second-straight trip to the LLSWS for Chesterfield, which went 3-0 in the regional tournament, including a 4-3 against Rowan (N.C.) in the championship game.

West: La Verne (Calif.) Little League

The 22nd team from California to make the tournament, La Verne scored 30 runs in the West Region tournament and allowed just one. Pitcher Katie Coldiron has been outstanding in the circle, recording 44 strikeouts since the start of district tournament play.

Asia-Pacific: Negros Occidental Little League (Philippines)

The Asia-Pacific champion is trying to become the first team from its region to win the LLSWS.

Latin America: Guayama (Puerto Rico) Softball Little League

Guayama makes its first-ever appearance at the LLSWS and is the first Puerto Rican team to represent the Latin American Region since 2017.

Canada: St. Albert Softball Little League

The Canadian team did not drop a game in its regional championship run and has won 38 total gamest this season compared to just six losses. St. Albert logged two double-digit run games in the regional tournament.

Europe and Africa: Emilia Romagna Little League (Italy)

Emilia Romagna becomes the first Italian team in the tournament since 2019. The group is looking to be the first international team to win the tournament since 2001.

Full Schedule

Tuesday, Aug. 9

• Mid-Atlantic 3, Central 1
• Southwest 13, Northwest 4
• West 9, North Carolina 2
• Asia-Pacific 1, Canada 0

Wednesday, Aug. 10

• Southwest 2, Latin America 0
• Mid-Atlantic 2, New England 1
• Asia Pacific 4, Europe-Africa 1
• Southeast 6, West 1

Thursday, Aug. 11

• Central 12, Europe-Africa 0 (Europe-Africa eliminated)
• West 7, Northwest 1 (Northwest eliminated)
• North Carolina 8, Latin America  (Latin America eliminated)
• New England 4, Canada 0 (Canada eliminated)

Friday, Aug. 12

• North Carolina 6, West 1 (West eliminated)
• New England 8, Central Region 2 (Central Region eliminated)
• Mid-Atlantic 2, Asia-Pacific 0
• Southwest 1, Southeast 0

Saturday, Aug. 13

• Asia-Pacific 1, New England 0 (New England eliminated)
• Southeast 2, North Carolina 1  (North Carolina eliminated)

Sunday, Aug. 14

• Semifinal: Southwest vs. Southeast @ 1 p.m. on ESPN
• Semifinal: Mid-Atlantic vs. Asia-Pacific @ 4 p.m. on ESPN

Monday, Aug. 15

• Third-place game: Game 19 loser vs. Game 20 loser @ 4 p.m. on ESPN
• Final: Game 19 winner vs. Game 20 winner @ 7 p.m. on ESPN

All times listed in ET.

US Soccer submitted its World Cup bid book to FIFA last week, naming 14 US stadiums among the 2031 tournament's 20+ proposed North American host venues.

The four-country joint bid for the 2031 World Cup spanned cities across host nations USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica, with the quartet collectively identifying 50 potential stadiums while also designating their proposed core of 20 venues.

In the US, stadiums in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Los Angeles, Kansas City, and Seattle made the proposed shortlist, as well as Arlington, Texas, and East Rutherford, New Jersey, among others.

Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Torreón made Mexico's primary proposal, while Costa Rica and Jamaica put forward San Jose and Kingston, respectively.

The bid includes both soccer and football venues, with secondary venues also listed as possible options in eight of the first-choice US cities.

Additionally, the bid book pegged Atlanta as the World Cup draw host and Dallas as the tournament's international broadcast center, though FIFA will likely not make final decisions on 2031 venues until after the 2027 competition in Brazil.

"By proposing more than the required 20 sites, the joint bidders demonstrate a commitment to securing the best possible hosting conditions and ensuring the tournament represents the full diversity of our region on a global scale," FIFA stated.

The WNBA and WNBPA agreed to a second CBA extension late Sunday night, officially pushing the contract's deadline to January 9th, 2026, to allow for 40 more days of negotiations.

Like the original CBA extension from October 31st to December 1st, either the WNBA or WNBPA now has the option to terminate the agreement with 48 hours of notice.

"We expect substantive movement from the league within this window," the players union told Front Office Sports, while the WNBA issued a statement saying both parties are "continuing to work toward a new agreement."

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While total annual compensation offers have reportedly crossed the million-dollar mark for players earning the league's maximum, the WNBA's salary model — particularly in regards to revenue sharing — remains a core issue.

According to sources, the WNBA's proposal offers players a revenue-sharing option only after reaching certain minimums, while the WNBPA continues to advocate for a bigger cut of the exponentially growing league.

The players union is also reportedly advocating for a salary cap that increases with the league's income, rather than at an arbitrarily fixed growth rate.

With important offseason processes like the planned two-team expansion draft to stock incoming 2026 WNBA franchises the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo now delayed until a new CBA is in place, the pressure is approaching new highs on both sides of the negotiating table.

No. 4 Texas blew past two top-ranked opponents last week, setting the tone for the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season with back-to-back wins over No. 3 UCLA and No. 2 South Carolina to earn the Players Era Championship trophy on Thanksgiving Day.

Fifth-year senior Rori Harmon was named tournament MVP, putting up a game-leading 26 points and breaking the Longhorns' career assists record in Wednesday's 76-65 defeat of UCLA before hitting the game-winner to lift Texas over the Gamecocks 66-64 in Thursday's title game.

"I just read the vibe and flow of the game," Harmon said afterward. "[Texas head coach Vic Schaefer] called the play at the end of the game, and I've been in this moment before, so it felt good coming out of my hands."

Texas's win added fuel to the burgeoning SEC rivalry, with the teams squaring off five times in the last year — and South Carolina riding a narrow 3-2 advantage.

"I'm not upset at all," Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said postgame. "This is going to help us because there are a lot of things to unpack in it."

"If you can give [Texas] a run for their money in that way, I mean, you're on to something," she continued. "I like our resiliency. We've just got to clean up some things at the end of the game."

How to watch Texas, South Carolina this week

Both Texas and South Carolina have another ranked matchup on this week's NCAA docket, with the No. 4 Longhorns taking on the No. 12 UNC Tar Heels while the No. 2 Gamecocks face the No. 23 Louisville Cardinals.

Both games tip off at 7 PM ET on Thursday, with Texas vs. UNC airing live on ESPN2 while South Carolina vs. Louisville airs on ESPN.

After a year of testing and experimentation, the USWNT will look to close out 2025 on a high note on Monday night, when the world No. 2 squad faces No. 12 Italy in the second of the pair's winter friendlies.

"I've been very clear on the process to develop players and what we have to go through, so I'm not zoomed in on three losses," US manager Emma Hayes said of the team's 2025 shortcomings. "If I was, I wouldn't make changes."

"We work in an environment we're really proud of," she continued. "It's a very inclusive environment, diverse environment, and all these things contribute to the culture that hopefully leads to long-term success."

In line with her ongoing rotational philosophy, Hayes indicated that fans in Fort Lauderdale on Monday could see a departure from the combination of players that defeated Italy 3-0 in Orlando on Friday — as well as new tactics from the 2025 Euro semifinalists.

"My whole argument is that no matter who plays, the level of performance should still be high," Hayes said.

The US saw 16 players debut this year — the most since 1985 — with 51% of the team's combined 39 goals and 26 assists in 2025 involving a player under 25 years old.

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How to watch the USWNT vs. Italy on Monday

The 2025 finale for the No. 2 USWNT will see the national team kick off against No. 12 Italy at 7 PM ET on Monday, with live coverage airing on TNT and HBO Max.