As France and Morocco kicked off in the men’s World Cup semifinal on Wednesday, the NWSL and NWSL Players Association released the report on their joint investigation into misconduct throughout the league since its inception in 2012. And as the whistle blew on France’s 2-0 win, the sides held a press conference with the media, leading to a chaotic few hours for those in the soccer world.

The NWSL and NWSLPA investigation builds on the Sally Q. Yates report published in October, which detailed systemic abuse in the league and the failures by leaders to address it. The NWSL’s joint investigation began last October and the report had been expected for weeks, leaving many wondering why the league chose to release it at a time that conflicted with an event of such global significance.

Many soccer journalists report on both the men’s and women’s game, meaning resources on Wednesday had to be split between covering the Men’s World Cup and the 125-page NWSL/NWSLPA report. NWSLPA Executive Director Meghann Burke said she hopes journalists will “spend the next few days digesting this really important piece of work.”

Those efforts are crucial to distilling and disseminating the findings of the report to the public and holding people in power to account. The league and U.S. Soccer launched their investigations last year only after a report in The Athletic detailed allegations of sexual and emotional abuse against former Thorns and Courage coach Paul Riley, and others in the Washington Post uncovered wrongdoing by former coaches Rory Dames and Richie Burke.

But the timing of the NWSL report’s release on Wednesday only made the task of digesting it and reporting on it more challenging.

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said that they did not look at a calendar to see if any World Cup games conflicted with the publication date.

“The release date was directly determined by the completion of the report,” she told reporters. “Once we realized that it was substantially complete, we selected a date. There was no time where we took that date and checked the World Cup schedule.”

Burke and Berman were clear that they wanted all eyes on the report, and offered their apologies to those attending the press conference who had to miss the World Cup semifinal.

Burke also said they wanted to get the report out before the end of the month so that players did not head “into the holiday season with this looming over them.”

“It’s unfortunate,” Burke said. “I missed the game myself, which is unfortunate for all of us in this room, but we’ve been working hard 24/7 to get this report out.”

Not being able to watch a game was not the concern, however. It was the choice to release the report at a time that undermined the full attention the findings deserved.

“It’s unfortunate to see the commentary around that,” Berman said about the criticism of the report’s publication time. “Because I hope that people will take the time to recognize that this is really a brave and courageous moment for the players and for us collectively to face the truth and to heal and to move forward. And that really has been our singular focus.”

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Team Poland lifted the 2026 United Cup trophy on Sunday, but the historic win brought new concerns as world No. 2 Iga Świątek appeared rattled while closing out the Australian Open tune-up.

While her compatriots closed out the fourth edition of the international team tournament with wins that secured two-time runner-up Poland its first-ever United Cup title, Świątek stumbled at the finish.

The 24-year-old capped the singles competition with back-to-back defeats, dropping her semifinals match against US star No. 3 Coco Gauff in straight sets on Saturday before falling 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to Switzerland's No. 10 Belinda Bencic on Sunday — a loss that saw the six-time Grand Slam winner seeking treatment between sets.

"Everything is fine. Just super sore," Świątek said following Poland's 2026 United Cup win, downplaying her fitness concerns. "First tournament of the year, it causes the body [to feel] a bit differently than during the season."

With the first Grand Slam of 2026 looming — the only one standing between Świątek and a Career Grand Slam — the Polish phenom and her peers will have a week to recover before taking the Australian Open hardcourt in Melbourne at 7 PM ET on Saturday.

With qualifying play wrapping midweek, the 2026 Australian Open will reveal each player's path in the main draw, which will stream live at 10:30 PM ET on Wednesday at ausopen.com.

Fresh faces are shining on the 3×3 basketball court, as Unrivaled newcomer Breeze BC holds their own against veteran competition, riding a 2-1 record through their first three games of the 2026 season.

First-year guard Paige Bueckers leads the team with 18.3 points per game, with the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year also sitting third in the offseason league in assists with 7.0 per game.

It's not only Bueckers impressing from the young Breeze squad, however, as second-year Unrivaled vet Rickea Jackson and league debutant Dominique Malonga are posting 17.3 points per game so far, putting the pair at Nos. 11 and 12 among the league's 45 star players — just behind Bueckers at No. 9.

"I feel like we just stick together," said Jackson. "Our chemistry is insane for us to just [now] be playing together."

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Experience did win out on Sunday, though, as reigning champion Rose BC's Chelsea Gray dropped 37 points on the young stars to secure her team's 3-0 record with a 73-69 victory.

Gray currently leads Unrivaled with 31.7 points per game, hitting two game-winners in the first week of play as Rose BC tops the Season 2 standings.

How to watch Breeze BC in Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball

Breeze BC will return to the Unrivaled court next weekend, tipping off their Saturday matchup against Vinyl BC at 8:45 PM ET on truTV before taking on the Mist at 8 PM ET next Monday, airing live on TNT.

The WNBA CBA deadline came and went on Friday, leaving the league and the players union in a status quo holding pattern while negotiations drag on.

The WNBA and WNBPA are continuing talks under the conditions of the previous CBA, without a moratorium on offseason activity like qualifying offers to restricted free agents.

The league originally set the opening to begin free agency conversations for January 11th, allowing teams to now start sending offers through January 20th — though those proposed deals must abide by the terms of the expired CBA.

Amidst the deluge of one-year deals inked last offseason in anticipation of a renegotiated CBA — and the significant compensation bump likely to result from a new agreement — nearly all WNBA veterans are now free agents, with reports indicating that players aren't eager to sign contracts under the old CBA.

This year's free agency period also hinges on the league's expected two-team expansion draft, with incoming franchises Portland and Toronto unable to build their rosters due to the ongoing CBA delays.

Though the WNBA is reportedly not yet considering locking out the players, the WNBPA recently reserved the right to formally authorize a work stoppage through a strike measure, saying the "WNBA and its teams have failed to meet us at the table with the same spirit and seriousness."

Unranked Notre Dame made a statement last weekend, as the Fighting Irish took down No. 22 North Carolina 73-50 to earn their second ranked win of the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season on Sunday.

While guards Cassandre Prosper and Vanessa de Jesus bolstered Notre Dame with 17 and 16 points, respectively, junior star Hannah Hidalgo led the Irish's charge, putting up 31 points as well as snagging six steals in the afternoon matchup.

"Hidalgo was a real problem," Tar Heels head coach Courtney Banghart said postgame. "Obviously, she disrupted us in all ways, I think most of those 27 points off turnovers was because of her."

After a volatile offseason, the Irish saw their 85-week AP Top 25 streak end earlier this month following back-to-back losses to ACC foes Georgia Tech and Duke — but Notre Dame has since rattled off two straight wins to potentially re-enter the rankings conversation.

"I'm challenging them in practice," said Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey. "We're learning from our mistakes, and we're getting better. That's what I love. This group allows me to do that."

How to watch Notre Dame basketball this week

Notre Dame will face another tough test on Thursday, when the unranked Irish host a surging No. 10 Louisville at 6 PM ET, airing live on ACCN.