Just Women’s Sports is here with your daily World Cup Digest, breaking down all of the biggest storylines from each day of action in Australia and New Zealand.

Today’s top World Cup news: Rose Lavelle available to start for USWNT

Rose Lavelle is cleared to start for the U.S. women’s national team against the Netherlands, USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski said Wednesday. The 28-year-old midfielder is recovering from a knee injury, and she played her first minutes since April in the World Cup opener against Vietnam.

“Rose is fine, and I’m happy she’s available for selection,” Andonovski said.

Whether Lavelle will get the starting nod remains to be seen, but she said Wednesday morning that she feels “pretty good” and “ready for the second match.” She played just 27 minutes against Vietnam, but she generated 0.24 expected assists, the fourth-highest of any USWNT player.

“Every time we play them, it’s a very physical and intense match,” she said of the Netherlands. “They have a lot of different threats, they’re technical, good on set pieces, so I think it’s going to be a tough game, but we’re really excited for it.”

Lavelle brings a history of success against the Netherlands, having scored in the 2019 World Cup final. But she warned Wednesday that this matchup will look “completely different.”

“Both teams are completely different — new players, new coaches — so I think that it’s a fun memory, but we have a new mindset going into this game,” she said. “We know every time we play the Netherlands, it’s going to be a great game. They have a lot of experience on the field.

“I think it’s going to be fun.”

More top World Cup news: Canada battles back against Ireland

Ireland’s Katie McCabe scored her team’s first-ever World Cup goal in thrilling fashion, putting an Olimpico into the net in the fourth minute.

OH MY GOODNESS, OH MY OLIMPICO 🇮🇪

KATIE MCCABE WHAT A WAY TO SCORE YOUR FIRST GOAL IN A FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP! pic.twitter.com/OFWwbMGd8W

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 26, 2023

Yet after the rare goal conceded by goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, Canada pushed back to take a key 2-1 victory in Group B.

Canada’s first goal came late in the first half, when Julia Grosso – through wet and rainy conditions – put a shot on net that resulted in an own goal from Ireland. Adriana Leon added another goal in the 53rd minute that proved to be the game-winner.

#CAN are level right before the break 🇨🇦

Julia Grosso's ball in isn't dealt with and creeps into the bottom corner...#FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/fgiVYEd1lh

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 26, 2023

Today’s top highlight: Spain’s Alba Redondo shares moment with her family

After scoring two goals in Spain’s 5-0 win over Zambia, Alba Redondo paused to soak in the moment with her family. It’s giving us all the feels.

Alba Redondo shares a moment with her family after scoring 2 goals in Spain's win vs Zambia 🤗🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/9y0pErCkK0

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 26, 2023

Today’s results:

• Japan 2, Costa Rica 0
• Spain 5, Zambia 0
• Canada 2, Ireland 1
• USWNT vs. Netherlands — 9 p.m. ET

More World Cup news to know:

• Spain and Japan are advancing to the knockout stage. Both won their second Group C matches in commanding fashion and will feature in the Round of 16 regardless of what happens when they face off in their third and final group-stage match.
• Caroline Graham Hansen issued an apology to Norway coach Hege Riise for her comments after being dropped to the bench for Tuesday’s scoreless draw against Switzerland. Even in the apology, Graham Hansen still said she “strongly disagreed” with Riise’s decision to leave her out of the starting lineup. “I just want to apologize for my statements after the match. I’m just a human being with a lot of feelings,” she told reporters Tuesday. “Emotions got the better of me.”
• Mary Fowler and Aivi Luik have joined Sam Kerr on Australia’s injured list for Thursday’s game against Nigeria. Both players sustained mild concussions in separate incidents during training Tuesday, according to Football Australia. Both have recovered but are following return to play protocols. Football Australia’s concussion guidelines from Jan. 2018 state that return to play protocols “provides for a minimum of six days before the player can play a competitive game.”

The Las Vegas Aces took to the White House yet again on Thursday to celebrate their 2023 WNBA championship victory. 

The decorated team was hosted by President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and First Lady Jill Biden, marking the first time the Bidens have welcomed the team personally.

Last year, Harris hosted the Aces after the Bidens were unable to attend due to a last minute conflict. Harris applauded the team for their 2022 win, pointing to the "grit and determination" they showcased en route to their WNBA Finals win over Connecticut. 

President Biden is ready to PLAY! 🤣

The @LVAces presented personalized jerseys for the @POTUS and @VP 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vm8iWbMpxj

— WNBA (@WNBA) May 9, 2024

The Aces won back-to-back championships in 2023, becoming the first WNBA franchise to repeat the feat since 2002. More impressively, they did so without 2022 Finals MVP Chelsea Gray and center Kiah Stokes, both of whom were sidelined with injuries for the title-clinching Game 4. Star forward A’ja Wilson ended up claiming the 2023 Finals MVP honors.

Following the team’s White House visit, the Aces will visit Wilson’s alma mater South Carolina for an exhibition game against the Puerto Rico women's national basketball team. According to head coach Becky Hammon, the unconventional matchup came about when other WNBA teams lacked interest in facing the reigning champs in preseason play.

"We just started kind of building from there," Hammon told the Las Vegas Review Journal. "It’s really cool for players to go home, and that’s where she’s from. She’s the centerpiece of our whole organization."

Kelsey Plum jokingly called Wilson the "mayor of South Carolina" before citing the trip as an opportunity to build team chemistry ahead of their season opener against Phoenix on Tuesday.

"We have some new pieces, and we’re just trying to figure out where our rhythm is," Plum said, referring to recent roster prospects like Iowa grad Kate Martin, among others. "Because when the season starts, it happens fast."

Toronto’s Professional Women's Hockey League team skated to victory Wednesday night, kicking off the league's first playoff match with a 4-0 win over visiting Minnesota.

Natalie Spooner — the league's leading regular season goalscorer with 20 goals in 24 games — opened things up with the first playoff goal in PWSHL history at 9:47 of the first period, later notching an assist in front of Coca-Cola Coliseum's 8,473 fans. Captain Blayre Turnbull followed up Spooner's efforts with two goals of her own, securing the game's final point with just 38 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

In the defensive end, goalie Kristen Campbell put a stop to all 26 shots fired her way. With game one behind them, Toronto has pulled ahead of Minnesota 1-0 in the best-of-five series.

Good soup. 🍲

Kristen Campbell locks in the first-ever PWHL Playoff shutout! pic.twitter.com/J0Ve9MjHpw

— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) May 9, 2024

"It's what I believe I expect and I think what the group expects as well," head coach Troy Ryan said in postgame remarks. "Being everything we thought it would be, I think the atmosphere was incredible. I think our performance was pretty good and I think it's a great stepping-stone for us to continue to build on for this series and hopefully moving forward.

For Turnbull, the win came as a result of weeks of regular season preparation, adding that the team was "proud" of its execution throughout their first playoff game. 

"The whole season we’ve been building and building waiting to get into playoffs and trying to find our game every week and get better so that when players arrived, we are ready to go," Turnbull said. "I think there’s still a few areas that we can keep improving on, but overall, we’re pretty happy with where we’re at, so we’re excited to get back on the ice for game two."

The postseason outing continues a record-breaking regular season for the young league. In total, the PWHL set six attendance records for women’s hockey this year, with nearly 400,000 fans showing up to watch the inaugural teams take the ice over the 72-game season.

Toronto will face Minnesota at home once more in Game 2 of the series on Friday, before the teams move to Minnesota for Monday's Game 3. 

Former Spanish soccer federation chief Rubiales will stand trial on charges of sexual assault and coercion for his unsolicited kiss of Jenni Hermoso after last year's Women’s World Cup final, a judge confirmed this week.

Back in January, Judge Francisco de Jorge recommended that Rubiales be held accountable for his 2023 actions, calling the kiss "unconsented and carried out unilaterally and in a surprising fashion" and within the bounds of "intimacy of sexual relations." On Wednesday, Spain’s National Court ruled that Rubiales should indeed stand trial.

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Rubiales has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, saying the kiss was consensual. Hermoso, meanwhile, defined the incident, which occurred during the WWC medal ceremony, as "unexpected and at no time consensual."

Public prosecutors and lawyers for the Spanish Women's National Football Team star and Women's World Cup champion are seeking two and a half years of prison time for Rubiales: one year for sexual assault, and an additional 18 months for participating in coercion.

Rubiales is alleged to have pressured Hermoso into showing support for him following the kiss. Three other officials — including former women's national team head coach Jorge Vilda — are also facing coercion charges that could result in 18 months in prison. 

A trial date has yet to be set. Last October, FIFA banned Rubiales from all football activity for three years. The sentence will be in place through the 2026 Men’s World Cup, but will have expired by the time the 2027 Women's World Cup begins.

Brazil has officially become the favorite to host the 2027 Women's World Cup after FIFA’s technical inspection team awarded them a higher rating than the joint European bid. 

After the US and Mexico dropped out of the running last month, the bid from Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands had previously been pegged to win hosting rights for the next Women's World Cup. But FIFA's latest report shows that Brazil was given a score of 4.0 out of 5 in its technical evaluation, besting the European contender's score of 3.7.

Brazil ranked higher in a number of key areas, including stadiums, accommodations, fan zones, and transport infrastructure. The country is aiming to reuse 10 of the venues used for the 2014 Men's World Cup in 2027, with the final set to take place in Rio de Janeiro. 

"The Bid Evaluation Report reflects the comprehensive evaluation model that has become a hallmark of FIFA’s enhanced bidding processes for men’s and women’s flagship events, which incorporates a variety of criteria, ranging from event vision and key metrics, infrastructure, services, commercial aspects, and sustainability and human rights," FIFA wrote in a press release.

The report also highlighted the fact that this would be the first Women's World Cup in South America, noting that the decision could "have a tremendous impact on women's football in the region."

Should the EU bid win, it wouldn't be the first WWC in Europe, as Germany played host to the event in 2011 before France in 2019. There could also be further complications for the Germany-Belgium-Netherlands bid: In its report, the evaluation team regarded the bid's legal and contractual framework as "high-risk."

FIFA has promised more planning time for the 2031 Women's World Cup. While the Men's World Cup hosts have already been secured through 2034, the WWC is only three years away with a host yet to be named.

The final vote is set to take place at the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok on May 17th. It will be the first time FIFA determines a World Cup host via an open vote.