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

Today’s top news: Sam Kerr misses Australia opener

Sam Kerr missed Australia’s World Cup opener Thursday after picking up a calf injury during training Wednesday. While the Matildas still secured a 1-0 win against Ireland, their all-time leading scorer will be out for at least the next game. The team will “re-assess her following our second group-stage match,” so she could return for July 31 match against Canada.

“Unfortunately I sustained a calf injury yesterday in training,” Kerr said in a statement. “I wanted to share this with everyone so there is no distraction from what we came here to achieve. Of course I would have loved to have been out there tonight, but I can’t wait to be a part of this amazing journey which starts now.”

Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson called the injury “devastating” and said after the win that the team did not know the extent of Kerr’s injury until 9:30 p.m. local time Wednesday. He asked for understanding on the decision to not reveal that information sooner, explaining that the team didn’t give “too much” away to Ireland.

“Once we came to the stadium, we didn’t play any type of mind games, we just were honest with the team sheet,” he said. “She wasn’t in the starting lineup. We went out with the news saying she’s injured, she couldn’t play. But we wanted to wait until the last second when we come to the stadium to not give away too much in tournament football.”

He also noted he was proud of the way that his team responded to Kerr’s absence, particularly once she stepped away during training Wednesday.

Kerr undeniably was missed in the Matildas’ opening game, but the team still prevailed thanks to a penalty kick from defender Steph Catley that put the home side up 1-0 – which remained the final score despite a number of late challenges by Ireland.

“My heart really breaks for Sammy. I know she wants to be out there, I know she wants to be a part of these two games,” Australia’s Elise Kellond-Knight said. “Luckily there’s another 22 players on this team. The team isn’t just Sam Kerr. … We’ve got so much depth. If anything, it’s kind of great that we can rest Sam and afford to put her on the sidelines and then look at our other players and create our attacks through those players.”

Today’s top highlight: Ali Riley’s reaction to New Zealand’s first WC win

New Zealand got the upset party going Thursday with its 1-0 victory over Norway – the first World Cup win for a New Zealand team, men’s or women’s. Hannah Wilkinson provided the lone goal of the match, a beautiful strike that electrified the crowd of 42,137 fans in attendance.

New Zealand had never won or even hosted a Women’s World Cup match…

Today they upset Norway IN New Zealand with a crowd of 42,137 fans, the largest soccer crowd the nation has ever seen 🤯

(via @FOXSoccer, h/t @FOS) pic.twitter.com/jujm6Hi1jT

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 20, 2023

Following the win, captain Ali Riley gave an emotional interview, noting that she thought the Football Ferns “deserved” the win.

“I’m so, so proud. We’ve been fighting for this for so long and we had a clear goal, that we wanted to inspire young girls, young people around this country and around the world,” she said. “And I really think we did that tonight. Anything is possible.”

Ali Riley reacting after a historic win for New Zealand, and yes we might have cried a little. 🥺

🎥 @FOXSoccerpic.twitter.com/oE7czGzXRc

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) July 20, 2023

Today’s results:

So far, so good for the host countries, as both New Zealand and Australia prevailed in their opening matches.

• New Zealand 1 — Norway 0
• Australia 1 — Ireland 0

More World Cup news to know:

• A shooting in Auckland, New Zealand, left three people dead, including the gunman, and five others injured. Many players were staying in hotels close to the site of the shooting, which also was not far from the fan zone. Lynn Williams and Crystal Dunn spoke on the USWNT’s mindset following the devastating incident.
• Want to get to know the USWNT’s first group stage opponent before tomorrow night? Take a look at Just Women’s Sports’ scouting report on Vietnam. 
• Want to get a better idea of who could be in the starting lineup for the USWNT? Just Women’s Sports’ Claire Watkins has you covered.

LOVB volleyball is coming back to cable, as the pro volleyball league announced a Wednesday night primetime partnership with USA Network for its 2026 season.

From January through April, USA Network will air a "Match of the Week" nearly every Wednesday evening, starting with a 2025 championship rematch between runners-up LOVB Nebraska and title-winners LOVB Austin on January 7th, 2026.

USA Network will also broadcast a portion of LOVB's 2026 postseason, including one semifinal and both games in the league's new two-match championship series.

Gearing up for its second season, LOVB features a talented player pool amid an increasingly crowded pro volleyball market.

One in every five LOVB athletes are Olympians, with 90% of the league's international players and 75% of its US players boasting national team experience.

Even more, growing demand for the sport has expansion on the horizon for the six-team league, with LOVB preparing to launch its seventh franchise in Los Angeles — backed by Angel City and Chelsea FC investor Alexis Ohanian — in 2027.

How to watch the 2026 LOVB season on USA Network

The second season of LOVB opens when inaugural champions Austin take on runners-up Nebraska at 6 PM ET on January 7th, 2026.

Live coverage will air on USA Network.

With the rookie card of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark still doing numbers, trading card manufacturer Panini America is debuting Caitlin Clark Chronicled this week, dropping a limited-edition release on Monday that features a 22-page collectible book and 100-card set of the WNBA standout.

The book spans images of Clark on and off the court, and includes eight four-card packs and 32 randomly inserted trading cards, as well as autographed exclusives.

"I'm excited to launch 'Caitlin Clark Chronicled' with Panini America and share some of my favorite moments on and off the court from my first two years in the WNBA," Clark said in Monday's statement. "We wanted to create something different that combined great photography with trading cards, including some special exclusives. I am proud of this collection and hope fans enjoy it."

The WNBA superstar is an exclusive Panini partner in the trading card and autographed memorabilia space, with Clark making headlines last July when her one-of-one autographed rookie card sold for more than $600,000 — setting a new world record for a women's sports card.

How to buy Panini's 'Caitlin Clark Chronicled' card set

Panini's limited edition Clark collection is currently available for purchase at Target stores and Target.com.

Tensions remain high between the WNBA and WNBPA, after The Athletic reported on Monday that the latest CBA proposal from Players Association more than doubles the league's revenue share offer — suggesting a deepening rift in negotiations.

The union outlined a deal that would give players around 30% of total WNBA and team revenue — a significant leap from the league's proposed 15% share.

According to sources, the WNBPA also suggested linking the salary cap to the previous season's total revenue, factoring in player benefits and the number of teams in the league.

The move intends to undercut an accusation from the WNBA that the players have yet to put forward an economically viable revenue sharing model.

The union's proposal begins at 29% of the prior season's total league grosses, then grows to 34% by the final year of the CBA with a one-time adjustment for the new 11-year, $2.2 billion WNBA media rights deal.

Notably, the league recently rejected a flat 33% revenue share CBA proposal, prompting this week's 1%-per-year increase system in response.

It's clear that the WNBA office and the WNBPA are at odds, but the union is showing their work as both sides strive for a CBA that will keep players on the court in 2026.

Olympic swimming icon Katie Ledecky has done it again, becoming the first woman to break the 15-minute mile with a time of 14:59.62 at her namesake Katie Ledecky Invitational in Maryland.

Smashing her own US record of 15:01.41, Sunday's sub-15 minute mile gives Ledecky the 1,650-meter freestyle's eight fastest times, with US teammate Erica Sullivan earning the ninth-best in 2019.

"This is a special one for sure," Ledecky said afterwards. "This has been a goal of mine, to break 15 minutes in the 1,650, for probably eight or nine years. So, just putting in the hard work, believing that I could do it someday, and to do it at this meet, is really special."

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The 28-year-old Washington, DC, product is the most decorated women's swimmer in the history of the sport, prompting Nation's Capital Swimming — where Ledecky got her start at age six — to name their annual event in her honor earlier this year.

"I definitely was a little nervous before the race, just knowing there were a lot of eyes on me and all that," she continued. "But I knew I could just relax and have fun with it, and whatever happened, happened."

How to watch Katie Ledecky in action

Ledecky's next major competition will likely be the TYR Pro Swim Series, which kicks off in Austin on January 14th, 2026.

The domestic competition series will be covered across NBC Sports platforms.