England has advanced to their first Women’s World Cup final with a 3-1 win over host nation Australia in the semifinals on Wednesday.

Australia appeared on the verge of a comeback after Sam Kerr tied the game 1-1 with a long-distance strike in the 63rd minute. But England quieted the crowd with a response eight minutes later, as Lauren Hemp got on the end of a long ball and took advantage of miscommunication along Australia’s backline to restore England’s lead.

Alessia Russo, who scored the game-winner in England’s 2-1 win over Colombia in the quarterfinals, put the game away with another goal of her own in the 86th minute.

Alessia Russo puts England one goal closer to the FIFA Women's World Cup Final 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/VAOd2npXqw

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 16, 2023

Ella Toone, who replaced suspended forward Lauren James in the starting lineup, opened the scoring for the Lionesses with a one-time strike into the top right corner in the first half.

Kerr ignited the home crowd in the second half with a stunning individual scoring effort. Australia’s star striker received the ball at midfield and dribbled all the way to the top of the 18-yard box before curling a shot past the outstretched hands of England goalkeeper Mary Earps.

THAT'S ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT 🤩

GOLAZOOO SAM KERR 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/Gnts261nW2

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 16, 2023

Kerr was starting in her first game at this World Cup since injuring her calf in training before the tournament began. After missing Australia’s first two games, she had been on a minutes restriction leading up to the semifinal.

Kerr had multiple chances throughout the second half to give Australia the lead, but she couldn’t convert and England took advantage.

James will be available for the World Cup final after serving a two-game red-card suspension for stepping on the back of Nigerian player Michelle Alozie in the Round of 16. James emerged as England’s breakout star in the group stage, leading the team with three goals and three assists in the tournament.

England is moving onto another final of a major tournament after winning the Euros in their home country last year. Head coach Sarina Wiegman leads her second national team into a World Cup final after coaching the Netherlands in the 2019 final, which the Dutch lost to the United States. She is the first coach to do so with two different countries.

England will meet Spain in the championship game on Sunday (6 a.m. ET, FOX) after La Roja defeated Sweden 2-1 in a dramatic finish to the other semifinal game. Both teams are playing for their first-ever World Cup title.

The Tour de France Femmes confirmed its course for 2026 this week, setting up next year's event as the longest iteration of the race in the women's tour history.

The 2026 course will run in nine stages starting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on August 1st and continuing through the finish line in Nice, France, on August 9th.

Cyclists will cover a total of 1,175 kilometers, with 18,795 meters of climbing.

The course will feature three flat stages and three hilly stages as well as two mountain stages and one individual time trial, with riders tackling Mont Ventoux — an iconic climb from the men's event — for the first time.

Though 2026 will only by the fifth edition of the modern Tour de France Femmes, the race will make its debut in a standalone time slot one full week after the men’s race ends, with recent record viewership fueling the move to separate the races rather than continue the previous tactic of scheduling the two events back-to-back.

"We no longer need men for the Tour de France Femmes to exist,"  said race director Marion Rousse at Thursday's course unveiling. "There's no need to have the men's race as a platform to launch the women's race. Now people are waiting to see us."

"People have embraced us," Rousse continued. "The new dates, separate to the men, prove it."

This weekend's slate of international soccer features more than one blockbuster matchup, as some of the summer's top performers, including England and Brazil, begin the long process of preparing for the 2027 World Cup.

Reigning UEFA Women's Euro champions England will be hosting 2025 Copa América Femenina winners Brazil at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Saturday, when the Lionesses officially kick off their four-game Homecoming Series to close out 2025 play.

The match between world No. 4 England and No. 7 Brazil will serve as the first of the series of friendlies that will span the final two international breaks of the year, with the Lionesses closing out the opening pair of games against No. 15 Australia on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, while England fans will be enjoying the team's victory lap after their second-straight Euro title, other top UEFA competition are honing in on 2025 Nations League play.

Behind a long-range goal from winger Klara Bühl, No. 5 Germany snagged a narrow 1-0 victory over No. 6 France on Friday morning, taking the lead in the pair's two-leg semifinal.

The second Nations League semifinal round kicks off at 2 PM ET on Friday, when No. 1 Spain faces No. 3 Sweden live on Prime.

How to watch England vs. Brazil this weekend

England takes on Brazil at 12:30 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage streaming on Prime.

The Wings have found their next sideline leader, as multiple reports on Thursday linked longtime University of South Florida (USF) head coach Jose Fernandez to the open position in Dallas.

Fernandez is still finalizing his contract with the WNBA team, with the 53-year-old exiting USF having led the Bulls for 25 years, making 10 NCAA tournament appearances along the way.

Calling his impact "profound," USF athletics CEO Rob Higgins acknowledged that Fernandez is leaving for a WNBA position in a Thursday statement.

"While this is a bittersweet moment for our program, it is a well-deserved opportunity for Jose," said Higgins. "We are incredibly proud of him."

Replacing Chris Koclanes after one year, Fernandez will become the fifth Dallas head coach in seven seasons, with the Wings trying to build a title-contending roster around 2025 WNBA Draft overall No. 1 pick and reigning Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers.

Fernandez will also be the third WNBA hiring out of the college ranks in the last two years, joining Atlanta Dream boss Karl Smesko (FGCU) and LA Sparks manager Lynne Roberts (Utah).

Hoping to improve on a 13th-place 2025 finish — and make the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2023 — Dallas could claim a second straight No. 1 draftee next year, with the Wings entering 2026 with the highest odds to snag the top pick in the league's draft lottery.

The WNBA league office and the Players Association (WNBPA) exchanged escalating public statements this week, as both sides dispute terms surrounding a key issue in the ongoing CBA negotiations: revenue sharing.

"When the players opted out [of their CBA] a year ago, they made it clear they wanted a salary system that values their labor and allows them to grow with the business they are very clearly driving," WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson told ESPN in a statement this week, citing the vast disparity in revenue sharing percentages between the WNBA and the NBA.

Jackson continued by claiming that the WNBA intends to "run out the clock" and double down on a model that "intentionally undervalues the players."

Days ago, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said publicly that "[Revenue] share isn't the right way to look at it," pushing instead for salary increases in "absolute numbers."

WNBA leadership, however, denied that their current offer to players omits all revenue sharing, with the league calling the WNBPA's claim "incorrect and surprising," while indicating that an uncapped revenue sharing model "directly tied to the league's performance" is on the table.

"It is frustrating and counterproductive for the union to be making misrepresentations about our proposals while also accusing the league of engaging in delay," the WNBA's statement continued. "That is simply not true."

With both parties not seeing eye to eye, a resolution before the October 31st CBA deadline appears unlikely, though a formal request for an extension on negotiations is not currently in the cards.