On Sunday, the NWSL will hold its first-ever Decision Day, where the final six matches of the regular season will be played simultaneously. With eight teams vying for four remaining playoff spots, the timing for the move couldn’t be better.

It might be tricky to follow six games at once, but here are a few reasons why this weekend’s NWSL match day might be one of the most exciting in league history.

Superstars at the top

In the last few weeks, the biggest game-changers have been some of the biggest stars in the league, where hype and quality are coinciding. The USWNT’s Trinity Rodman grabbed all three points for the Spirit in a crucial 2-1 win in September, while Alex Morgan broke out of her scoring drought to give San Diego a top-of-the-table win over Portland. Megan Rapinoe continues to register assists in the waning days of her professional career, and Alyssa Thompson kept Angel City’s playoff hopes alive this past weekend with a key equalizer off the bench.

But Decision Day will likely come down to the other side of the pitch, as teams with quality defenses lock down opponents desperate to score. This should favor Naomi Girma and the Wave backline, which has been excellent again this season. The Thorns are bolstered by the return of Becky Sauerbrunn and arguably the best defensive midfielder in the league in Sam Coffey. Two-time World Cup champion Ali Krieger is thriving for Gotham before she heads off into retirement, while Sarah Gorden holds down Angel City’s backline.

Unsung heroes are at the heart of every league, but in a World Cup year, it’s no surprise that the league’s stars are stepping up when it counts. With playoff glory on the line, expect no different on Sunday.

Historic levels of parity

The NWSL’s parity has been praised as one of its greatest strengths, and its case for the most competitive league in the world has never been stronger. Eight teams still have a shot at the four remaining playoff spots, with every match looking like a must-win. Going into the final weekend, 10 teams are still in competitive positioning; whereas in 2022, the season ended with a three-team race for the sixth and final playoff spot (ultimately earned by Chicago).

Other indicators of next-level parity as compared to 2022 are the point totals at the bottom of the NWSL table. Gotham FC finished last season with just 13 points in 24 games and were barely beaten out by Washington, who finished with 19 points. This season, the Kansas City Current and Chicago Red Stars are the only two teams already eliminated from playoff contention, but both teams will far exceed last year’s basement dwellers in two fewer games. No. 12 Chicago suffered major blowouts for a rough minus-19 goal differential, but also earned seven wins to sit on 24 points in 21 games. Kansas City similarly struggled, but will go into the final weekend on 25 points.

You can also see the parity reflected in individual totals, as represented by the NWSL Golden Boot race. Reigning MVP Sophia Smith has produced a ridiculous goal per 90 rate, registering 11 goals (10 non-penalty) and five assists in just 16 appearances. Despite missing a number of matches due to international duty and injury, Smith can only lose the scoring title if Kerolin scores a brace or Debinha or Ashley Hatch notch a hat trick.

Parity is a blessing and a curse, and will likely deliver on Decision Day. No team has an easy match ahead of them, even the two teams playing against sides that have already been eliminated. One dropped result could mean a squad above the playoff line gets leapfrogged in real time.

New NWSL standings just dropped 💯 pic.twitter.com/wZszXu9ar2

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 9, 2023

Save the date

It’s then naturally fitting that each of these games will be played at the same time, as difficult as it might be for fans to catch all of the action. In 2022, Portland’s final draw with Gotham FC gave OL Reign an opening to snatch the Shield. But Portland’s draw came earlier in the weekend, so the Reign knew exactly what they needed to do before their match even began.

A Decision Day format reserves all suspense for the same 90 minutes, adding to the drama of a close race to the finish. The Thorns are again in pole position for the Shield, but should they drop points against Angel City, they won’t know the outcome of challenger San Diego’s game until theirs is finished. This energy will carry into the live playoff table, as teams push for results to give themselves a shot at the postseason.

Most teams know they need a win to have a chance at advancing — with matchups like Washington vs. North Carolina and Orlando vs. Houston, some results will be obvious even without knowledge of other games. For viewers wanting more contextualized information, CBS Sports will be broadcasting the league’s first-ever whiparound show on Sunday, giving fans the programming depth they’ve long been craving.

The frantic race to the finish will drive momentum toward the championship game. Now all that’s left is for the action to live up to the moment.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

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Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

• No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.

• No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.