There wasn’t a ton of movement in the Power Rankings this week. The poles stayed the same and a few teams shifted between them, with the Courage winning twice this week, Racing Louisville nabbing their second win of the season, and OL Reign (after a rocky start) getting a decisive win over Chicago.

Get the popcorn ready for Saturday, because we’re wrapping up the week with all 10 of the league’s teams in action.

10. Kansas City (–)

Things aren’t getting any better for Kansas and they still don’t have a win. They’ll continue to be the underdogs in every game they play, and they’ll probably need a few signings to get things on track.

9. Chicago Red Stars (-1) 

Chicago conceded in the first minute to OL Reign on Tuesday, and the game was pretty much over after that. Something culturally seems to be off in Chicago because the individual talent is certainly there.

8. Houston Dash (-1)

The Dash have not started the season the way they wanted to (or the way anyone expected them to). They have a prime opportunity against the Orlando Pride this weekend to try and right the ship and prove they’re still contenders. 

7. Racing Louisville (+2)

Racing Louisville are by no means the best team in the league, but they come out every week and compete. They can also feel optimistic that they’re making good signings as Ebony Salmon made her NWSL debut and scored (in the same minute) in their 1-0 win over the Dash last weekend.

6. OL Reign (–)

The Reign came out to prove all the doubters wrong on Tuesday with a dominant performance in their win over Chicago. I’m not sure that warrants us forgetting their early season woes yet, but they do have a favorable stretch of games coming up

5. Gotham FC (-1)

Caprice Dydasco got the first goal of her NWSL career and Gotham tied league-leading Orlando last weekend. While they had the better of the possession, it didn’t amount to many chances, and the Orlando press got them into some dicey moments early on.

4. North Carolina Courage (+1)

With two straight wins this week, the Courage finally found a small bit of consistency to complement the firepower we all know is there. Lynn Williams scored two and assisted another in that stretch. If they can beat the Thorns this weekend, the Courage are no doubt a top-two team.

3. Washington Spirit (–)

A 93’ penalty doomed the Spirit from joining the Pride at the top of the points table last weekend. They still have plenty of reasons to be happy however, and Trinity Rodman’s upside and star power are two of them.

2. Portland Thorns (–)

Portland did not have a midweek game, but they did take down a struggling Kansas City side last weekend. While the scoreline was only 1-0, it would have been much worse if not for some worldly saves from Abby Smith.

1. Orlando Pride (–)

Sydney Leroux is playing some of the best soccer of her career. A draw and a win keeps Orlando at the top of the power rankings and top of the table as the only unbeaten team in the league. 

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.