U.S. women’s national team star midfielder Sam Mewis will not be with her teammates as she continues to recover from a lingering knee injury. But the 2019 World Cup champion is confident about the squad’s chances as they head to New Zealand and Australia for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

On the latest episode of Snacks, Mewis broke down each of the USWNT’s group stage opponents and other teams they could face in the knockout rounds. The U.S. will have to get through Vietnam, the Netherlands and Portugal in Group E in order to earn a place in the Round of 16.

“I think that the World Cup is just such an elevated spectacle, like this is really just the highest level you can be playing it. And if you can do well here, you can do well anywhere,” she said. “Can the U.S. win three? Yes. Will Europe get in there and have one of those teams who’ve been at the top get over the hump? Or is there another breakthrough team outside the U.S. and Europe?

“I’m obviously rooting for the U.S. If I had to make a prediction, of course it would be them. [That] doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easy. I don’t think winning a World Cup should be easy, but I 100 percent think that they can do it. I’m rooting for them. I’ll be cheering for them in the middle of the night.”

So, what about the USWNT’s opponents? Mewis analyzes the contenders in her own words.

USWNT group stage

Vietnam

This is their first World Cup. They did just win the Southeast Asian Games, where they triumphed over Myanmar, their longtime rivals. And they do have a leading goal scorer, a key to their squad, 32-year-old Huỳnh Như. I think for the U.S., as any commentator would say it’s a great opportunity to come out on your front foot, set a tone for the tournament.

I would love to see a lot of goals. I would love to see just like the World Cup last time — the U.S. playing with a ton of confidence, putting some goals in the back of the net, celebrating. I’m really excited for them to come out and set the tone for the tournament and earn some confidence as they go on to play some teams that will really test them. I’m really excited for Vietnam to have the chance to play at the World Cup. And this is going to be an awesome showcase for both teams to see what happens to start us off.

Netherlands

We’ve played them a lot recently. We played them obviously in the 2019 final, which was a crazy game we won 2-0. We scored on a PK by [Megan Rapinoe], and then Rose [Lavelle] scored that legendary, epic goal that I think everybody can picture. And then we also drew the Netherlands at the Olympics, but we weren’t on PKs so that game was a little bit closer.

It seems like this game is going to be the biggest test, but the Netherlands do have one of their best players, Vivianne Miedema, out with an injury. She’s been on that list of players we keep seeing who unfortunately are injured and will be missing this World Cup. But they have some other big-time players like Lineth Beerensteyn who plays for Juventus; she’s scored in four of her last five international matches. And then Lieke Martens, whose name has been at the top of the lists of great players for years. She’s at PSG, and she’ll definitely be instrumental for them as well.

I’m really excited to watch this game … this is one that everybody’s gonna be tuning into. I think when you play a team that is a great matchup for you, it sets you up to have your best game because you know that you have to. So I feel like we’ll actually see great soccer from both teams here. And the U.S. performance in this game will be super telling of how they’re doing in the tournament. I’m really confident that they’re gonna pull it out and come out at the top of the group.

Portugal

This is also Portugal’s first trip to the World Cup. A name people might recognize, Jéssica Silva, who played for Kansas City for a year, she’s their key striker. I think having two teams in your group who are at their first World Cup is a positive thing. But I wouldn’t count anybody out. I think this could be a tricky group.

I think the U.S. knows exactly what to do. They’ve been here before. Coming out on the top of the group is obviously a goal going into it. But you just take it one game at a time, you keep everybody healthy, you try to get some goals on the scoresheet. Super confident in the U.S. But I think this will be a really fun group to watch the other contenders.

The teams worth a 3 a.m. wake-up call

This is not an exhaustive list, but these are some teams that I think will give everybody a little helpful guide as you’re picking out games to watch and which games to set your alarm for.

Australia

This team starts and ends with Sam Kerr. Sam Kerr, just my favorite. I love her so much. She’s someone who can score on anyone in the world. She’s dominated every domestic league she’s ever played in. She is also super experienced.

She’s played in a bunch of World Cups, a bunch of Olympics. She’s played in the Champions League, she’s played for Chelsea. She’s played in the NWSL. She went to her first World Cup at age 17. So she’s a part of this group of Australians who have a ton of veteran experience, even though they’re still in the middle of their careers.

Another thing to note about Australia is their coach, Tony Gustavsson, who worked with the U.S. team during the last two World Cups. I think Tony is like a tactical wizard. And so much of these tactical, technical things that I’ve learned about soccer actually came from doing film with Tony. So much respect for him, so much respect for Australia, always a really hard team to play against.

Canada

The reigning Olympic champions, they are another team to watch. They’re still led by Christine Sinclair … Their group has Australia, Nigeria and the Republic of Ireland. You would think Australia and Canada are favorites coming out of this group, but this is kind of a crazy group. So we might get some results that people don’t expect. And these are definitely games that people are going to want to watch.

Germany

They were runners-up at the Euros in 2022. They lost in extra time to England in that crazy game that Chloe Kelly scored the game-winning goal right at the end. They don’t have as many players with household names that we probably all know. But I feel like this team has experience, they all have great club experience. Alexandra Popp is the captain and the leader. She’ll be the most-capped player on the field for Germany. And Lena Oberdorf is a rising star. She’s 21, she was named the Young Player of the Tournament at the 2022 Euros. So definitely don’t sleep on Germany.

I think they’re a very clinical team. They’re disciplined, super athletic. Definitely a great history there, too. So, they will know what they’re doing.

Spain

Spain is another team that would have been a favorite. They’ve been dealing with this roster turmoil situation. They’ve had 15 players step away from the team and protest over conditions and coaching. Some of those players have come back, but a lot of them have not. Super disappointing because Spain was considered a young and rising team and could have had an awesome performance at this World Cup. They still could — we had a super close game with them in the Round of 16 in 2019. And they’ll still be competitive.

I think with teams like this, who either have a ton of injuries or have had a lot of roster changes, it’s hard to expect what we would have expected. But I feel also sometimes that lends itself to a new freedom or a new creativity or something that the world didn’t expect. So, I definitely wouldn’t count them out.

France

France is another team that’s been dealing with player protests, but they did change coaches. … Their new coach is Hervé Renard — he led the Saudi Arabian men’s team to the biggest upset of the Men’s World Cup last year over Argentina. Everybody probably remembers that game. That was wild. This team won’t have a ton of time together before the tournament, but they have talent, they have experience. I’d say they have a good coach. So France, another great side that historically is at the top of the list of top teams.

England

We’ve talked so much about England, they’re also a little bit injury-plagued. They’ll be missing Fran Kirby, Beth Mead and Leah Williamson, unfortunately. They just won the Euros. They have all this momentum coming into the tournament. They have players playing all over the world in different leagues, really improving a young squad that just feels like it has such an energy about it.

I think they’ve been a little bit of a favorite along with the U.S. A really good team, really great manager, really exciting to watch. Some of my favorite players on that team are Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway, who I played with at Man City. Lauren Hemp is so good, [and] Chloe Kelly. These girls are so fun to watch, so I’ll be trying to watch all of England’s games.

Sweden

Always a threat. They beat us at the last Olympics. They fell just short in the gold-medal game after really being the top team all tournament. They’re No. 3 in the world right now. A small country, but they must have a great program. They’re always really good. They have top, top players, and I expect them to do well this summer. They’ll have five players with at least 100 caps and 10 players who have all scored 10 or more international goals.

Brazil

People are going to recognize a ton of names from the NWSL. Leading scorer currently is Kerolin; obviously, Debinha; everybody loves Marta; Brunhina has been scoring for Gotham. So, Brazil is another team to look out for. They’ve had up-and-down performances in world tournaments over the years. But if they really get together and perform the way that they can, they’re for sure a team to look out for.

New Zealand

I just want to say don’t sleep on New Zealand. We’re so excited that they’re hosting. Their group definitely has a pathway to advance. Our girl Ali Riley is ready to lead them to greatness. So we’re super excited for New Zealand, one of the host teams at this tournament.

The New York Liberty dominated Indiana on Thursday night, winning by a whopping 36 points in the Fever's home opener. 

A sold-out crowd of 17,274 was in attendance to watch as star rookie Caitlin Clark finished the 102-66 defeat with nine points, seven rebounds, and six assists. It’s the first time since January 2021 — her freshman season at Iowa — that Clark's been held to single-digit scoring. 

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"The physicality is definitely up there... I'm easily pushed off screens," she told reporters after the loss. "The game seems a little fast for me right now. The more I play and the more comfortable I get, it's going to slow down a little bit. It will be easier for me to make reads, see things develop."

The Fever were outscored by a combined margin of 57 points in their first two games — the largest two-game point deficit in WNBA season-opening history, according to @ESPNStatsInfo.

"We've got to get to a level of toughness," Fever coach Christie Sides in her own postgame remarks. "When things are going south on us, we're not stopping the bleeding."

"I have great perspective on everything that happens," Clark added. "It was the same in my college career. There were some moments that were absolutely amazing. And there were some moments I was not happy with how I played and how my team performed. That's just life, that's just basketball."

Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, who herself experienced a rocky rookie season following a much-hyped college career, offered up some insight on the matter.

"In this league, there are tough defenses all centered around not letting you get the ball, trapping, not letting you score," Ionescu said. "There were many factors that played into what was a tough first season for me in the league, but it helps you be able to figure it out. You have to have those experiences."

But it was reigning league MVP Breanna Stewart that truly stole the show, racking up 31 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks on the night.

"In general, I just wanted to come out more aggressive coming off of last game," Stewart said after putting up the 24th 30-point game in her career.

Stewart she also commended the fans inside Indianapolis's packed Gainbridge Fieldhouse, noting that she hopes that level of support to continue across the WNBA.

"This is how you want every game to be and when it's a sell-out crowd, it gives you a similar playoff atmosphere feel," she said. "People want to be a part of this and the thing now is to continue to sustain it, continue to take the momentum that we have and turn it into something more."

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert admitted to a "faulty rollout" of the new charter travel initiative on Thursday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Ahead of Tuesday's season opener, it was announced that the only teams flying private this week would be Indiana and Minnesota. The announcement came mere days after the league made a new charter flight program for all WNBA teams public. At the time, they said it would be implemented "as soon as we have the planes."

But as two teams out of 12 chartered to their first games of the season, others like the Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky were forced to fly commercial.

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A town hall meeting between Engelbert and the players was held in response to the confusion. Everything from the league's new media rights deal to private travel was covered in the meeting, with players submitting their questions ahead of time. Sky center Elizabeth Williams told Sun-Times reporter Annie Costabile afterwards that cross-country flights were prioritized.

"Flights that are across the country like [the Lynx] going to Seattle, crossing multiple time zones, or flights that usually require a connection, those were the priorities," Williams said. "That’s why New York didn’t go to DC with a charter, but Minny goes to Seattle."

What’s unclear under that metric is that the Atlanta Dream played the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday, which could technically be classified as a cross-country flight. 

On Tuesday, rookie forward Angel Reese shared a photo on her Instagram story lamenting the league's use of commercial flights.

"Just praying that this is one of the last commercial flights the Sky has to fly," Reese posted. The team still has at least three commercial flights awaiting them in the near future.

"Obviously, I think all teams should be able to get chartered," Reese told the Sun-Times. "But I know moving forward... going in the right direction, being able to have some teams [chartering] is cool. Within the next weeks, everybody will be flying charter, which will be really good."

On Thursday, Lindsay Schnell of USAToday Sports confirmed that the league intends to have all teams on charter flights by May 21st.

Brazil has been named the host for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, with FIFA announced early Friday. 

The decision came after a vote at the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok, with Brazil earning 119 votes to the joint European bid’s 78. 

This will be Brazil’s first time hosting the Women’s World Cup, with the country having hosted the men’s World Cup twice before in 1950 and 2014. It will also be the first Women’s World Cup held in South America. The tournament will follow the same 32-team format as the 2023 WWC in Australia and New Zealand.

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Brazil winning the bid was not entirely surprising after FIFA issued a report just last week, stating that the Brazilian bid had pulled ahead as host following technical inspection. After evaluation, Brazil was given a score of 4.0 out of 5, compared to the 3.7 awarded to the Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Brazil ranked higher in a number of key areas, including stadiums, accommodations, fan zones, and transport infrastructure. Though considered to be a frontrunner, the US and Mexico withdrew their joint bid prior to the technical inspection period, saying they would instead focus their efforts on 2031.

On Friday, Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues called it a "victory." 

"We knew we would be celebrating a victory for South American women's soccer and for women," he told reporters. "You can be sure, with no vanity, we will accomplish the best World Cup for women."

"We are working on a transformation, not only for the country but for the continent," added bid team operational manager Valesca Araujo.

Brazil intends to use 10 of the venues utilized at the 2014 men’s World Cup, including holding the final in Rio de Janeiro on July 25th. The CBF's proposal outlines that the 2027 tournament run from June 24th through the end of July. Last summer’s World Cup began at the end of July and concluded on August 19th.

Another notable element of Brazil's newly unveiled plan to grow of the women’s game is that "all [men’s] clubs wishing to take part in high-level national and continental competitions must now provide a structure for a women’s team." While the definition of "structure" was not specifically identified, the country has set targets with CONMEBOL to help increase the number of women’s club teams in the country.

In last week's inspection findings, FIFA noted that selecting Brazil as the next WWC host could "have a tremendous impact on women's football in the region."

Chelsea did what they needed to do on Wednesday in order to make Saturday's slate of season-ending WSL fixtures interesting: Beat Tottenham.

The Blues are now number one in the league, with an edge over Manchester City on goal differential thanks to an eight-goal outing against Bristol City last week. 

Yesterday's result tees up a league finale for the books as Chelsea looks to send coach Emma Hayes off with another trophy to add to her cabinet. The Blues will play FA Cup winner Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday, while City is away at Aston Villa.

"We will be leaving nothing on the pitch, we will be giving everything and no matter what the result is," Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert said after Wednesday's win. "At least we can look each other in the eye and say we gave everything."

It makes for a thrilling end to Chelsea's Emma Hayes era, as the decorated WSL coach will take over the USWNT in June. And it comes after Hayes all but conceded the title race early this month after Chelsea fell to Liverpool 4-3.

"I think the title is done," Hayes said at the time. "Of course, mathematically, it's not, but I think the title is done. Our job between now and the end of the season is to keep pushing until the end, but I think it will be very difficult.

"We will never give up. But the title is far from us; it's not in our hands. I think City are deserving, their consistency has put them in that position. Of course, we will go to the end, but I don't think the title will be going to us this year."

Be it mind games or Hayes truly thinking her team was that far off, her words lit something in Chelsea. Their following two performances showed the team’s determination to have a shot at some silverware.

As for Saturday's schedule, Hayes believes her team is facing the "tougher of the two games."

"It's a fitting finale for me, being my final game," she told BBC Sport. "As I said to the players if someone gives you a second chance in life, make sure you don't need a third one. We're in the position we want to be in, and we'll give it everything on Saturday no matter what."