Spain won their first-ever World Cup title on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over England, marking by far their most successful run at the tournament.

Spain made their World Cup debut in 2015, sputtering to a single point while finishing at the bottom of their group. In 2019, they advanced out of the group stage, only to lose a hotly contested matchup against the U.S. women’s national team, the eventual champions, and showing great promise for the future.

Since then, Spain has developed one of the most elite pipelines of talent through the country’s youth development system and top domestic clubs. They have won the last two iterations of the U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022, as well as the U-20 World Cup in 2022. FC Barcelona, a club from which much of the Spanish first team is drawn, has won the UEFA Champions League twice out of the last three seasons. Barcelona also dominates the Primera División, Spain’s domestic women’s football league, despite the ongoing rise of Real Madrid.

All of these ambitions are perhaps best represented by Salma Paralluelo, the 19-year-old Barcelona winger who provided the spark in the knockout rounds to lift Spain to the final. Paralluelo was a part of both the U-20 World Cup-winning side and one of the U-17 World Cup-winning teams. She came off the bench in Australia to unlock a new level for a Spanish side that historically hasn’t always been able to capitalize on its style of play. And on Sunday, she started and played the entire game, creating multiple scoring chances and wearing down England’s defense with her speed.

SHE'S A TEENAGER, SHE'S A JOY TO WATCH, SHE'S A PHENOMENON, SHE'S SALMA PARALLUELO 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/DO8bUdT8qD

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 15, 2023

Paralluelo scored the game-winner against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals and the opener in Spain’s semifinal against Sweden. In the final, 23-year-old Spain captain Olga Carmona scored what ended up being the game-winner in the 29th minute.

Those performances should symbolize the pinnacle of a European power seeing its investment at both the youth and club level paying off on the biggest stage. But instead, there’s piling evidence that Spain’s players feel they must succeed in spite of head coach Jorge Vilda and the Spanish federation, rather than as a unified team empowered by those around them.

A goal that Olga Carmona will never forget 👏👏

Spain takes the lead in the first half of the Final 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/NiMRCF0qX4

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 20, 2023

They join a long history of women’s soccer teams galvanized by adverse forces around them, presenting a harsh reality about what their success might mean for the sport in Spain going forward.

In September 2022, 15 players of the Spanish first team sent letters to RFEF, Spain’s football federation. In similarly worded messages, each player asked not to be selected for the team’s upcoming October friendlies, saying that conditions in their international environment had compromised their physical and emotional health. Until those issues were resolved, they said they would not represent Spain at the senior level.

RFEF responded with a scathing rebuttal, saying they would not “allow any kind of pressure from players” in the context of sporting or staffing decisions. The federation demanded apologies before allowing any of what came to be known as “Las 15” to return to the team. A number of those players were from FC Barcelona, including Aitana Bonmati and Mariona Caldantey, who have since returned to their international side. Spanish superstar Alexia Putellas was not a member of “Las 15,” though she joined the chorus of players who took issue with the federation’s response. The two-time Ballon d’Or winner was also injured and unavailable for selection at the time.

From the outside, what happened next appeared to be a splintering of the larger group in protest. With the World Cup on the horizon, players like Bonmati and Caldantey returned to the fold, and Putellas returned from injury without any official comment on her stance. But Barcelona standouts Mapi Leon, Patri Guijarro and Claudia Pina stuck to their principles and withdrew their names from World Cup roster selection. Going into the tournament, Spain had two roads in front of them, and the nuances of knockout soccer have allowed them to advance despite those glaring absences.

Through it all, Vilda has remained in charge, though glimpses into team interactions indicate he’s still not a popular figure in Spain camp. He searched for a friendly handshake from players to no avail on the television broadcast after the team’s win over the Netherlands, and Putellas refused handshakes from the entire Spain coaching staff after being subbed off against Sweden.

Passen d’ell, senzillament…🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/Zug0Uh8CB9

— Xavier 🇨🇦 (@barrademig) August 11, 2023

It’s impossible to tell how much impact Vilda’s coaching has had on Spain’s success throughout the tournament, but the players have seemed to persevere beyond actual game tactics by finding ways to win late in matches. In the semifinal, that came in the form of two goals in nine minutes to overcome a Sweden equalizer and close out the win in regulation. In the final, Spain dominated possession for most of the game and had chances to extend their lead, including a Jenni Hermoso penalty kick in the 69th minute that England goalkeeper Mary Earps saved.

So, what is there to make of Spain’s ascension to World Cup glory for the first time?

USWNT forward Christen Press said while co-hosting the RE-CAP show that she hopes a win would give players leverage to argue their case more fervently with RFEF. Others fear that the success will give Vilda a cover to continue on as manager, despite the stress his presence places on those same players. The concern is justified, as federation president Luis Rubiales reportedly said of “Las 15” after Spain’s semifinal win, “We have forgotten those who have resentment and who do not add up, who are few.”

What is certain is that not even the ultimate victory is likely to alter the course of Spain’s future, with players once again having to make the best decisions for themselves after the confetti falls. It’s a sad reward for athletes who should be shining examples of progress, rather than new examples of forcing those in power to listen to athletes in women’s sports.

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

UConn guard Azzi Fudd wears many hats.

She’s a sharp-shooter on the court and a rising superstar off the court. She's an NCAA national champion and a top WNBA prospect. She's a graduate student at one of college basketball’s preeminent programs. And she's already one of the most famous athletes in the women’s game.

But this week she adds a new title to her growing resume: co-host of Instagram’s latest episode of Close Friends Only along with Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers.

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The podcast features Fudd chopping it up with Bueckers. The former UConn teammates chat about their immediate connection on and off the court, swapped style influences (Fudd is apparently a chronic clothes-stealer and listens to all of Bueckers’s Spotify playlists), who’s got the prettiest jump shot, and their favorite WNBA player. (“Probably Paige Bueckers,” Fudd answers readily.)

The two also discuss Meta Quest’s newest WNBA collaboration, a technology which gives fans a courtside view without having to leave the house. 

“I was honestly shocked by how real it felt,” Fudd told Just Women’s Sports earlier this week. “Sometimes getting to a game is just unrealistic, so being able to have that as an option is incredible, and can open the game up to so many more people and fans.”

Azzi Fudd steps into the social media spotlight

Emerging from a college career previously defined by injury, Fudd and her UConn teammates finally reached their peak last April, winning the program’s 12th national championship — and its first since 2016. And while the victory checked a longtime bucket list item for the guard, she’s most grateful for her health.

“This has been my first offseason in a little while where I've been completely healthy,” she continued. “So that's been a fun change, getting to be healthy, work on some stuff, travel, relax with family — it's been great.”

Through it all, she’s certainly kept busy. If you’ve been following women’s basketball at all this summer, Fudd has been hard to miss. After the NCAA season ended, she made a high profile appearance accompanying No. 1 pick Bueckers to the 2025 WNBA Draft, going on to become a sidelines mainstay at Dallas games. She also made a splash at All-Star Weekend, and even started her own podcast, Fudd Around and Find Out.

The life of a burgeoning celebrity can be isolating, but Fudd represents a new generation of players ready to utilize social media to their advantage, both professionally and personally. There’s a light, lived-in touch to Fudd and her peers’ ability to connect with friends and family via social media channels while also maneuvering the booming cult of personality forming around the WNBA.

Fudd and Bueckers compare social media habits on 'Close Friends Only'

On Close Friends Only, Fudd and Bueckers banter about the benefits (and necessary etiquette) of labeling an Instagram story “close friends,” as well as their own social media habits. 

“You post 10 times in the time it takes me to get one post up,” Fudd tells Bueckers, with her co-host copping to being the heavier Instagram user of the pair.

But beyond sharing with close friends, today’s women’s sports athletes are navigating an industry where follower counts can open sponsorship doors. And that’s clear whether players are promoting multi-million dollar brand deals or partying on a 72-hour All-Star Weekend livestream. 

“I’m not the best poster,” Fudd admitted. “I do want to make my Instagram a little more casual. [There are] some great pictures in my camera roll that aren’t professional photographer-taken, done up like some Instagrams look.” 

“I want it to be very much who Azzi Fudd is, and not just the great side,” she said of her online presence, describing herself as a lowkey person who wants to intuitively let people in on the real highs and lows of life.

But for someone who also calls herself a bad texter, Fudd’s grounded approach to social media does help her keep up with connections despite her packed calendar.

“I love talking on the phone, but who does that these days?” she laughed. “Being able to keep in touch, whether it's a teammate you played with a year ago or from middle school, just getting to get those updates through Instagram is amazing.”

From hard-launching Pazzi to special shared moments

Social media can be a powerful career builder, but young stars also have to figure out how to protect their peace amidst a firestorm of commentary, access, and speculation.

Fudd is no stranger to the dynamics of keeping private moments private while still finding ways to live their public lives authentically. She and Bueckers have threaded that needle with precision, with Bueckers only recently calling Fudd her girlfriend during July’s WNBA All-Star Weekend after months of soft-launch hints.

“I'm definitely someone who tends to keep more private,” Fudd said, noting that the impulse to document everything on social media can take away from staying present. “I don't mind sharing, but just naturally I'm more of a ‘share less’ person.” 

Despite her inclinations, the duo has remained a remarkably open book. Fudd and Bueckers are easygoing about the fandom they’ve inspired, from laughing about watching their own fan edits on TikTok to sharing selfies containing clues about their relationship. As Fudd told JWS, she doesn’t think so much about the public’s response — she just enjoys capturing the little things.

“There’s so many special moments, whether you're sharing for other people or just for yourself,” she explained. “Your favorite meal, or your favorite sunset — things that make me happy and I get excited about.”

Azzi locks in ahead of final UConn season

Fudd is approaching her final college season, preparing to step up as UConn pushes for a repeat title. But if the 22-year-old is feeling pressure to stretch herself too thin these days, she isn’t letting it show. 

She’s been in the gym, staying healthy and gearing up to take on an even larger role at UConn now that former on-court centerpiece Bueckers has flown the college coop.

She’s focusing on a routine social media followers don’t often get to see: rehab and recovery, eating and sleeping right, getting shots up, and hitting the weight room. 

“I'm keeping the main thing basketball,” she said. “Without basketball, without putting in the time in the gym, making sure I’m getting my stuff done, I wouldn’t have all these opportunities.”

“I’m always taking care of [basketball] first,” she continues. “And then getting to enjoy all those things that come with it.”

And she won’t be alone when she heads back to Storrs this fall. The Huskies are returning a number of key national title run contributors, this time taking the court with Fudd leading the way from day one. 

“Embracing that vocal leadership role is something I'm working on,” she said “Doing anything and everything I can to make sure that I'm helping my team, putting them in the best position to win and have a great season.”

As for social media, fans can be sure that wherever the season takes Fudd, they’ll be along for the ride.

After the signature Nike A'One shoe designed by Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson flew off the shelves in May, sneaker site Sole Retriever reported Monday that the sportswear giant plans to drop a second edition with the WNBA star next year.

Dubbed the A'Two, Nike expects to release the next Wilson signature shoe in the summer of 2026.

While the updated design is still under wraps, the retail price will reportedly rise from $115 to $145 to accommodate an overhaul in the sneaker's technology.

The three-time WNBA MVP followed up her original "Pink A'ura" A'One design with 11 additional colorways, including the white "OG Pearl," the blue-hued "Indigo Girl," and a black, gold, red, and orange "All-Star" version that dropped just in time for the 2025 All-Star Weekend.

The initial A'One drop sold out in less than five minutes, underlining the growing market demand for signature apparel in women's sports.

Wilson's signature sneakers have proved popular among fans as well as WNBA players, with the shoes logging the the fifth-most minutes on the league's courts so far this season.

Though the A'Two drop is almost a full year away, Nike will continue releasing additional A'One colorways in the interim.

How to buy the A'ja Wilson signature Nike A'One sneakers

All currently available colorways of the A'One signature shoes can be purchase at Nike.com.

The 2025 NCAA soccer season kicks off with a full slate on Thursday, as longstanding powerhouses look to repeat last year's successes amid a continually shifting landscape.

Following a strong 2024 showing, the ACC is once again poised to house college soccer's upper echelon, with all eight of their preseason ranked teams cracking the Top 15 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.

Even more, the conference boasts all of Division I's top four programs, with No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 Florida State, and No. 4 Duke trailing reigning national champions UNC, who enter the 2025 season as the NCAA's No. 1 team behind senior scoring leader and 2024 MAC Hermann winner Kate Faasse.

While the ACC leads the charge, the rest of the Power Four will attempt to make their own waves with a roster of their own ranked teams.

Matching the ACC with eight preseason nods, the Big Ten is again ruled by Southern California's No. 5 USC and No. 8 UCLA for the second straight season.

As for the five SEC and three Big 12 teams on the list, only two cracked the poll's Top 15, with No. 6 Arkansas leading the SEC charge while No. 9 TCU is the Big 12's best prospect.

Perennial contender Santa Clara scored the only non-Power Four spot in the ranks, with the West Coast Conference titan siding in at No. 16.

How to watch Thursday's ranked NCAA soccer matches

The NCAA is wasting no time in putting top-tier soccer matches on the pitch, with Thursday's 2025 season opener set to feature two ranked matchups.

No. 11 Penn State will visit No. 4 Duke, with the Blue Devils hunting their first win over the Nittany Lions in 26 years. The 7 PM ET match will air live on ACCNX.

Elsewhere, No. 6 Arkansas will host No. 13 Iowa in the pair's first-ever meeting, as the Hawkeyes hope to hand the Razorbacks just their second home loss since 2021. The clash will kick off at 7:30 PM ET on SECN+.

The 2025 NCAA soccer preseason rankings

1. North Carolina (ACC)
2. Notre Dame (ACC)
3. Florida State (ACC)
4. Duke (ACC)
5. USC (Big Ten)
6. Arkansas (SEC)
7. Stanford (ACC)
8. UCLA (Big Ten)
9. TCU (Big 12)
10. Wake Forest (ACC)
11. Penn State (Big Ten)
12. Michigan State (Big Ten)
13. Iowa (Big Ten)
14. Virginia Tech (ACC)
15. Virginia (ACC)
16. Santa Clara (WCC)
17. Vanderbilt (SEC)
18. Ohio State (Big Ten)
19. Texas (SEC)
20. Mississippi State (SEC)
21. South Carolina (SEC)
22. Oklahoma State (Big 12)
23. Wisconsin (Big Ten)
24. Minnesota (Big Ten)
25. Texas Tech (Big 12)

The roller-coaster sale of the Connecticut Sun has taken another turn, with Front Office Sports reporting Wednesday that three different buyers are currently in play to take over the WNBA team.

Alongside former Celtics owner Steve Pagliuca's previous $325 million bid to take the team to Boston, ex-Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry recently offered a matching bid to keep the squad closer to their Uncasville home with a move to nearby Hartford.

The NBA's Houston Rockets ownership has also entered the mix, with reports indicating that WNBA leadership would prefer the franchise relocate from New England to the Texas city.

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Topping the sale price with an additional relocation fee could be the best way for a potential owner to separate themselves from the pack, as the relocation fee directly benefits the WNBA's front office.

Should the Rockets' ownership at least match the Boston and Hartford bids — plus ante up a relocation fee — a move to Houston could be a lock, particularly considering WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert dubbed the Texas hub as "up next" in the league's ongoing expansion process.

Ultimately, all signs point to the WNBA looking to align the sale of the Connecticut Sun with the league's overarching goals, leaving multiple fanbases — both existing and potential — stuck in limbo.