As the U.S. women’s national team prepares for the 2023 World Cup, Just Women’s Sports is taking a look at its opponents — including its three group-stage adversaries and its potential matchups in the knockout rounds.

Next up is a team that’s been something of an Achilles heel for the USWNT in the past: Sweden.

Manager: Peter Gerhardsson

Peter Gerhardsson has led the Swedish women’s national team since 2017, succeeding former USWNT manager Pia Sundhage following the 2017 Euros. Before that, he coached in Swedish professional leagues and served as head coach of Sweden’s U17 men’s squad.

Under Gerhardsson, Sweden placed third at the 2019 World Cup and won silver at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, losing to Canada in the final.

Key player: Fridolina Rolfö

Barcelona star Fridolina Rolfö is one of many threatening players Sweden boasts on its roster. With 25 goals in 77 appearances for Sweden, Rolfö has made her name as one of the best players in the world. The 29-year-old forward headlines a group that also includes world-class players Sofia Jakobsson, Anna Sandberg, Stina Blackstenius and Kosovare Asllani.

World Cup history

Sweden has played in every World Cup since 1999, when they made the quarterfinals in their first-ever tournament. In 2003, they advanced all the way to the final before losing to Germany. Sweden has also appeared in two World Cup semifinals in 2011 and 2019.

Group Stage schedule

Sweden will play in Group G alongside South Africa, Italy and Argentina. Take a look at the schedule below, or check out the full World Cup schedule.

• Sunday, July 23 – 1 a.m. (FS1)
  • Sweden vs. South Africa
• Saturday, July 29 – 3:30 a.m. (FS1)
  • Sweden vs. Italy
• Wednesday, Aug. 2 – 3 a.m. (FOX)
  • Sweden vs. Argentina

Keys to beat the USWNT

Play to their strengths. This is an experienced team that knows how to beat the USWNT in big moments.

Most recently, Sweden defeated the U.S. 3-0 in their group-stage opener at the Tokyo Olympics. The Swedes also famously knocked the USWNT out of the 2016 Olympics, sending them home without a medal. It was the first three-goal loss for the USWNT in a major tournament since the 2007 World Cup semifinals. In both of those Olympic Games, Sweden finished with the silver medal.

The No. 3 team in the world, according to the FIFA rankings, Sweden has experience on its side. While defender Hanna Glas is absent from the World Cup with a knee injury, Magdalena Eriksson, Linda Sembrant and Nathalie Björn fill out the backline. Midfielder Caroline Seger is the anchor of this team, with over 230 appearances in what will likely be her final World Cup.

Familiar faces like Jakobsson, Blackstenius and Lina Hurtig all provided a boost against the USWNT in Tokyo and could do so again at the World Cup. Sweden has all the tools to beat the USWNT — it’s just a matter of if they can put all the pieces together and stay healthy.

Law enforcement officers made two arrests after anonymous crowd members at five different WNBA games this week disrupted play by tossing green sex toys onto the court.

"It's ridiculous, it's dumb, it's stupid," LA Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said after one of the flying objects nearly hit visiting Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham during the teams' Tuesday matchup.

"It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is number one, respecting the game, all those things," she continued.

Each act appears to be the work of different individuals, with one teenage perpetrator reportedly calling it a "stupid prank that was trending on social media."

The first documented incident occurred during a July 29th game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream, with copycat incidents then cropping up in Chicago, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

In response, the WNBA released a statement last week, affirming that "The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league. Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans."

The league also promised immediate ejection and a one-year minimum ban for anyone who intentionally tosses anything onto a WNBA court, in addition to local arrests and prosecution.

The North Carolina Courage cut ties with head coach Sean Nahas on Wednesday, abruptly announcing the manager's firing ahead of the NWSL team's Friday night match against the Houston Dash.

The brief club announcement noted that the termination was "effective immediately."

"The North Carolina Courage remain focused on the continued development of the team and maintaining a professional, competitive environment for players, staff, and supporters," the team said in a statement.

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Nahas has helmed the Courage since October 2021, first taking over as interim head coach following the firing of embattled ex-manager Paul Riley. The club elevated the now-47-year-old to permanent manager prior to the 2022 season.

Across his nearly four years in Cary, Nahas amassed an overall 36-35-19 record while leading the Courage to two NWSL Challenge Cup trophies and a pair of playoff berths.

A Thursday morning press conference with NC Courage sporting director Ceri Bowley and director of communications Jake Levy did not reveal any specificities surrounding Nahas's dismissal, with Bowley simply saying the decision was based on a "multitude of factors."

"The standards of this club are extremely high, and it was felt that there [were] reasons that we needed to make a change in order to uphold the standards that we expect of the North Carolina Courage," he added.

The Courage currently sit just outside the postseason cutoff line at No. 9 on the 2025 NWSL table.

Assistant coach Nathan Thackeray will lead the team as they travel to Houston to face the No. 12 Dash on Friday.

This year's US Open champions are cashing in, with the pro tennis season's final Grand Slam boosting its overall prize money by 20% — and upping the 2025 men's and women's singles winner's payout to a record $5 million each.

Total player compensation will rise to $90 million across all competitions, making the 2025 US Open the highest-paying tournament in tennis history, with its singles champions banking the biggest payday in the sport's history.

Finalists and semifinalists are also getting a bump, with this year's runners-up cashing $2.5 million checks while semifinalists will walk with $1.26 million each.

In addition, champions of the men's, women's, and mixed doubles competitions will each walk away with $1 million for the first time in US Open history.

In 2024, the New York City Slam's total purse weighed in at $75 million, with singles winners earning $3.6 million each — making this year's $5 million check a 39% raise.

Since then, 2024 US Open champ Aryna Sabalenka and others have spoken out about increasing both payments and transparency in pro tennis, with the sport's Top-20 ranked women and men reportedly co-signing a letter requesting "substantial" purse increases to all four Grand Slams this past April.

While both the French Open and Wimbledon increased this year's overall purses by 5% and 7%, respectively, the US Open "made a deliberate and concerted effort to ensure double-digit percentage increases from 2024 in all rounds of all events for all players," according to the tournament's press release.

Notably, the 2025 Australian Open increased its overall prize pool by over 11%, though that boost came before the players' letter and not all winning categories saw double-digit percentage raises.

The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury are keeping up with the Joneses, rattling off two straight wins against the No. 11 Chicago Sky and No. 13 Connecticut Sun to offset a series of midseason losses.

Phoenix's course-correction has revolved around a surging Alyssa Thomas, with veteran forward recording back-to-back triple-doubles this week.

Notably, this is the third time in her career that Thomas has hit two straight triple-doubles — a feat no other WNBA player has accomplished even once.

"AT's just legendary," Phoenix's Satou Sabally said of her star teammate. "You really have to be ready, and be in the game all the time with her. It keeps your brain on. She will make the right play."

The Mercury will have their work cut out for them on Thursday night, as they prepare to face a stepped-up opponent with revenge on the mind — and a directive to remain atop the WNBA standings:

• No. 3 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 11 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET (Prime): The Sky snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 78-64 win over No. 10 Washington on Tuesday, but they'll have their hands full against a deep Atlanta side as injured Chicago starter Angel Reese watches from the sideline.

• No. 13 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 9 Los Angeles Sparks, 10 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Sparks host the Sun with a big opportunity ahead, as Wednesday's Golden State loss to Las Vegas opens the door for LA to climb the table — should they continue their winning ways.

• No. 5 Indiana Fever vs. No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, 10 PM ET (Prime): The Fever bested the Mercury just last week, but Phoenix will aim to flip the script as Indiana once again hits the court without injured star Caitlin Clark.