The international break is officially over, and the FA Women’s Super League has returned. The league’s players showed out in their first weekend back together, and while there were numerous highlights to choose from, these were the best of the best:

 

5. ALEX MORGAN IS #MOMGOALS

???? The moment we've all been waiting for!

???????? A first #BarclaysFAWSL goal for @alexmorgan13 from the penalty spot to give @SpursWomen a third!

???? Things you just love to see! pic.twitter.com/m2NoSXeCoo

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

Alex Morgan slotted home her first FAWSL goal, and to say we’re excited is an understatement. Tottenham was awarded the penalty after Morgan’s teammate Ria Percival was pushed in the box by a Brighton player while challenging a header. The USWNT star then stepped up to the plate and tucked a low-driven shot into the left bottom corner safely away from the goalkeeper. Morgan’s late goal boosted Tottenham to a 3-1 dub against Brighton, securing the club’s first win of the season.

 

4. ANN-KATRIN BERGER ISSUES A REJECT

The Hammers nearly draw straight back level! ⚒

What a save by @berger_ann to deny @RachelDaly3 ????#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/13WBf6YF6r

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

Who needs a defense when Ann-Katrin Berger is in goal? Early in the second half, West Ham’s Rachel Daly picks off an errant pass by a Chelsea defender before driving to goal from the halfway line. What looks like a gimmie is stone-walled by Berger, who perfectly reads Daly’s shot, expanding her arms to knock it safely away to a Chelsea danger. It would turn out to be a critical save, as Chelsea barely escaped with a 3-2 win.

 

3. DON’T SLEEP ON SAM KERR

???? @PernilleMHarder ⤏ @FranKirby ⤏ @SamKerr1 ⤏ ⚽️!

Same again in the #UWCL tomorrow, Blues? ???? pic.twitter.com/JZEMJ7e47f

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) December 8, 2020

Just when you think it’s been a while since you’ve heard from Sam Kerr, she casually drops a hat trick on a poor league foe. This goal starts with Chelsea’s Ji So-Yun intercepting the ball from a West Ham defender and hitting a pass to her teammate Pernille Harder. On a diagonal, Harder propels toward the goal and shuffles off a ball to Fran Kirby, who is making a run up the flank. Kirby then hits a one-time pass across the face of the goal, where Sam Kerr calmly slides it into the corner of the back post. It was one of three on the day for Kerr, who now has the third-most goals scored in the FAWSL this season.

 

2. TAKE A BOW, JILL ROORD

The beautiful game, played The Arsenal Way.

Take a bow, @JillRoordNL ???? pic.twitter.com/tHwrhG1SGn

— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) December 6, 2020

Warning: This video exhibits a high volume of tiki-taka. A defensive clearance by Birmingham City rolls out to Leonie Maier of Arsenal, who plays a quick pass into Jill Roord. Rood then his a one-touch back to Maier, who slips the ball to Kim Little, who then lays it off to Roord. With minimal space at the top of the box, Roord lobs a shot over the Birmingham goalkeeper, nailing it to the back corner of the net. Roord tallied Arsenal’s second goal of the match, which ended in a 3-0 shutout against Birmingham. She now has the second most goals in the league this year, above Sam Kerr and behind Vivianne Midemia.

 

1. KERYS HARROP ASKS, WHAT ANGLES?

???? Super free kick from @KerysHarrop!

Watch LIVE on the FA Player.

???? https://t.co/k1AnHJxo3X #BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/Usc6zeQTOM

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

Lesson learned: Do not foul Tottenham anywhere near the box. With a weapon like Kerys Harrop, you’re going to pay. Early in the first half of their match against Brighton, Alex Morgan is fouled just outside of the box. Tottenham’s Harrop lines up for the free-kick and strikes a stunning bender that puts Brighton’s goalkeeper on her heels, tipping the inevitable goal into the back of the net. Harrop’s curveball of a shot lifted Tottenham to a 3-1 victory over Brighton, helping the club pocket its first win of the season.

Tennis governing body finalized its elite 2025 WTA Finals field on Friday, with the sport's eight top-ranked players gearing up to kick off the tournament in Saudi Arabia this weekend, each aiming to claim the the final major trophy of the 2025 season.

World No. 6 Elena Rybakina became the last player to qualify for the Finals, with the 26-year-old Kazakhstani star clinching her spot by reaching the Japan Open semifinals last week — beating out No. 9 Mirra Andreeva in the race to reach Riyadh.

Rybakina joins the previously qualified finalists No. 8 Jasmine Paolini, No. 7 Madison Keys, No. 5 Jessica Pegula, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Capping a banner year for the States, US stars populate a full half of the end-of-season tournament, with Keys, Pegula, Gauff, and WTA Finals debutant Anisimova comprising the largest US contingent at the competition in more than 20 years.

Gauff enters the round-robin tournament as its reigning champion, with 2023 winner Świątek as the only other title-holder in contention this year.

Where to watch the 2025 WTA Finals

The 2025 WTA Finals start this Saturday and run through November 8th.

Live coverage of the tournament will air on the Tennis Channel.

FIFPRO dropped its 2025 Women's World XI shortlist on Monday, with the worldwide organization representing pro footballers taking heat for snubbing more than a few standout athletes.

The 26-player lineup featured zero USWNT players, continuing a two-year streak of the award omitting US athletes, despite the USWNT winning Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games.d

Reigning Champions League winner and 2025 Euro runner-up Mariona Caldentey also failed to make the cut — a significant snub considering the Arsenal and Spain attacker came in second in at the 2025 Ballon d'Or last month.

Notably, soccer players exclusively vote for the FIFPRO World XI — the only global football award to do so — with this year's nominations ruled by the Euro-winning Lionesses, who snagged 11 overall nods.

Spain saw the second-most nominations — including reigning three-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí — while goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham/Germany), right back Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash/Nigeria), attacker Debinha (Kansas City Current/Brazil), striker Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride/Zambia), and forward Marta (Orlando Pride/Brazil) repped the NWSL.

The final Best XI roster will drop on Monday.

Full 2025 FIFPRO Women's World XI shortlist

Goalkeepers: Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham/Germany), Mary Earps (PSG/England), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea/England)

Defenders: Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash/Nigeria), Ona Batlle (Barcelona/Spain), Millie Bright (Chelsea/England), Lucy Bronze (Chelsea/England), Olga Carmona (PSG/Spain), Ellie Carpenter (Chelsea/Australia), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City/England), Leah Williamson (Arsenal/England)

Midfielders: Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona/Spain), Ghizlane Chebbak (Al Hilal/Morocco), Debinha (Kansas City Current/Brazil), Patri Guijarro (Barcelona/Spain), Vicky López (Barcelona/Spain), Alexia Putellas (Barcelona/Spain), Ella Toone (Manchester United/England), Keira Walsh (Chelsea/England)

Forwards: Michelle Agyemang (Arsenal/Brighton/England), Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride/Zambia), Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid/Colombia), Athenea del Castillo (Real Madrid/Spain), Chloe Kelly (Arsenal/England), Marta (Orlando Pride/Brazil), Alessia Russo (Arsenal/England)

Five WNBA stars became cover stars this week, as Glamour Magazine named Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally, and New York Liberty centers Jonquel Jones and Nyara Sabally as the 2025 Women of the Year on Monday.

In the feature story, the players discussed the ongoing CBA negotiations, how they manage the WNBA's booming popularity, and other key issues.

"This is the best women's league in the world for a reason," said Jones. "The best athletes and the best competition, and people are seeing that now… It's time that we're paid like that."

Though the interview occurred weeks before her now-viral exit interview calling out WNBA leadership, Collier was already pointing out the disparities between player success and compensation.

"The amount of money that Caitlin Clark has made the league is insane, and she's getting 0% of it because we have no rev share," Collier said in her Glamour interview. "She gets less than $80,000 a year, and she's bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars. It's insane."

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Hull also made waves, speaking to Clark's popularity with the Fever going on to battle injury adversity all the way to the 2025 WNBA semifinals.

"I think there is a level of jealousy when it comes to the Fever, just because of the media attention and the fans that have shown up for us ever since Caitlin got here," she told the magazine. "We've heard people and players and teams talking in their locker room about, 'We can’t let the Fever win.'"

With the October 31st WNBA CBA deadline just days away, more than 70 elected officials are weighing in, sending a letter voicing support for the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) to league commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver last Friday.

"This new CBA deal is an opportunity to set the record straight that women are valuable workers who deserve to be paid accordingly and treated fairly," the letter states.

The lawmakers also urge the league to "bargain in good faith to reach a fair CBA" before the current agreement expires.

Mayors, council members, and assembly members from seven WNBA markets signed the document — including New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — as WNBA leadership continues facing increased scrutiny.

"We all want to be able to take in a full season, but we know...what [the players] deserve to earn," said New York City council member Tiffany Cabán, a longtime NY Liberty fan who spearheaded the effort.

The action represents a growing number of politicians applying public pressure to commissioner Engelbert, with the letter's 70 lawmakers joining the 85 members of the Democratic Women's Caucus and House Democratic Caucus, who penned their own letter last month.

As external pressure builds, hope is dimming for an agreement by Friday, with WNBPA senior advisor and legal counsel Erin D. Drake telling The Athletic on Tuesday that "it takes two to tango, and it has been difficult to find a beat, to find a rhythm, and to find the same sense of urgency [from the WNBA]."

As all eyes turn to the WNBA this week, the question remains whether a new CBA or deadline extension will be on Friday's docket.

"We're still going to be negotiating until [it's] done," promised Drake. "We just don't know how long that is going to take, unfortunately."