The 2022 Women’s European Championship kicks off Wednesday, with England set to host the tournament for the first time since 2005.

With more than 500,000 tickets already sold – including a sellout in England’s opener Wednesday against Austria at Old Trafford and the Wembley final – the tournament is set to shatter the attendance record of 240,000 set in the Netherlands four years ago.

UEFA said Friday that roughly 20 percent of ticket purchases came from outside England. The tournament is expected to draw attendees from at least 99 countries.

The Euros are set to continue what already has been a big year for women’s soccer in Europe. Barcelona set a world record in attendance for a women’s game as 91,648 attended the first leg of the team’s Champions League semifinal at Camp Nou. The record previously was set in 1999 in the final of the Women’s World Cup.

In France, 43,254 turned out to watch Paris Saint-Germain play in the Champions League semifinal against Lyon, setting a record. Additionally, England’s club attendance record was broken in the FA Cup final at Wembley as 49,094 attended the match between Chelsea and Manchester City.

🤩 It's #WEURO2022 matchweek 🤩

Who are you backing? pic.twitter.com/xu2Iokg43k

— UEFA Women's EURO 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 4, 2022

England enters the tournament as one of the favorites, as the team not only has home-field advantage on its side but also an unbeaten record under head coach Sarina Wiegman, who was appointed in September 2021.

After reaching the semifinals in each of the last three tournaments, this could be the year England finally breaks through to the final.

Spain was among the favorites, but Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas tore her ACL in a Tuesday training session. The loss of Putellas in addition to the absence of top goalscorer Jennifer Hermoso – who suffered knee ligament damage earlier this month and was ruled out of the tournament – could spell trouble for Spain.

The return of Ada Hegerberg to the Norwegian national team has boosted that squad heading into the tournament, while Vivianne Miedema will be one to watch for the Dutch national team.

Group A: England, Austria Norway, Northern Ireland
Group B: Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland
Group C: Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Switzerland
Group D: France, Italy, Belgium, Iceland

Group Stage:

• Wednesday, July 6 
  • England vs. Austria @ 3 p.m., ESPNU/ESPN2
• Thursday, July 7
  • Norway vs. Northern Ireland @ 3 p.m., ESPN2
• Friday, July 8
  • Spain vs. Finland @ 12 p.m., ESPN+
  • Germany vs. Denmark @ 3 p.m., ESPN2
• Saturday, July 9
  • Portugal vs. Switzerland @ 12 p.m., ESPN+
  • Netherlands vs. Sweden @ 3 p.m., ESPN2
• Sunday, July 10 
  • Belgium vs. Iceland @ 12 p.m., ESPN2
  • France vs. Italy @ 3 p.m., ESPN+

• Monday, July 11
  • Austria vs. Northern Ireland @ 12 p.m., ESPN2
  • England vs. Norway @ 3 p.m., ESPN2
• Tuesday, July 12
  • Denmark vs. Finland @ 12 p.m., ESPN2
  • Germany vs. Spain @ 3 p.m., ESPN2
• Wednesday, July 13
  • Sweden vs. Switzerland @ 12 p.m., ESPN2
  • Netherlands vs. Portugal @ 3 p.m., ESPN2
• Thursday, July 14
  • Italy vs. Iceland @ 12 p.m., ESPN2
  • France vs. Belgium @ 3 p.m., ESPN+

• Friday, July 15
  • Northern Ireland vs. England @ 3 p.m., ESPN2
  • Austria vs. Norway @ 3 p.m., ESPN+
• Saturday, July 16
  • Finland vs. Germany @ 3 p.m., ESPN2
  • Denmark vs. Spain @ 3 p.m., ESPN+
• Sunday, July 17
  • Switzerland vs. Netherlands @ 12 p.m., ESPN
  • Sweden vs. Portugal @ 12 p.m., ESPN+
• Monday, July 18
  • Iceland vs. France @ 3 p.m., ESPN2
  • Italy vs. Belgium @ 3 p.m., ESPN+

Quarterfinals:

• Wednesday, July 20: QF #1 @ 3 p.m., ESPN2
• Thursday, July 21: QF #2 @ 3 p.m., ESPN2
• Friday, July 22: QF #3 @ 3 p.m., ESPN2
• Saturday, July 23: QF #4 @ 3 p.m., ESPN2

Semifinals:

• Tuesday, July 26: SF #1 @ 3 p.m., ESPN2/ESPN+
• Wednesday, July 27: SF #2 @ 3 p.m., ESPN2

Final:

• Sunday, July 31 @ 12 p.m., ESPN/ESPN+

*All times listed in ET.

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.