Georgia Stanway is on her way to becoming a household name in England, particularly after sending England to the semifinals of this year’s European Championship with some late heroics against Spain.

The match-winner ⚽🤩

⚡ A 𝚃𝙷𝚄𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁𝙱𝙾𝙻𝚃 by @StanwayGeorgia ⚡#WEUROMoments | #WEURO2022 | @Lays_football pic.twitter.com/iedHbBBJDm

— UEFA Women's EURO 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 20, 2022

But Stanway’s brilliance has long been known to those who are Manchester City fans, and will soon be known to Bayern Munich fans. While there’s much to know about the young forward, Just Women’s Sports has a bit of an introduction to get you started.

Her step into the spotlight has been a long time coming

While Stanway has been playing with the England national team since 2018, she’d been making a name for herself even before that. When she was just 17 years old, Lucy Bronze called Stanway “the future of English football.”

That future arrived Wednesday, when Stanway notched a scorcher in a do-or-die match against Spain. She met the moment with all that it required, and very little fear.

“She is not scared of anyone or anything,” Bronze said of Stanway back in 2016. “She came on for us recently in a game when it was 0-0 – was chucked in the deep end – and she scored a goal. She did not look out of place at all and she never has. She probably never will. She is the future of Manchester City and probably the future of England as well. She is an unbelievable talent.”

She scored her first international goal in her senior national team debut 

While Wednesday’s goal might be the biggest so far in her international career, Stanway’s first international goal came in 2018 during England’s 3-0 friendly win over Austria.

She would get her second a year later and add two more goals in 2021. She’s erupted in 2022, however, scoring seven goals so far this year in her past nine appearances for England. On top of her game-winner against Spain, Stanway also opened up the scoring in England’s record-breaking 8-0 win over Norway in the group stage. 

But Stanway has admitted to needing to be more confident in her shooting, something that resulted in Wednesday’s game-winner.

“I honestly don’t know why I shot but I’m glad I did. A lot of the girls before the game said to me, I need to shoot more. Coming into this tournament, I’d not had masses of efforts on goal,” she said.

“I don’t know why I shot [against Spain]. I don’t know what came over me. Usually I would probably pass that ball to the winger and expect the ball to be put back in the box. But I just thought, what’s the worst that can happen?”

She recently signed a three-year deal with Bayern Munich

After making her way up the ranks with the Blackburn Rovers, the forward made her debut with Manchester CIty at 16 years old in 2015. But her contract with the club expired in June, and Stanway subsequently signed a three-year deal with Bayern Munich.

During her time with City she became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, winning three League Cups and three FA Cup titles alongside a Women’s Super League title with the club in 2016. Following a particularly good season in 2017-18, Stanway was named to the UEFA Women’s Champions League Team of the Season. She was also awarded the PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year the next season after scoring 11 goals through 19 appearances. 

“It felt right from the very first conversation,” Stanway said of the decision to join Bayern. “I was absolutely convinced and my instinct told me I belonged here.

“The club is so amazing – the research they did on me, the way the club presented themselves to me and how they can take my game to the next level. Bayern has very big ambitions and I really admire that.”

The host of the 2022 Men's World Cup is back in the headlines, with Middle East nation Qatar reportedly in talks with FIFA to house the inaugural Women's Club World Cup in January 2028.

Despite recent gains on the men's side, the Qatar women’s national team is currently unranked due to a lack of official matches — founded in 2009, the squad has not competed in any official capacity in 12 years.

The lack of support for the nation's women's team is unsurprising given Qatar's concerning human rights record — one that the soccer world has long called into question, particularly concerning the treatment of women, migrants, and the LGBTQIA+ population.

The reported aim to host the 2028 Women's Club World Cup would constitute another example of Qatar sportswashing those international human rights concerns using the country's close relationship with the international soccer governing body — one bolstered by the fact that FIFA president Gianni Infantino resides in the Qatari capital, Doha.

Despite this week's reports, FIFA said they have yet to receive a formal bid for its first-ever women's club competition.

With 16 teams expected to compete from January 5th through 30th, 2028, European clubs are already bracing for calendar disruptions thanks to the Women's Club World Cup's winter kick-off.

At least five teams from Europe and two each from Asia, Africa, South America, and North America will compete, with the remaining three clubs determined by a 2027 qualifying tournament.

US Figure Skating is hoping to make Olympic history this year, naming powerhouse trio Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, and Isabeau Levito to the official 2026 Winter Games roster on Sunday as Team USA aims to end a 20-year medal drought in Milan next month.

Glenn earned her spot after winning her third-straight national title on Friday, with reigning world champion Liu and 18-year-old 2024 Worlds runner-up Levito chasing her onto the 2026 US Figure Skating Championships podium.

"Just so grateful. That was terrifying," Glenn said after her win. "And I had to skate after two incredible ladies brought down the house."

Liu is the only US women's singles skater returning with Olympic experience — at just 16 years old, she took sixth place in Beijing — but the group's national podium tally adds to Team USA's renewed confidence.

"All we've got to do, is do our job," said 26-year-old Glenn. "I think the US ladies have come so, so far in the last two decades that if all three of us do our jobs in Milan, then more than likely someone's going to be up there [on the Olympic podium]."

How to watch the 2026 Olympic figure skating competition

While the US women will first take the ice in the team competition on February 6th and 8th, the trio will begin contending for individual glory by skating their short programs at 12:45 PM ET on February 17th, airing live on USA Network.

The 2026 Olympic podium will then be finalized in the free skate competition at 1 PM ET on February 19th, with live coverage on NBC.

Incoming Denver Summit FC rookie Jasmine Aikey capped her Stanford career by earning the top honor in NCAA women's soccer, lifting the 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy last Friday.

Aikey is now the sixth Cardinal to win the award, joining fellow alums and USWNT standouts like Kelley O'Hara (2009), Christen Press (2010), Catarina Macario (2018, 2019), and Andi Sullivan (2017).

"I am so happy that Jasmine's hard work and dedication paid off, as she is one of the most talented and competitive student-athletes I have ever coached," said Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe in the school's Friday announcement.

The 20-year-old topped both Stanford and the ACC in goals scored this season with 21, tallying 11 assists as she led the Cardinal to both the 2025 ACC Championship and last month's College Cup Final.

Even more, her dominant season saw Aikey claim the 2025 MAC Hermann Award over fellow finalists and ACC stars Jordynn Dudley, a junior forward for reigning NCAA champion Florida State, and Izzy Engle, a Notre Dame sophomore attacker and the 2025 ACC Offensive Player of the Year.

With her Friday win, Aikey also made history as just the second student-athlete to win both the Hermann Trophy and the Academic All-America Team Member of the Year, joining Portland alum and international soccer's all-time leading scorer, Canada legend Christine Sinclair.

The forward won't be resting on her laurels for long, however, with Aikey now gearing up for next month's NWSL preseason after signing a two-year deal to join 2026 expansion side Denver Summit last Thursday.

"I'm ready to get to work and help set the standard in Denver," remarked the newly minted pro in a club statement.

As top tennis talents turn toward the 2026 Australian Open, this week's WTA rankings refresh hints at the drama to come as the year's first Grand Slam nears.

Following her strong 2026 United Cup showing against world No. 2 Iga Świątek, Team USA favorite Coco Gauff jumped to No. 3, leapfrogging fellow US star No. 4 Amanda Anisimova along the way.

Meanwhile, reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys hit a slight skid, falling two spots to No. 9 after unwavering No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka ousted her from last week's Brisbane Open quarterfinals.

Sabalenka aside, Switzerland's No. 10 Belinda Bencic might have the hottest hand heading into Melbourne, busting into the Top 10 after winning all five of her 2026 United Cup singles matches — including a dominant three-set victory over Poland's Świątek.

Bencic also made history in this week's rankings update, becoming the first returning mother to crack the WTA's top tier since US tennis icon Serena Williams did so in 2021.

"I think it's been a huge goal, maybe a huge ride after the whole comeback, to come back and prove this to myself, that it's possible," Bencic said this week.

How to watch top WTA ranked tennis players this week

Next up for the WTA rankings' elite will be the record-breaking 2026 Australian Open, with the main draw of the season's first Slam kicking off down under on Sunday.

Live coverage from the Melbourne hardcourt will air across ESPN platforms beginning at 7 PM ET on Saturday.