The United States women’s national team is still No. 1.

According to the latest FIFA rankings released Friday, the USWNT still sits atop the women’s soccer world after its ninth Concacaf W Championship win in July.

Several European teams, though, are nipping at the heels of the reigning World Cup champions. England, fresh off its maiden Euros title, rose to fourth, behind Germany in second and Sweden in third.

The Lionesses’ ascent sets up an epic clash with the USWNT.

The teams are set to face off on Oct. 7 in London’s Wembley Stadium. Tickets for the event sold out in 24 hours, following up England’s record Euros final crowd of 87,192 at the iconic stadium.

The fall friendly will serve as a precursor to the World Cup and Olympic cycle, with both sides looking to make a statement on the international stage. Just Women’s Sports takes a look ahead to the highly anticipated contest.

How does USWNT match up with England?

Form

England will present a formidable test for the USWNT ahead of the 2023 World Cup, with the Lionesses entering the Wembley match in top form. Under manager Sarina Wiegman, England is unbeaten through 20 matches and has scored 106 goals.

While the end of Europe’s World Cup qualifying competition stands between now and October, all signs point to continued dominance for England.

As the Lionesses’ attack appears to be ramping up, logging 5.3 goals per game under Wiegman’s leadership, the USWNT’s offense is not yet synced up. The U.S. has averaged 3.83 goals per game this year, with finishing a topic of conversation in the Concacaf W Championship. While the team grew into the tournament, creating more chances in the final third as the competition continued, the USWNT struggled to put those opportunities away.

It would be too harsh to say the USWNT’s form lags behind England’s, as the U.S. has surged to an 11-0-1 record on the year, but it’s safe to say the Lionesses have faced a more competitive schedule, lifting the group to another level of performance.

CHLOE. KELLY. @Chloe_Kelly98 😱#WEURO2022 pic.twitter.com/TgTUvvZJW3

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) July 31, 2022

Midfield

While many hail the Lionesses for their ability to get up the flanks with stellar attacking-minded outside backs in Lucy Bronze and Rachel Daly, England has also shown its strength in the middle of the park.

Fran Kirby, Georgia Stanway and Keira Walsh made up England’s starting trio in the midfield throughout the Euros, lining up in front of a seasoned backline. The midfield lineup was vital in England’s press, helping the team to deploy pressure higher up the pitch and provide reinforcements to slow down the counter-press.

The USWNT holds a less commanding presence down the spine of the pitch, with the midfield unit yet to fully click. Julie Ertz’s extended absence and maternity leave have loomed large over the U.S., with the team yet to nail down the No. 6 position. Andi Sullivan has stepped up as the team’s defensive midfield anchor but has battled injury throughout the 2022 season.

Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan appear to have locked in the remaining spots in coach Vlatko Andonovski’s starting midfield lineup. Despite carrying a heavy load during the Concacaf W Championship, Horan looked to be carrying a knock through the Mexico-hosted tournament. When given space to link up with the offense and show her creativity, Lavelle can be dangerous, but that version of the OL Reign star didn’t fully emerge in Monterrey.

Expect England to rival the USWNT in the center of the field. The U.S. midfield will be tasked with halting a well-oiled Lionesses attack while finding space on the other side of the ball against an organized squad.

MALLORY PUGH MAKES IT TWO JUST BEFORE THE HALF 🔥

That backheel from Rose Lavelle though 👀 pic.twitter.com/hhlJNCdXtz

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) July 15, 2022

Depth

The USWNT’s deep talent pool has long set the squad apart from the international competition. But the U.S. is no longer the only team with impressive roster depth.

England’s substitutes played a critical role in their Euros title run, with Alessia Russo making a name for herself as a reserve for striker Ellen White. The 23-year-old’s backheel goal cemented the young star on the international stage.

Ella Toone and Jill Scott were also key off the bench in the midfield, and Chloe Kelly, who scored the game-winner in the final against Germany, was vital up top.

The USWNT, of course, has depth at nearly every position, with Margaret Purce and Trinity Rodman emerging as game-changers on the front line and Ashley Sanchez adding a surge of creativity to the midfield.

October’s contest may just come down to which side’s impressive reserves can impact the game the most.

The USWNT and England will face off on Friday, Oct. 7, at Wembley Stadium. The match will air at 3 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

Led by undefeated overall No. 1-seed Nebraska, the college volleyball elite will begin their quest for the 2025 national championship on Thursday, when the first round of the 64-team NCAA Division I tournament hits courts nationwide.

The Huskers are still chasing a perfect season, entering the 2025 title hunt on a 30-0 run having dropped just six sets all season — including losing just one set since September 16th.

"I was expecting us to be great, but certainly not undefeated," said Nebraska alumna and first-year Cornhusker head coach Dani Busboom Kelly on a recent episode of the Welcome to the Party podcast. "They continue to exceed our expectations."

Busboom Kelly's roster is loaded with the kind of experienced connection that only comes when the core of players have competed together for three straight seasons — an increasing rarity in the transfer portal and NIL era.

That said, this core has unfinished business on the national stage, with the superstar junior trio of middle blocker Andi Jackson, outside hitter Harper Murray, and setter Bergen Reilly — all AVCA Player of the Year semifinalists — looking to bring the first NCAA trophy in eight years back to Lincoln.

"It's such a special row, because we just know that all of us have been through thick and thin together and our bond is so strong," Jackson told USA Today Sports earlier this week. "[And Busboom Kelly] gives us so much confidence and we know that with her as our coach, we just can play fearless."

Stacked tournament field looks to spoil Nebraska's season

Even with their "fearless" play, a host of stellar opponents await Nebraska in the NCAA tournament gauntlet, hoping to play spoiler — including Busboom Kelly's previous program, the Louisville Cardinals, who await the Cornhuskers as the No. 2-seed in their own regional quadrant.

Fellow No. 1 seeds Texas, Kentucky, and Pitt will also chase their eventual chance at the Huskers via their own regionals, where the Longhorns could see arguably the stiffest competition from both No. 2-seed Stanford — the winningest program in NCAA volleyball history — and defending champion and No. 8-seed Penn State.

With tickets to the 2025 Final Four in Kansas City on the line, the NCAA volleyball bracket's 64 squads will start serving at 16 campus sites on Thursday.

How to watch the first round of the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament

This year's NCAA volleyball finale begins when No. 5-seed Colorado takes on unseeded American University at 3 PM ET on Thursday, kicking off a two-day first round of 32 matches — with No. 1 Nebraska looking to handle Long Island University in their initial tournament tilt at 8 PM ET on Friday.

All games in the early rounds of the 2025 Division I tournament will air live on ESPN+.

US tennis star Coco Gauff continues to win off the court, with the 2025 French Open champion topping Sportico's list of the 15 Highest-Paid Female Athletes for the third consecutive year.

Fueled by $23 million in off-court endorsements, the $31 million earned by the 21-year-old world No. 3 WTA player edged out the $30 million total income that fellow tennis star and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka garnered in 2025.

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Unsurprisingly, a full 10 athletes on the Sportico Top 15 list are tennis stars, a direct result of the fact that all four Grand Slams and the Masters 1000 tournaments boast equal prize money between the men's and women's competitions — a shift that began with the 1973 US Open.

That established expectation of gender equity in prize money has tennis far outpacing salaries in most other women's sports.

Also making the Top 15 are two LPGA golfers — world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul (No. 15 on the Highest-Paid Female Athletes list) and US star No. 2 Nelly Korda (No. 7) — as well as popular Olympic skiier Eileen Gu (No. 4), WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark (No. 6), and USA gymnastics legend Simone Biles (No. 11).

Notably, Gu, Clark, and Biles as well as Venus Williams (No. 14) all proved the power of endorsements on this year's list, with nearly all of the quartet's earnings coming from sponsorship deals.

As WNBA CBA negotiations rage on, revenue sharing continues to be a wedge issue for both sides of the table, with the league office and the WNBPA eyeing the terms of the most recent proposal from differing viewpoints.

The Athletic reported on Wednesday that the WNBA believes it has offered the revenue-sharing salary model that the players have pushed for throughout the CBA talks, leaving athletes to claim 50% of the "sharable" portion of league revenue.

How the WNBA will determine the "sharable" cut is uncertain, though sources claim the compensation structure on offer will result in players taking home less than 15% of the league's total earnings.

That percentage is likely to take a further hit over the lifetime of a new CBA, according to the league's multi-year earning projections.

"I don't feel like there's any cultivation of a culture of trust [in the CBA talks]," WNBPA president and Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike told The Athletic. "I feel like we've been heard, but not listened to, and I'm hoping that that changes in this 40-day extension, because what we want to do is get a good deal done."

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Parental leave, draft combine, and more enters the WNBA CBA talks

Along with the issue of revenue sharing, the latest WNBA offer also reportedly outlined other proposals, such as the institution of a required offseason draft combine, the elimination of team housing, and the possible extension of the competition calendar by starting earlier and/or finishing the season later.

As for the WNBPA's Tuesday counteroffer, the players union is seeking to eliminate the core designation and shorten the current four-year rookie contract to three years.

The WNBPA is also asking to add non-birthing parental leave, retirement benefits, and reimbursements for mental healthcare.

The WNBA and WNBPA will meet again to negotiate sometime this week, with talks racing toward the second-extension deadline of January 9th, 2026.

After setting a new NCAA basketball record by scoring 100+ points in eight consecutive games, the No. 5 LSU Tigers will face their season's first true test when they visit the preseason-No. 7 Duke Blue Devils as part of the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge on Thursday night.

"We don't play nobody in our nonconference schedule," senior guard Flau'jae Johnson told JWS in November. "From December on out, that's when it gets really [exciting]."

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With their history-making string of lopsided wins under their belt, the Tigers will try to keep the streak alive against a now-unranked Duke side on a three-game losing skid.

The Blue Devils will rely on leading scorer and rebounder Toby Fournier for a spark, with the sophomore forward averaging 15.8 points per game despite Duke's 3-5 start.

As for LSU, the title-hunting Tigers will look to stat undefeated behind Johnson's team-leading 17.0 scoring average, as well as the 16.1 points per game put up by junior star transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley.

"Ballers just want to ball, like hoopers just want to hoop," Johnson said of LSU's quick cohesion this season. "You find different ways to bond and gel with teammates."

How to watch LSU vs. Duke on Thursday

Duke will host No. 5 LSU in the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge at 9 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ESPN.