The WNBA regular season begins tonight, with eight of the league’s teams squaring off across four matchups.

Indiana Fever vs. Washington Mystics

7 p.m. ET, Facebook

Friday’s season opener marks the return of a healthy Elena Delle Donne to the court. Delle Donne has played just 52 minutes of WNBA basketball since winning a championship with the Mystics in 2019.

She had a great showing in the team’s preseason game against the Lynx, scoring 21 points on 9-for-13 field goal shooting.

Elizabeth Williams has yet to rejoin the team from overseas, leaving room for rookies like Shakira Austin to get some playing time and potentially carve out a significant role later on in the season.

“She’s one of the rare young players who can make an immediate impact on the defensive end of the court,” Mystics coach Mike Thibault said of Austin.

The Fever, meanwhile, will take the court with five rookies, the most of any WNBA team – and four of them could crack the starting lineup. NaLyssa Smith, the No. 2 overall pick, should be one of them.

Los Angeles Sparks vs. Chicago Sky

8 p.m. ET, NBA TV

Liz Cambage will make her LA debut against Candace Parker and the Chicago Sky, who will begin their title defense in the season opener.

Despite losing key player Diamond DeShields, the Sky have kept most of their core together. The team added the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP in Emma Meesseman.

On Friday, though, the team will be without Allie Quigley, who was ruled out for the first game with a knee injury. The decision is precautionary, with Sky head coach James Wade saying the team wants “to make sure we’re very careful with her” and that she’s at 100 percent before returning.

The Sky expect to have her back by their third game, a road matchup against the Minnesota Lynx on May 14.

In addition to Cambage, the Sparks added Jordin Canada and Katie Lou Samuelson from Seattle as well as Chennedy Carter from Atlanta. With better depth and scoring, Cambage expects the Sparks to compete this season, saying that it’ll be a wild summer in the WNBA and that “we’re gonna have a ring at the end of it.” The quest to back up that verbiage begins Friday.

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Las Vegas Aces vs. Phoenix Mercury

10 p.m. ET, NBA TV

The time has arrived for Becky Hammon’s first regular-season game as a WNBA head coach and it could not come in a bigger matchup – a rematch of last year’s conference finals, which the Mercury won 3-2.

Phoenix is expected to contend for the WNBA title after finishing as the runner-up last season. The Mercury have added Diamond DeShields – who was a part of the title-winning opposition – as well as 2021 WNBA scoring leader Tina Charles. Look for the Mercury to come out firing.

The team will be without Brittney Griner, who remains detained in Russia.

The Aces also have some unfinished business this season after finishing first in the West but losing in the conference finals to the Mercury. Despite losing Cambage to the Sparks, A’ja Wilson returns, as well as Dearica Hamby and Riquna Williams. All three will look to factor into Friday night’s game.

“There’s definitely unfinished business,” Williams said. “We’re going to get it done. Some way we’re going to figure it out.”

Minnesota Lynx vs. Seattle Storm

10 p.m. ET, Twitter

The Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm will face off in a clash of titans between Sylvia Fowles and Sue Bird. Both are likely in their final seasons in the WNBA.

Alongside Kayla McBride, Fowles will attempt to fill the hole left by Napheesa Collier, who is expecting her first child later this month. Fowles, the WNBA’s career leader in rebounds and a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, will factor in both offensively and defensively.

The Storm are led by Bird, Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd. Stewart is coming back from foot surgery but has had a strong preseason and looks to be fully healthy in Noelle Quinn’s first full season as head coach.

Neither team has any rookies gracing their rosters and bring significant veteran presence to the court.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the newly reported indefinite absence of NWSL star Trinity Rodman from the Washington Spirit, with the 22-year-old attacker rehabbing an ongoing back injury that could reshape the prospects of both the Spirit and the USWNT.

Calling her "the face of the NWSL," Watkins details the Spirit star's long-term back injury, which has led Rodman to seek treatment with a team doctor in London — all while acknowledging that she doesn't think her "back will ever be 100%."

Watkins digs into the potential contributing factors to Rodman's current injury status, including the USWNT's heavy use of the forward during the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning run in Paris — and whether the team will make different decisions going forward due to the fallout on players like Rodman.

"I'm really curious if [USWNT manager Emma] Hayes and her coaching staff will adjust the way they approach strikers in the future, or forwards in the future, or rotation — or if this is just one of those many stories of a player giving it all for the United States and living with the consequences," says Watkins.

As for Washington, Watkins note that — in the wake of copious injuries — the Spirit is still finding ways to win, with club owner Michele Kang and the coaching staff shrewdly managing the depleted roster.

"I think they would be a juggernaut if they were healthy, but they can win pretty, they can win ugly," notes Watkins.

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'An NWSL breaking point'

Watkins also points out that she thinks Rodman's choice to seek treatment in London could be significant, as the forward is currently in a contract year.

With multiple NWSL standouts recently defecting to European clubs, Watkins argues that the US league is hitting a "breaking point" when it comes to retaining top players.

"I am just really, really curious if, by the end of this season, this situation has led Rodman back to the Spirit or if this is the beginning of a player having to progress forward in a different environment," Watkins sums up.

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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There's a traffic jam in the middle of the NWSL standings, with this weekend's slate bound to create some distance among mid-table teams jockeying to break free from the pack.

Between rising underdogs and top-dog rivalries, expect the 2025 NWSL season's sixth matchday to leave it all on the field:

• No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 6 Angel City, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): With both teams coming off demoralizing losses last weekend, the 2024 NWSL champs will fight to bounce back against the LA upstarts in Friday's marquee matchup.

• No. 10 Houston Dash vs. No. 11 Utah Royals, Friday at 8 PM ET (NWSL+): Tied up at four points apiece, the pair of struggling teams just below playoff contention on the NWSL table will battle for a boost above the cutoff line as the recently sold Royals take a trip to Texas on Friday.

• No. 3 Washington Spirit vs. No. 4 Gotham FC, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): This week's top-table showdown features two injury-struck East Coast rivals getting rowdy at Audi — can Gotham turn things around or will Washington keep persevering?

• No. 9 Bay FC vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Saturday at 10 PM ET (ION): Seattle holds a slim tie-break over Bay FC as both teams hug the playoff line, with the Reign looking to build on last week’s Cascadia Clash victory over Portland.

This weekend has the potential to divide the contenders from the pretenders, while the league's top three clubs continue to hold court over the rest of the field.

Saturday's soccer lineup underlines a brewing East Coast rivalry, as the Washington Spirit hosts Gotham FC for the first time since knocking the Bats out of the 2024 NWSL semifinals.

"Just playing against them, you feel that fire," Spirit forward Makenna Morris told JWS this week, with Washington's Audi Field anticipating a large crowd for Saturday's match.

Both clubs know each other well, with 2021 NWSL champions Washington and 2023 trophy-winners Gotham seeing a number of big-name players migrating between New York and DC in recent years.

After finishing 2024 in the league's top four, both teams continue to lurk near the top of NWSL table this season, cementing the idea that the best rivalries blossom between winning sides.

"The [team] that poses the most challenge to you, it just makes you want to beat them so bad," said Washington midfielder Gabby Carle.

"You hate to play them because they're good, but you also love it because it's so competitive," echoed Morris.

Ultimately, familiarity is breeding healthy resentment between two of the NWSL's winningest sides, providing a little extra incentive to secure all three points in this weekend’s matchup.

How to watch NWSL rivals Washington vs. Gotham this weekend

The Spirit will host East Coast rival Gotham at 1 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the 2024 NWSL semifinals rematch airing on CBS.

As the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) wraps up its two-leg semifinals on Sunday, the English teams still in the running find themselves on the brink of elimination from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

Facing a 4-1 deficit against reigning champs Barcelona, Chelsea will aim to close the gap — and keep their historic quadruple hopes alive — at home this weekend.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will try to overcome a more manageable 2-1 deficit against eight-time Champions League winners Lyon, traveling to France to keep their UWCL campaign alive.

An English side hasn't won the UWCL since 2007, when Arsenal took home the WSL's lone European championship trophy.

"Huge respect for their history and what they have been doing and producing in the Champions League, in Europe," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said of Lyon. "I think they're still a very strong side."

"Subconsciously, you always have that thing when you fall short, like last year," said Lyon midfielder and USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps, reflecting back on last season’s title loss to Barcelona. "You lose a game, you lose a tournament – the feeling is there until you're back in the the games that can fix that feeling."

How to watch the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals

Sunday's second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals kicks off with Chelsea vs. Barcelona at 9 AM ET, before Arsenal faces Lyon at 12 PM ET.

Both matches will air live on DAZN.