With the 2023 World Cup in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to take a look back at the breakout stars of the tournament. Spain had a number of players step up on their way to the World Cup title.

It’s hard to argue with a pick from the champions, but in a tournament where the rising parity of the global women’s game was on full display, many players showcased why they are the best in the world. Some of those highest performers represented a changing of the guard, as the next generation of soccer players introduced themselves to the public.

Let’s take a look at who is deserving of the highest individual prize, and who else was in the running.

Our pick for Golden Ball

Aitana Bonmatí, Spain

Bonmatí was the main playmaker on the championship team, earning the official Golden Ball award after the World Cup final. She also earns our top award both for scoring and facilitating Spain’s excellent ball movement as they put together their most complete performances ever at the senior level.

Spain has been known to falter in big moments and overly rely on their passing abilities without being dangerous in front of goal. Bonmatí refused to let that reputation hold them down, dismantling Switzerland in the Round of 16 before handling the Netherlands and Sweden on their way to defeating England in the final.

Honorable mentions

Linda Caicedo, Colombia

The 2023 World Cup served as the world’s introduction to one of the most exciting young talents in South American soccer as Linda Caicedo took the group stage by storm. Caicedo was clearly the focal point of Colombia’s attack, but her individual quality made her impossible to stop.

The 18-year-old put the world on notice in Colombia’s upset of Germany in the group stage, scoring one of the best goals of the tournament to put her team ahead in the first half. She also showcased a relentless willingness to defend from an advanced position, buying into her team’s gritty ethos that helped Colombia advance to the quarterfinals.

Millie Bright, England

It’s a testament to England’s team mentality that they came very close to their first World Cup title without one single player taking the team on their back. Midfielder Keira Walsh battled injury and had a rough World Cup final, while Lauren James’ two-game suspension for a red card offense in the Round of 16 halted her momentum from the knockout rounds.

But the Lionesses’ defense was excellent, and the team’s center-backs handled a mid-tourney formation change with ease. Jess Parker, Millie Bright and Alex Greenwood all deserve credit, but Bright as captain anchored the team’s defense and sent important long-ball passes forward to spring the England attack, most notably against Australia in the team’s semifinal win.

Teresa Abelleira, Spain

The only mark against Bonmatí’s right to the Golden Ball is that she might have been outplayed by her teammate in Spain’s midfield. Teresa Abelleira dominated through possession, never allowing opponents to grab momentum by taking control of the tempo of the match. Her finest hour may have come in the World Cup final, as Spain slowly squeezed the life out of England after taking a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute.

Spain’s ability to hold and progress the ball has become such a key part of their identity that one might begin to take it for granted, but combined with clinical finishing at the right times, it became their superpower. Abelleira’s performance in the World Cup’s biggest moments set the foundation for the team’s success.

Hinata Miyazawa, Japan

The Japan forward took home the Golden Boot Award for most goals scored in the tournament, with five goals and one assist despite Japan’s quarterfinal exit. Miyazawa represented the final piece of Japan’s puzzle as the Nadeshiko slashed through defenses with ease, most notably in their 4-0 group stage takedown of eventual champions Spain.

HINATA MIYAZAWA WAS A CHEAT CODE 🎮

Here's every goal from Hinata Miyazawa's 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Golden Boot campaign ⬇️🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/tVl5pei1GJ

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 22, 2023

The one criticism of Japan’s play going into the World Cup was a lack of clinical finishing. But the team’s free-flowing, counter-attacking style of soccer was some of the most enjoyable to watch throughout the tournament, and Miyazawa led the way.

Salma Paralluelo, Spain

Named the World Cup’s Young Player of the Tournament, 19-year-old Salma Paralluelo was also crucial in Spain’s run to the World Cup final. Scoring off the bench in both the quarterfinal and semifinal, Paralluelo provided width and blazing pace to exploit gaps behind opponents’ defenses.

Paralluelo went on to start the World Cup final and cause so many issues for England’s wingbacks that the Lionesses made a formation change at halftime, sacrificing their dynamism in the attack. With a bright future ahead of her, Paralluelo represents the best of Spain’s developmental pipeline.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.

In an all-new episode of Sports Are Fun!, soccer icon Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes all things women's sports. And this week, a special guest host — writer, comedian, television host, actor, and internet personality The Kid Mero of 7PM in Brooklyn and Victory Light fame — gets in on the fun.

Of course, the crew doesn't hold back. Starting with a deep dive into UConn superstar Paige Bueckers's ongoing quest for an NCAA championship title.

"I don't know Paige well at all, but I assume getting this record — cool," O'Hara says, referencing Bueckers recently passing Huskies legend Diana Taurasi to become UConn's ninth all-time leading scorer. "But if I'm her, I want a championship."

"If I'm P Buckets, I'm like, 'Yo, listen, I've done everything, I've eclipsed DT in the record books,'" echoed Mero. "Y'all know the history of UConn women's basketball, it's crazy — it's like the Yankees of women's basketball. So to have your name as a championship winner, to have all these records, that's the complete package."

Over an action-packed 65 minutes, Sports Are Fun! also tackles how the USWNT has been performing at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, trash talk in the women's game, Connecticut denying Marina Mabrey's trade request, the NCAA cashing in on Women's March Madness, and so much more.

'Sports Are Fun!' hosts O'Hara, Diaz, and The Kid Mero embrace trash talk

Before getting into the Paige Bueckers of it all, Sports Are Fun! weighs in on Rose BC's Angel Reese trash talking Phantom BC's Sabrina Ionescu on the Unrivaled bench. And to no surprise, they're here for it.

"Another storyline is trash talking," O'Hara introduces. "Angel Reese was picked up on camera during a timeout [saying] 'Sabrina can't fucking guard.'"

"And Sabrina basically said trash talking is part of the sport — you see it in the NFL, you see in the NBA. But for some reason when it gets to the to women's sports, it's like people don't want to talk about it," continued the two-time World Cup champ. "In my opinion, I love trash talking — it's a game within the game. And I'm all for it because I think it makes it interesting."

"[Trash talk] makes it fun," Mero agreed. "Listen, gambling has has invaded every aspect of sports. You know why? Because it makes it fun. I don't give a shit who's playing in the Frito-Totito Bowl, like San Diego Tech State versus like Grady Academy of Culinary Arts. I don't care who's playing, but I know the spread is 35.5... Let's roll the dice."

"What makes sports fun?" Mero adds. "Competing."

About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara

'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place. Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.

From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

Canada’s Northern Super League (NSL) is preparing for its inaugural season, with the top-flight soccer league dropping a 75-match calendar and broadcast details last week.

The league will officially kick off on April 16th, when Vancouver’s BC Place will host the NSL’s first-ever match, a clash between co-owner Christine Sinclair’s Vancouver Rise FC against the visiting Calgary Wild FC.

Then on April 19th, AFC Toronto will host the Montreal Roses in BMO Field's first-ever NSL game, bringing the pro women's soccer action futher east and arguably initiating a rivalry between two of Canada's largest cities.

The final two NSL clubs will make their debuts one week later, with Halifax Tides FC hosting Calgary on April 26th before Ottawa Rapid FC takes the pitch against Toronto on April 27th.

The NSL has been busy putting the finishing touches on its 2025 launch, with multiple Olympic medalists and ex-NWSL standouts like Canada's own Quinn, Erin McLeod, and Desiree Scott joining the budding league.

Also featuring on NSL debut rosters are US athletes Nikki Stanton and Jasmyne Spencer, as well as Iceland standout Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir — giving the brand-new pro league a chance to flex its potential at the international level.

NSL sets full 2025 calendar, snags top broadcast partners

The inaugural NSL season will see all six clubs playing 25 regular-season matches for a league total of 75 matches. Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver will contend 12 of their matches at home, while Ottawa, Calgary, and Halifax scored 13 games in front of their home crowds.

At the end of regular-season play, the top four teams on the NSL table will qualify for the league's two-leg semifinals. After the home-and-away semis, the two clubs with the highest aggregate score will face-off in the league's first-ever championship match, set for November 15th.

All games will air across Canada via multiple broadcast partners, including TSN, which will broadcast 20 regular-season matches, and CBC, which will air eight. Both broadcasters will also make additional game available via their respective streaming platforms, CBC Gem and TSN+.

Rose BC is tearing up the 3×3 basketball court, stringing together a five-game winning streak to surge to second place in the Unrivaled standings.

Forward Angel Reese has led the squad, registering the league’s first-ever 20+ point, 20+ rebound game in Friday’s 72-63 win over the Lunar Owls — the first loss suffered by the top-ranked Unrivaled team thus far.

Reese continued to roll on offense, putting up 23 points and 14 rebounds to lift Rose atop Phantom BC 71-59 on Monday.

"She's finishing now, and she's also taking a lot of leadership with a Rose team that has done a really good job of getting themselves back," said Phantom BC’s Natasha Cloud after Monday’s clash. "Angel set the tone for them — I felt it tonight."

Unrivaled teams battle for first-ever league playoff spots

Rose BC's recent rise is coming at the perfect time. With less than a month to go in the debut league's regular season, the next few weeks will determine which four teams make it to Unrivaled's first-ever playoffs.

After Friday's loss to Rose BC, the first-place Lunar Owls bounced back with an 88-60 victory over the Laces on Saturday — a win that ultimately made co-founder Napheesa Collier's squad the first Unrivaled team to officially punch a postseason ticket.

"We made everyone raise their level of play, and tonight we showed why we’re still number one," said Lunar Owls guard Skylar Diggins-Smith after Saturday's win. 

Currently, Rose BC, Laces BC, and Vinyl BC are sitting above the postseason cut-off line, though the Mist and Phantom BC are each only one game behind the pack — putting every squad still well within striking distance of some inaugural season hardware.

With a locked-in group spanning some of the most talented — and competitive — basketball players in the world, expect even more late-season fireworks in the race to become Unrivaled’s first-ever champion on March 17th.

Newly minted Australian Open champion Madison Keys added the highest WTA rankings of her career to her resume on Monday, rising to No. 5 despite withdrawing from last week’s Dubai Open with a leg injury.

The first-time Grand Slam winner joins fellow US standouts No. 3 Coco Gauff and No. 4 Jessica Pegula in the Top 5 WTA rankings, marking the first time three US women have featured in that elite echelon since Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, and Jennifer Capriati did so in 2003.

While Emma Navarro slid in at No. 10 to give the US four of the Top 10 WTA rankings, a breakthrough title-winning run at the 2025 Dubai Open launched Mirra Andreeva into the upper tier. The 17-year-old jumped five spots to claim No. 9 and become the youngest Top 10-ranked WTA player since 2007.

The sport's top two players held steady in Monday's shakeup, with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Świątek keeping their ground.

That said, with the WTA Tour returning Stateside next week, expect more rankings movement — and perhaps a few surprise entries — as players continue to prep for the three Grand Slams remaining in the 2025 season.

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Former WTA No. 1 Venus Williams will not play at Indian Wells

Contrary to last week’s widespread reports, tennis legend Venus Williams — who first rose to No. 1 in the WTA rankings 23 years ago this week — said she will not be participating in next month's 2025 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

"I love Indian Wells, I would love to be there," the 44-year-old US icon told the crowd during a public appearance in Denmark on Monday. "If I could have accepted it, I would have loved to be there, but I already made commitments."

"We wish Venus all the best and hope to see her back in Indian Wells in the future," said tournament director Tommy Haas in response, reversing the Open’s earlier social media announcement of Williams' wild card berth.