Sarina Wiegman is receiving her coronation on the world stage, leading England to the UEFA Women’s Euro final at Wembley Stadium.

The Lionesses manager boasts an impressive résumé. As manager for the Netherlands, she led that team to a 2017 EURO title and 2019 World Cup final appearance.

Wiegman’s appointment to the England job in September 2021 catapulted the 52-year-old to an even greater level of international football fame after years of quiet and consistent success with the Dutch.

A former player herself, Wiegman captained the Netherlands national team, becoming the first Dutch player to log 100 caps in 2001. Wiegman also has experience playing in the United States, competing alongside Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly on the North Carolina Tar Heels women’s soccer team for the squad’s championship 1989 season.

After retiring from professional soccer in 2003, Wiegman signed on as manager of Ter Leede in 2006, a club she used to play for. Then, in 2007, Wiegman became head coach of ADO Den Haag, a club in the the new Dutch league Eredivisie. In her seven-year tenure, Wiegman led the team to two league titles before moving on to be assistant coach of the Dutch national team.

After an interim stint as manager of the national team in 2015, Wiegman was named the permanent manager in 2017, just months before the World Cup.

With players such as Lieke Martens, Danielle van de Donk, Sherida Spitse and Vivianne Miedema at her disposal, Wiegman quickly transformed the Netherlands into international contenders.

She led Women's EURO hosts @oranjevrouwen to victory in 2017🏆🇳🇱

Now @wiegman_s will attempt to do the same at #WEURO2022 after being appointed to coach hosts @Lionesses from September 2021🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/bRn1lLlWx1

— UEFA Women's EURO 2022 (@WEURO2022) August 14, 2020

Known for her no-nonsense and low-key demeanor, Wiegman let the results do the talking, staying out of the spotlight even as the Netherlands rose through the ranks.

Her direct way of communicating, honed during her time with the Dutch, has become a staple of Wiegman’s approach.

“What she has done really well is to know where her qualities are,” former Dutch goalkeeper Loes Geurts told The Athletic. “The staff members around her were all picked to contribute so they would make a complete team together.”

As a manager, Wiegman also has proved she isn’t afraid to make daring, perhaps even controversial, personnel decisions. Her conviction, however, grounds Wiegman’s bold choices in reason and logic.

Early in her time with the Netherlands, Weigman benched Mandy van den Berg, a move she’s replicated at England, leaving former Lioness captain Steph Houghton off the team’s Euros roster.

While risky, the change has paid off for the Lionesses, with England’s youth shining under Wiegman’s leadership. Forward Beth Mead, in particular, has succeded in Wiegman’s system, scoring a record six goals during England’s Euros run. The 23-year-old Alessia Russo is also thriving under Wiegman, with her success punctuated by a backheel goal for the ages.

.@alessiarusso7 are you kidding me?? 🤯#WEURO2022 pic.twitter.com/gyY7yzPMyi

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) July 26, 2022

“She’s brought such a great environment and culture to the team,” Mead said of Wiegman. “There’s a lot of clarity in the way we’ve played. And it’s that identity that has benefited England so greatly.”

Wiegman has England committed to a high press, with the Lionesses’ offense fueled by winning the ball high up the pitch. Her attack-minded approach has resulted in exciting football, with England logging 104 goals and conceding just four in Wiegman’s 19-game tenure.

Now Wiegman has the chance to underline her name in the history books as she readies her side to play in front of a home crowd at Wembley Stadium with a Euros trophy on the line. The Lionesses are going for their first major international title.

“We want to inspire the nation,” Wiegman said. “We hope that in the end, the whole country is proud of us and even more girls and boys will start playing football.”

Over two decades after first hitting theaters, Bend It Like Beckham is on track for a sequel, Gurinder Chadha — the director and co-writer of the 2002 women's soccer blockbuster film — confirmed on Saturday.

"I'm excited to revisit the original characters and revive the enduring story and build on the legacy we helped to create for the women's game," she told Deadline late last week.

Though the new script is still in development, Chadha is aiming to collaborate again with co-writer Paul Mayeda Berges and hoping to lure the original cast — led by actors Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley — back to set.

With women's football booming both in England and beyond, London-based Chadha has been ruminating on a Bend It Like Beckham follow-up for the last two years.

"I [initially] didn't want to do anything because I didn't have a story. And then I came up with a great story, really super-cool story. So now I’m inspired," the filmmaker explained. "It's my very clear wish to bring the characters back very, very soon. Women's football is more competitive, more exciting, and more global than ever. It is an honor for me to be a small part of it."

"Bend It Like Beckham" sequel snags assist from USWNT boss

As part of her development process, Chadha is consulting with major players in the women's soccer space — including USWNT manager Emma Hayes, whom Chadha met at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in May.

"[Hayes's] insights into the world of football at her level are invaluable," noted Chadha.

As for Hayes, assisting Chadha is somewhat of a full-circle moment for the decorated London-born women's soccer coach.

"I cried in the cinema watching the film because I felt just like [the main characters] Jess and Jules," Hayes told Deadline. "There was no hope for women's football in Britain then so I was going to the States to try my luck."

"Twenty-three years ago I could never have dreamed of how much that film changed the women's game, and now I have the best job in the world: head coach of the US women's national team."

The Bend It Like Beckham sequel is aiming for a 2027 debut to coincide with both the 25th anniversary of the original film's UK opening and the 2027 Women's World Cup.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham became the latest WNBA player on the mic this week, as the outspoken athlete launched a new podcast on sports media personality Colin Cowherd's The Volume network.

Entitled "Show Me Something" in reference to the two hosts' Missouri roots, the podcast features the seven-year WNBA veteran as well as her former high school classmate and current Summer House reality star West Wilson.

"We're definitely going to hit on the WNBA, a huge topic in sports right now, and then Bravo, clearly, but pop culture, food, fashion, travel... we really do talk about anything," Cunningham said about the variety of topics she'll be discussing with her childhood friend on their podcast. "Our love language is, like, s—t-talking."

The media move follows several recent endorsement deals for Cunningham, as she continues to capitalize on the social media bump she experienced following a June 17th dust-up with Connecticut Sun players.

In this week's first episode, the 2025 Fever addition did not hold back, immediately digging into the ongoing discourse surrounding superstar teammate Caitlin Clark.

"There's really good, well-known people in our league. I'm not discrediting them," Cunningham said. "But when people try to argue that [Clark's] not the face of our league, or if our league would be where we're at without her, you’re dumb as s—t. You’re literally dumb as f—k."

USC women's basketball is stocking up, bringing on their third No. 1 high school prospect in four years with top-ranked Saniyah Hall committing to the Trojans on Friday.

Set to join the team for the 2026/27 season, Hall follows in the footsteps of 2023 top recruit JuJu Watkins and Class of 2025 No. 1 prospect Jazzy Davidson.

USC reportedly beat out both North Carolina and UCLA in the race to secure a commitment from Hall.

The Northeast Ohio product will close out her high school career at SPIRE Academy, returning to her home state following a junior-year campaign with Montverde Academy in Florida.

The 6-foot-2 guard, who turned 17 years old on Wednesday, has also seen significant international success, first helping Team USA earn gold in the 2024 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup.

Hall added a 5x5 gold medal to her collection earlier this month, when the then-16-year-old set records en route to securing Team USA the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup title.

Her US U19-record 19.9 points per game — plus team-leading averages of 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.9 steals across the competition's seven games — saw the starter named tournament MVP following the July 20th championship victory.

Shortly after returning Stateside, Hall visited USC, announcing her NCAA basketball commitment almost immediately after leaving campus.

"I would say it felt like home. I loved all of my teammates," Hall told ESPN's NBA Today on Friday. "The girls there are so fun to be around."

Embattled ex-Canada women's national team coach Bev Priestman has officially left the country, relocating to New Zealand to manage A-League Women's side Wellington Phoenix FC.

"We're really pleased to be able to welcome Bev back to football," Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison said in the club's announcement. "We all know she's had a period of time away from the game, but we understand the circumstances and we're really comfortable with this appointment."

In addition to her firing from Team Canada, Priestman served a one-year suspension from all football-related activities, finishing that mandatory moratorium this month.

FIFA issued the suspension after determining that Priestman was guilty of spying on opponents via illegal drone use during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"For me, I didn't feel safe, that's being brutally honest," she told reporters this week, commenting on the drone scandal's local fallout. "It was very difficult for my family and I have to live with that. I have to wear that."

The Wellington Phoenix — the lone New Zealand club competing in the top-flight Australian league — finished the 2024/25 season ninth out of 12 teams, with the young club soon setting their sights on a deeper run in their fifth season behind Priestman.

"It feels like Christmas Day to me to come back," said Priestman, whose wife, Wellington Phoenix FC academy director Emma Humphries, is a former New Zealand national team player. "I know I have to earn the trust of everybody. And I'll be working hard to do that."