FIFPRO dropped its 2025 Women's World XI shortlist on Monday, with the worldwide organization representing pro footballers taking heat for snubbing more than a few standout athletes.
The 26-player lineup featured zero USWNT players, continuing a two-year streak of the award omitting US athletes, despite the USWNT winning Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games.d
Reigning Champions League winner and 2025 Euro runner-up Mariona Caldentey also failed to make the cut — a significant snub considering the Arsenal and Spain attacker came in second in at the 2025 Ballon d'Or last month.
Notably, soccer players exclusively vote for the FIFPRO World XI — the only global football award to do so — with this year's nominations ruled by the Euro-winning Lionesses, who snagged 11 overall nods.
Spain saw the second-most nominations — including reigning three-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí — while goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham/Germany), right back Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash/Nigeria), attacker Debinha (Kansas City Current/Brazil), striker Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride/Zambia), and forward Marta (Orlando Pride/Brazil) repped the NWSL.
The final Best XI roster will drop on Monday.
Full 2025 FIFPRO Women's World XI shortlist
Goalkeepers: Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham/Germany), Mary Earps (PSG/England), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea/England)
Defenders: Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash/Nigeria), Ona Batlle (Barcelona/Spain), Millie Bright (Chelsea/England), Lucy Bronze (Chelsea/England), Olga Carmona (PSG/Spain), Ellie Carpenter (Chelsea/Australia), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City/England), Leah Williamson (Arsenal/England)
Midfielders: Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona/Spain), Ghizlane Chebbak (Al Hilal/Morocco), Debinha (Kansas City Current/Brazil), Patri Guijarro (Barcelona/Spain), Vicky López (Barcelona/Spain), Alexia Putellas (Barcelona/Spain), Ella Toone (Manchester United/England), Keira Walsh (Chelsea/England)
Forwards: Michelle Agyemang (Arsenal/Brighton/England), Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride/Zambia), Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid/Colombia), Athenea del Castillo (Real Madrid/Spain), Chloe Kelly (Arsenal/England), Marta (Orlando Pride/Brazil), Alessia Russo (Arsenal/England)
USA Basketball extended the tenure of head coach Kara Lawson on Monday, tapping the current Duke head coach to continue guiding the 5×5 team through the 2028 LA Olympics.
Lawson will helm the US at next year's FIBA World Cup as well as all training camps, exhibitions, and competitions in the lead-up to the 2028 LA Games.
"I will work tirelessly to uphold the standards of this storied program. There is no greater honor in our sport than to be chosen to lead the US women in world competition," Lawson said in a statement. "There is nothing more important than pushing this group to reach its potential."
After serving as an assistant coach during Team USA's eighth straight gold-medal run at the 2024 Paris Games, Lawson took over sideline duties for the national squad at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup, leading a roster stocked with NCAA players back to the top of the international tournament's podium this summer.
The 13-season veteran athlete of the WNBA first won Olympic gold with the US as a player in 2008, then head coached the 3×3 team to gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before joining previous 5x5 head coach Cheryl Reeve's staff ahead of the 2024 Games.
Lawson is first choice of new Team USA director Sue Bird
While a committee tapped Lawson for her initial 5x5 head coaching stint this summer, Monday's multi-year extension decision comes straight from USA Basketball's new women's national team managing director Sue Bird, who played with Lawson on the 2008 Olympic team.
Hired last May, Bird now oversees all processes for player and coach selections, with the new term for Lawson marking the first head coaching decision by the Hall of Famer — though the USA Basketball Board of Directors later added their stamp of approval to Bird's call.
"Having shared the court with her, I know firsthand the leadership, competitive spirit, and basketball IQ that she brings," Bird said of Lawson. "Kara has always had the respect of her teammates and her players, something she has earned and demonstrated over decades."
US sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone blew past the competition this week, becoming the first women's track athlete to run a sub-48 second 400-meter dash in almost 40 years on Thursday, when she won the event final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist clocked a blistering time of 47.78 seconds, breaking her own US record en route to becoming the new world champion.
Notably, Dominican sprinter Marileidy Paulino — the 400-meter gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics — crossed Thursday's finish line right on McLaughlin-Levrone's heels, joining the US winner in breaking the near-impossible 48-second barrier with a time of 47.98 seconds.
"You don't run something like that without amazing women pushing you to it," said McLaughlin-Levrone afterwards, crediting the impact of the other contenders on her own historic pace.
McLaughlin-Levrone's new time is now the second fastest in the sport's history, trailing only the 1985 world record of 47.60 seconds set by East Germany's Marita Koch.
Thursday's win also marked the 26-year-old's first-ever major international 400-meter flat title after historically dominating the 400-meter hurdles, making McLaughlin-Levrone the only athlete to hold world titles in both races.
"I felt that somebody was going to have to run 47-something to win this," Bobby Kersee, the sprinter's longtime coach, told The AP. "She trained for it. She took on the challenge, took on the risk. She's just an amazing athlete that I can have no complaints about."
Star sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is reaching new heights, setting a new US record for the 400-meter race in the event's Tuesday semifinals at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist finished the flat event in 48.29 seconds, shaving more than 0.40 seconds off the previous US record of 48.70 seconds set by track legend Sanya Richards-Ross in 2006.
Both her personal best and the fastest time in the world for that event this year, McLaughlin-Levrone's performance also makes her the seventh-fastest woman of all time in the 400-meter dash — elevating expectations that she could challenge the long-standing world record of 47.60 seconds, set by then-East German sprinter Marita Koch in 1985.
Known for her dominance in the 400-meter hurdles, the 26-year-old made the decision to focus on the flat 400-meter event ahead of this year's competition.
"I definitely wasn't expecting that time," she said afterwards. "It just shows the fitness is there. I'm excited for the finals and grateful to have taken down a record by an amazing woman."
How to watch McLaughlin-Levrone in the 400-meter final
McLaughlin-Levrone will take aim at the 2025 World Athletics Championships' 400-meter podium — and, perhaps, another record time — during the event's final on Thursday.
The US star will race against 2024 Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino and silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser when the final begins at 9:24 AM ET.
Live coverage will air on USA Network.
The 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup is off to the races, setting a new tournament attendance record as 42,723 fans watched top-ranked host nation England claim an opening-day victory over the USA on Friday.
Set inside Sunderland's Stadium of Light, England's Red Roses downed the No. 9 Women's Eagles 69-7 to open the recently expanded 16-team tournament.
"The fans definitely made a statement. You made that one really special," said England full back and Player of the Match Ellie Kildunne after Friday's historic game. "Thank you to everybody that came, having rugby in the North is pretty special as well."
This year's US squad features superstar Ilona Maher as well as several of her fellow rugby sevens Olympic bronze medalists.
"We talk a lot about playing as we can, there were moments out there when we moved the ball really well and we gelled," said Maher following the loss. "I think the hope is that we unlock that and we do that because we have so much potential."
How to watch Team USA at the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup
On the heels of an opening slate dominated by lopsided scorelines, group-stage play in the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup will continue through September 7th before the quarterfinals hit the pitch on September 13th.
The USA will be back in action this Saturday, kicking off against No. 7 Australia at 2:30 PM ET.
Live coverage of all tournament games will stream on Paramount+.
The 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup has arrived, as top-ranked host nation England takes on world No. 10 USA to kick off pool play in the 10th edition of the international competition on Friday afternoon.
Featuring rugby superstar Ilona Maher alongside several of her fellow 2024 Olympic bronze medalists, the Women's Eagles will battle in the group stage through September 6th, looking to first secure a spot in the mid-September quarterfinals before aiming for their first World Cup title since winning the inaugural 1991 tournament.
After expanding from 12 to 16 teams this year, the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup is gearing up to be the biggest edition of the international 15s tournament on record, with over 40,000 tickets already sold for Friday's blockbuster opening matchup.
However, Maher and the US have a steep hill climb in Pool A, with the US set to first tackle two-time champion England before facing No. 6 Australia and No. 15 Samoa over the next two weeks.
"Our focus for the first match of the [World Cup] is very much on ourselves and executing our game plan to put pressure on England," said USA head coach Sione Fukofuka. "We know they have big external expectations on them… so we are quietly going about our work, building confidence, and looking forward to performing."
Meanwhile, reigning champions No. 3 New Zealand will start hunting their seventh overall and third straight World Cup title in Pool C against the likes of No. 5 Ireland, No. 11 Japan, and No. 13 Spain.
Taking on Pool B leaders No. 2 Canada will be No. 8 Scotland, No. 9 Wales, and No. 14 Fiji, while tournament underdogs No. 25 Brazil will face an uphill climb in Pool D against No. 4 France, No. 7 Italy, and No. 12 South Africa.
How to watch Team USA in the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup
The No. 10 USA Women's Eagles will open their 2025 Rugby World Cup campaign against world No. 1 England at 2:30 PM ET on Friday.
Live coverage of all tournament games will stream on Paramount+.
Just days after Spain rose to world No. 1 in the most recent FIFA rankings, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced on Monday that head coach Montse Tomé will not see her contract renewed when it expires at the end of August.
"The Board of Directors of the Royal Spanish Football Federation would like to express its gratitude for Montse Tomé's work, professionalism, and dedication in her various roles during her time as a member of the national teams at the RFEF, particularly during her time as senior national team coach," the governing body said in a statement.
Tomé — Spain's first-ever women head coach — took over La Roja in September 2023 following the removal of former manager Jorge Vilda, with both Vilda and then-federation boss Luis Rubiales exiting amid a highly public toxicity scandal.
During her almost two-year tenure at the helm, the 43-year-old led her former national team to the 2024 UEFA Nations League title, but fell short at both the 2024 Olympics and the 2025 Euro.
Expected to win both major tournament titles, Spain exited the 2024 Paris Games in a semifinal upset to Brazil before finishing last month's European Championship as runners-up to repeat champions England.
While critics questioned some of her sideline decisions in those losses, Tomé also reportedly failed to fully earn the respect of the Spain locker room during her tenure — a hurdle that some contend was due in part to her prior role as Vilda's assistant.
The RFEF has tapped their U-23 manager, Sonia Bermúdez, to succeed Tomé.
Prior to her managerial career in Spain's youth program, the 40-year-old former national team captain and attacker scored 34 goals in her 61 appearances for La Roja.
In the new Prime docuseries Taurasi, retired USA and WNBA legend Diana Taurasi opened up about not playing any minutes in her sixth and final Olympic gold-medal game in Paris last summer.
Having won gold at five consecutive past Olympic Games, Taurasi made the 2024 Team USA roster at 42-years-old precisely because of her deep veteran experience on the international stage.
"I always felt like I deserved to be on the team," she said in the third episode of the three-part series. "It was my team for 20 years and I know how to get the job done."
"She's there to lead," fellow retired basketball icon Sue Bird — Taurasi's longtime friend and teammate in those first five Olympic outings — explained during the episode. "She's there to calm everyone down when s—t gets weird because s—t's gonna get weird. It always does."
While Taurasi played minutes off the bench throughout the tournament, she failed to step on the court during the USA's narrow one-point victory over France last August.
"She should have played, 100%. And to be honest, I don't know why they didn't play her," said Bird. "This was the game she was actually brought here for."
"I'm confused by what happened," Taurasi acknowledged. "I never got [an explanation like], 'Hey, you're not going to play because we're going this direction.' Sounds good. I can live with that."
"Maybe it was just my time to get the raw end of the stick," she continued.
"I've done this five other times where I felt like I really earned it," Taurasi concluded. "This one was the one that doesn't belong."
How to watch the docuseries "Taurasi"
All three episodes of Taurasi are currently available to stream on Prime.
The 2025 Ballon d'Or nominations dropped on Thursday, and only two USWNT players earned nods on the 30-athlete shortlist for soccer's most prestigious individual honor.
US and Arsenal defender Emily Fox earned her first career nomination after the 27-year-old won 2024 Olympic gold with the USWNT and the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League with her club side.
With her third career Ballon d'Or nod, USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps joined Fox on Thursday's 2025 list after leading the US in Paris last summer and playing another strong season with OL Lyonnes.
While the first half of 2025 has been admittedly quiet for USWNT without a major continental tournament on the docket this year — and many of the team's heavy hitters sidelined for various reasons — the Ballon d'Or's consideration timeframe includes their Olympic gold-medal run, making the team's lack of nods a bit head-scratching.
It's far from the first time that the award's shortlist has fallen short. Awarded by French magazine France Football, the Ballon d’Or has long been criticized for heavily favoring athletes who play in Europe. Of the 30 2025 nominees, only six play for clubs outside of Europe — five of them in the NWSL.
Notably, only one US player has ever won the Ballon d'Or, with the 2019 trophy lifted by USWNT icon Megan Rapinoe.
Since then, Barcelona FC have maintained a stranglehold on the award, with midfielder Aitana Bonmatí's two straight wins following attacker Alexia Putellas's back-to-back reign.
USWNT drop to No. 2 in world rankings
This week also saw the USWNT cede ground in the overall FIFA rankings, falling to world No. 2 as new No. 1 Spain claimed a narrow lead of less than two points with their 2025 Euro Final appearance.
Like the Ballon d'Or, Thursday's world ranks contained more than a few confusing shifts, with Brazil somehow falling three spots to No. 7 despite winning a fifth straight Copa América title last weekend, and England earning a mere one-spot rise to No. 4 after defeating Spain in last month's Euro.
The 2025 Ballon d'Or Féminin nominees
Sandy Baltimore (Chelsea, France)
Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride, Zambia)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona, Spain)
Lucy Bronze (Chelsea, England)
Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal, Spain)
Klara Bühl (Bayern Munich, Germany)
Sofia Cantore (Washington Spirit, Italy)
Steph Catley (Arsenal, Australia)
Melchie Dumornay (OL Lyonnes, Haiti)
Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current, Malawi)
Emily Fox (Arsenal, US)
Cristiana Girelli (Juventus, Italy)
Esther González (Gotham FC, Spain)
Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona, Norway)
Hannah Hampton (Chelsea, England)
Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich, Denmark)
Patri Guijarro (Barcelona, Spain)
Amanda Gutierres (Palmeiras, Brazil)
Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes, US)
Chloe Kelly (Arsenal, England)
Frida Maanum (Arsenal, Norway)
Marta (Orlando Pride, Brazil)
Clara Mateo (Paris FC, France)
Ewa Pajor (Barcelona, Poland)
Clàudia Pina (Barcelona, Spain)
Alexia Putellas (Barcelona, Spain)
Alessia Russo (Arsenal, England)
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (Chelsea, Sweden)
Caroline Weir (Real Madrid, Scotland)
Leah Williamson (Arsenal, England)
Retired WNBA legend Diana Taurasi is getting the Hollywood treatment, with Prime debuting a three-part docuseries on the three-time league champion's illustrious career on Thursday.
Calling the story "one of community, legacy, and what it means to show up for each other," Taurasi explained in a Tuesday social media post that "it was never just about basketball. It was about the people — those who I had the privilege to compete with."
"This week, my story — our story — comes to life in a new way. The documentary drops, and I can't wait for you to see the moments behind the moments," the 43-year-old also said.
To produce the docuseries, Australian director Katie Bender Wynn followed Taurasi through the final months of her professional basketball career, capturing her last season with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury as well as her gold-medal run with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Each episode highlights a specific time in Taurasi's journey, moving in chronological order from racking up three NCAA championships with UConn to playing overseas in Russia and Turkey as well as moments from her personal life back home.
How to watch the docuseries "Taurasi"
All three episodes of Taurasi are currently available to stream on Prime.