US women’s rugby stole the spotlight this week, as incoming domestic league Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) prepares for its first-ever season while USA Rugby gears up for a newly announced series of home friendlies.
In the lead-up to the kickoff of the 2025 Rugby World Cup in England this August, the world No. 9-ranked Eagles will be playing a pair of tune-up friendlies, taking on No. 11 Japan in Los Angeles on April 26th before facing No. 2 Canada in Kansas City on May 2nd.
The national team will then play a final send-off match against No. 16 Fiji in Washington, DC, on July 19th before heading to London for the 10th edition of the international tournament.
Momentum continues with new women's rugby league
The Eagles' pre-World Cup tour aims to continue the sport's momentum that the team initially sparked during last summer's Olympic bronze medal-winning run in Paris.
That standout performance prompted increased demand for more consistent women’s rugby programming in the States, with longtime proponents of the sport welcoming fresh fans into the fold with hopes of continuing to grow the game in the US.
Some of the increased demand will be met by WER, as the new league formalized its sanctioning agreement with USA Rugby earlier this week in anticipation of their March 22nd kick-off.
With six teams representing the Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York, and the Twin Cities, WER will play a three-month regular season before contesting the league's first playoffs.
"We are confident that the start of WER will be a key moment in the growth of the sport," said WER president Jessica Hammond-Graf in a statement. "We can’t wait for fans to experience the excitement and intensity of high-level, professional women’s rugby in the US."
How to buy tickets to US women's rugby games
Tickets to the Eagles’ World Cup send-off tour go on sale March 28th, while fans hoping to catch WER’s debut season can purchase seats online now.
Ex-San Diego Wave boss Casey Stoney is taking over head coaching duties for the Canadian women's national soccer team, Canada Soccer confirmed on Monday morning.
Stoney replaces longtime coach Bev Priestman, who is currently serving a one-year suspension from FIFA for her role in the 2024 Paris Olympics drone-spying scandal.
Canada Soccer officially fired Priestman in November 2024, after an independent investigation into a drone spotted hovering over New Zealand's Olympic training session found Canada's coaching staff liable.
Immediately following the incident, Canada saw six points deducted from their Olympic group stage standing. The 2021 gold medalists eventually lost to Germany in the quarterfinals.
Stoney jumps from club to country
This will be Stoney's first time leading a national team, making the professional leap after San Diego abruptly fired the decorated former England defender and captain in June 2024.
Prior to her NWSL tenure, Stoney made her head coaching debut with Manchester United. She led the club to an FA Championship trophy in the team's inaugural 2018/19 season, earning the team promotion into the WSL.
After joining the NWSL's California expansion side in 2021, Stoney led the Wave to two playoff appearances and a career regular-season record of 24-15-18. San Diego's 2022 semifinals run made the club the first-ever franchise to make the NWSL Playoffs in their inaugural season. The campaign eventually earned Stoney the 2022 NWSL Coach of the Year award.
Stoney also helped the Wave snag the 2023 NWSL Shield and the 2024 Challenge Cup trophy — all behind Canadian starting goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan.
With an eye on developing a strong Canadian roster to contend for the 2027 World Cup, Stoney's first task on the team's sideline is set for February, when Canada will compete in the annual Pinatar Cup in Spain.
"Casey's track record of successful leadership, her values and strength of character, and her lifelong dedication to the advancement of women's football make her the right person to lead our national team into its next chapter," said Canada Soccer CEO and general secretary Kevin Blue in today's statement.
Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles is Sports Illustrated's newest Sportsperson of the Year, the magazine announced Thursday. The win follows Biles's historic career comeback and gold medal-winning performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"I don't think the reality has set in of what I've exactly done in the sport," Biles told the magazine. "I can see it, and I hear it from people, and I see a glimpse of it, but the full magnitude I don't think I've realized just yet."
Biles is the first Olympian to earn the honor since LeBron James in 2012.
Biles subsequently returned to the top of the world stage in 2024, bouncing back after a bout of "the twisties" derailed her 2021 Tokyo Olympics run.
In Paris, Biles became the first gymnast to win two All-Around titles in non-consecutive Olympic Games (2016, 2024). She also took gold in the team and vault events as well as silver in the floor event.
With 11 Olympic and 30 World Championship medals, Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history.
Sportsperson of the Year builds an Olympic legacy
While Biles hasn't fully ruled out another trip to the mat, the 27-year-old isn't interested in discussing a potential LA 2028 campaign just yet.
"Because I've accomplished so much, there's almost nothing left to do. Rather than to just be snobby and to try again, and for what?" she said. "I'm at a point in my career where I'm humble enough to know when to be done."
Three-time WNBA MVP and Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson has agreed to a historic six-year contract extension with Nike, ESPN first reported on Tuesday.
The two-time WNBA champion already announced a forthcoming apparel line and signature shoe with the sportswear giant this year.
The first edition of the "A'One" shoe is expected to be released this spring, shortly before the 2025 WNBA season tips off on May 16th.
Wilson joins top tier of Nike athletes
Wilson's new deal is reportedly one of the highest-paid shoe endorsement contracts in women's basketball. The contract now places the 28-year-old alongside 2024 WNBA champion and NY Liberty sharpshooter Sabrina Ionescu, 2024 Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, and USC sophomore phenom JuJu Watkins in Nike's lineup of basketball stars.
While the exact details of Wilson's contract are still to come, the $28 million eight-year deal that Clark inked was, as of its April signing, the richest sponsorship contract in the sport.
Though Wilson's May sneaker drop will mark the beginning of her signature shoe journey, there's hope she could see similar early success as that garnered by Ionescu. The Liberty guard debuted her second shoe in June, with both editions earning significant playing time on the feet of both WNBA and NBA stars.
A no-brainer signing for Nike
The fact that Nike is going all in on Wilson is no surprise, as the Las Vegas superstar dominated the league with an historic 2024 season. Wilson set the WNBA's single-season rebounding and scoring records this year, becoming the first and only player to ever break 1,000 points in a season.
She tore up the stat sheet en route to becoming just the fourth player to ever earn three MVP nods — and the first to snag it by unanimous vote since legend Cynthia Cooper in the WNBA's inaugural 1997 season.
Even more, Wilson led Team USA to an eighth-straight Olympic gold medal this summer, snagging MVP honors in Paris in the process.
The USWNT is challenging Brazil to an Olympic rematch in the form of two April 2025 friendlies, with the 2024 gold medalists kicking off against their silver counterparts on April 5th in Los Angeles before closing out the two-match series in San Jose on April 8th.
The rivals' opening LA clash will be SoFi Stadium's first-ever women's professional sporting event. The state-of-the-art NFL venue, which opened in 2020, is gearing up to host the 2026 Men's World Cup and will test its first natural grass installation in March, prior to the USWNT's visit.
"These are matches against a top team in fantastic stadiums that will be as fun for the players as they are for the fans," US boss Emma Hayes said in a statement. "To play the first ever women’s professional match at Sofi Stadium is a great honor and one worthy of this team."
USWNT writes next chapter in a deep history
The USWNT has a long history with the 2027 World Cup hosts, and April's matches will mark their 42nd and 43rd meetings with the world No. 8 team.
That said, the No. 1 US hasn't lost to Brazil since 2014, and holds a 33-3-5 all-time record against the South American powerhouse.
Their two 2024 bouts both ended in 1-0 US victories, each in a title-clinching final. First, the USWNT claimed the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup off a game-winning Lindsey Horan header in March, before Mal Swanson's lone goal snagged August's Olympic final win.
How to buy tickets to see the USWNT vs. Brazil
Tickets for both of April's matches are available now via presale, with general sales opening at 1 PM ET on Friday.
The April 5th LA match will kick off at 5 PM ET, with live coverage on TNT. San Jose's game is set for 10:30 PM ET on April 8th, and will air on TBS.
After stellar performances for both club and country, Orlando Pride star striker Barbra Banda is the 2024 BBC Women's Footballer of the Year, becoming the eighth player across the annual award's 10 editions to earn the trophy on Tuesday.
At just 24 years old, Banda became the highest-scoring African player in Olympic history this past summer, registering four goals — including her third Olympic hat trick — despite Zambia's group-stage elimination.
In her first season in the league, Banda finished the 2024 NWSL season second in scoring with 13 regular-season goals. She led the Pride to their first-ever Shield and Championship wins, claiming the Championship MVP trophy with her title-winning goal. Plus, with four postseason goals, Banda set a new NWSL playoff scoring record.
The fans' favorite footballer
Fans ultimately select the annual BBC Footballer of the Year award by voting on a five-player shortlist. That shortlist is determined by a large panel of international soccer experts, including coaches, players, administrators, and independent journalists. The panel chose this year's nominees based on their performances from September 2023 to August 2024.
Though usually heavy with UK-based athletes, this year's field lacked any club or country connection with the nation. To claim the award, Banda beat out fellow finalists Aitana Bonmatí and Caroline Graham Hansen of Barcelona FC, and fellow NWSL standouts Sophia Smith (Portland) and Naomi Girma (San Diego).
Banda is now just the second winner in the award's decade-long history without a connection to England. She joins two-time victor Ada Hegerberg, a Norwegian national and striker for Lyon, in that elite club.
A surprised Banda was quick to share credit with her Orlando teammates upon hearing the news, telling the Pride, "I'm just dedicating this award to every one of you guys who has been there for me."
Star USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher announced her retirement from international play on Monday, with the vet set to hang up her boots after the team's upcoming friendlies against England and the Netherlands. Naeher's final game will fall on December 3rd — 10 years to the month after her 2014 first cap.
"When I began this journey, I never could have imagined where it would take me," Naeher wrote. "This has been a special team to be a part of and I am beyond proud of what we have achieved both on and off the field."
Naeher will continue playing professionally in the NWSL, recently inking a contract to stay in Chicago for an upcoming 10th season.
One of the best to ever do it
With two World Cup titles, a gold and bronze Olympic medal, and 88 wins and 68 shutouts across her 113 caps, the 36-year-old exits as one of the best goalkeepers in USWNT history.
Naeher is also unmatched on the world stage. The only goalie nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or is also the first and only to record shutouts in both a World Cup final and Olympic gold-medal match. Even more, Naeher didn't concede a single goal throughout the 2024 Olympics knockout round, shutting down the world's best to help the USWNT secure gold.
Amidst her many achievements and skills, Naeher will likely be remembered for her quiet, reserved demeanor, her intensity, and her unparalleled ability to play penalty hero in some of the USWNT's biggest moments.
The PK specialist made key stops to send the US to the 2019 World Cup final and to eventually earn bronze in the 2021 Olympics. To date, she's the only US goalkeeper to record three saves in a penalty shootout.
Most impressively, Naeher is one of few keepers at the international level who will step to the spot herself. Earlier this year, she strung together a shootout series of saving a shot, burying her own, and immediately making another save, and she did it twice, just five weeks apart — in March's Concacaf W Gold Cup and April's 2024 SheBelieves Cup.
Future USWNT shotblockers
Naeher's retirement kicks off the hunt for a new starting keeper. Regulars Casey Murphy (NC Courage) and Jane Campbell (Houston Dash) are the likely frontrunners for the job, though neither will feature in the USWNT's final camp of 2024.
Currently in Europe alongside Naeher are Mandy Haught (Utah Royals), who earned her first cap in October, and first-time call-up Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United), who will both look to prove their worth to US boss Emma Hayes in Europe.
How to watch Alyssa Naeher's final USWNT matches
The goalkeeping great's last two matches in a USWNT kit begin with Saturday's battle against England at London's iconic Wembley Stadium at 12:20 PM ET.
After traveling to The Hague, Naeher's final US game will be against the Netherlands at 2:45 PM ET on December 3rd.
Both friendlies will air live on TNT.
In today’s episode of the Late Sub, host Claire Watkins talks through the USWNT's second-straight 3-1 win over Iceland while shedding light on Sunday's comeback victory. Watkins digs into how the USWNT struggled slightly with coach Emma Hayes's roster rotation at first, before a second-half stabilization perfectly showcased their underlying strengths.
Then, Watkins interviews star Team USA sprinter Gabby Thomas about her whirlwind summer after earning three Olympic gold medals in Paris, as well as her off-track interest in global health advocacy.
The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.
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USWNT manager Emma Hayes announced the roster for three upcoming October friendlies against world No. 13 Iceland and No. 33 Argentina on Thursday, tapping both new and familiar faces for the No. 1 US squad.
To provide more opportunities and to manage minutes and rest, Hayes increased the training camp to 26 players, though only 23 will dress for each friendly.
With this international window functioning as the team's Olympic gold medal victory tour, every 2024 Olympian automatically earned a roster call-up.
Of the 22 Paris Games players, 18 feature on the October roster. Missing stars Tierna Davidson, Trinity Rodman, and Croix Bethune are currently sidelined with injury, while Crystal Dunn is out with a personal commitment.
Hayes eyes USWNT's future with fresh faces
Youth is the name of the USWNT's October roster game. Just five players are at least 30 years old, three are still teenagers, and 14 have less than 20 senior team appearances. Six have yet to log time in a senior national team match.
The tactical Hayes, whose gold-medal victory was only her 10th match at the USWNT's helm, is known for planning ahead. In line with that, her choice to leverage this trio of friendlies to give potential 2027 World Cup players international experience is unsurprising.
With a "futures camp" already on the books to run concurrently with January's senior team camp, Hayes aims to identify even more top players in the USWNT's pipeline.
Club play is paramount in USWNT camp invites
Hayes's recent NWSL tour is reflected in her October roster. After impressing in NWSL play this season, three players — defender Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC) and forwards Yazmeen Ryan (Gotham) and Emma Sears (Louisville) — earned their first call-ups.
"The new players coming into camp that weren't part of the Olympic roster are all players who have performed well throughout the NWSL season," Hayes commented on Thursday.
"The importance of what you're doing week in, week out, at the club level, it absolutely matters because you have to perform consistently, or you have to be in environments where you're challenging yourselves every day. That's the big message for me."
Consistently stellar NWSL performances are also why NC Courage midfielder Ashley Sanchez and her 2023 World Cup teammate Alyssa Thompson will return to camp after both failed to make the Olympic cut.
Thompson, in particular, has found her stride with Angel City in recent months. After a goal-scoring drought in the first half of the NWSL season, the 19-year-old forward has notched five goals and one assist over her last eight matches.
Ultimately, this roster — and likely, Hayes's future training camp selections — is a mining mission to find the cream of the incredibly deep US crop of talent.
"I say it privately more than I do publicly," explained the USWNT boss. "The US could quite easily put two teams out."
October's USWNT roster
- Goalkeepers: Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Casey Murphy (NC Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
- Defenders: Emily Fox (Arsenal), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Hailie Mace (KC Current), Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC), Jenna Nighswonger (Gotham FC), Emily Sams (Orland Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC)
- Midfielders: Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns), Ashley Sanchez (NC Courage)
- Forwards: Yazmeen Ryan (Gotham FC), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City), Lynn Williams (Gotham FC)
How to watch the USWNT's October friendlies
The USWNT will play twice against Iceland, first in Austin, Texas, on October 24th at 7:30 PM ET, airing on TBS.
Their second match, featuring celebrations for retiring defender Kelley O'Hara and forward Mal Swanson's 100 caps, will take place in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 27th at 5:30 PM ET. Live coverage will air on TNT.
The USWNT will close this international window in Louisville, Kentucky, against Argentina on October 30th. After honoring midfielder Rose Lavelle for her 100th USWNT appearance, the match will kick off at 7 PM ET, also on TNT.
On Thursday, US Soccer announced that the USWNT will cap off its 2024 campaign with a December 3rd friendly against the Netherlands in The Hague — the team's 23rd game this year.
The match comes three days after the US side's previously announced meeting with 2022 European champions and 2023 World Cup finalists England at London's iconic Wembley Stadium.
To stay the best, the USWNT will play the best
Following their gold medal-winning run at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the USWNT reclaimed their world No. 1 ranking. In order to stay there, head coach Emma Hayes noted, the team must seek out matches against other top international foes.
"It was a fantastic summer for our team, and we’re going to take a lot of great lessons and memories from our time in France, but now we are looking forward to continuing our process,” said Hayes.
"In order for our team to keep learning and growing, and for the coaching staff to continue to evaluate players, we need to play the best teams possible. Playing matches in Europe against some of the world’s top teams will be an important part of our journey."
With England sitting at No. 2 in the world and the Dutch at No. 11, this final 2024 road trip is exactly what the US boss ordered.
The Dutch are a familiar friendly foe
In their 11 previous meetings with the Netherlands, the USWNT has only lost once: a 4-3 defeat in their first-ever matchup in 1991. In the years since, the States have had the upper hand, logging eight wins and two draws.
The duo has ramped up the drama in their matches, though, facing each other in world championships in three of their last four bouts.
The USWNT's 2019 World Cup final win is arguably the team's most meaningful Dutch defeat, though recent tilts have appeared significantly tougher. While the US walked away with the win in the pair's 2021 Olympic quarterfinal, they needed penalty kicks to do so. And in the States's admittedly disappointing 2023 World Cup run, they played the Netherlands to a 1-1- draw in the group stage.
How to watch the USWNT's European friendlies
The US will take on England on November 30th at 12:20 PM ET. Their meeting with the Netherlands will kick off at 2:45 PM ET on December 3rd.
Both friendlies will air live on TNT, or you can stream the games via Max and Peacock.