Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun!
Every week on Sports Are Fun! presented by Amazon Business, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women's sports headlines.
This week, the Sports Are Fun! team is joined on the couch by hit women's soccer-focused social media and podcast duo Alanna Locast and Shannon Fay of SoccerGrlProbs to talk — what else? — the state of head coach Emma Hayes's ever-evolving USWNT.
Firstly, they get to work hashing out the US national team's 3-0 win over China PR — and which USWNT player they think has a shot to make the 2027 World Cup roster.
"We're going to start with women's national team winning 3-0 against China on Saturday," O'Hara introduces. "They won with goals from Cat Macario, Sam Coffey, and Lindsey Heaps — not
Horan, I'm starting to get that right."
"It's not a major tournament year, so this is just a friendly," she continues. "I'm curious if anybody has initial thoughts from this game?"
"It's very fun to see the unpredictability watching them play," says Locast. "We've seen the style that the US plays and you expect where certain players are going to be. I'm watching, and the creativity and just how unpredictable they are, I would not want to mark those three forwards."
"I agree," says O'Hara. "It's very clear that Emma is laying the foundation in a way that everybody understands what their total shape should look like at any point during the game, not just where they specifically should be. Which I think is a really important part of the evolution of the team."
"It's fun to watch. The player pool is so deep now," echos Fay. "I know she wants to have an idea on the team by June, so what's going to happen? I don't know."
Along with the recently USWNT friendlies, the Sports Are Fun! crew also tackles NCAA softball's Women's College World Series, US stars dominated the French Open, the recent Grand Slam Track event, and so much more.
Intern BJ digs up a spicy Pride month throwback
Before the Sports Are Fun! regulars get into all things USWNT, however, intern BJ gifts everyone a very special throwback social media clip in honor of LGBTQ+ Pride month.
"You guys, I want to say happy Pride month," BJ says to the group. "Specifically happy Pride month to Kelley, because a listener DM'd me yesterday and shared a fun little memory of Abby Wambach and Sydney Leroux on the US national team a couple years ago..."
"This wasn't a couple years ago!" says O'Hara, squirming. "This was 10 years ago."
"You know what? I was being generous," quipped BJ. "But it's y'all checking a coach of another team."
"Wooow, Kelley," laughs Diaz.
happy pride month yall 🌈 pic.twitter.com/EZiBMJs387
— r✨ (@21jflem) June 1, 2025
"For those who are listening, it's a series of gifs of Abby, Kelley, and Sydney Leroux. And the coach walks by and they're like, 'She's kind of hot,'" BJ says as the crew cracks up. "They're full, like, dogs are barking."
"Oh my God," laughs O'Hara. "I've seen this before pop up on the socials. And I didn't remember this happening, but then when it came up again, obviously this did happen. And I do think that is what we were saying. I'd need to call Abby to confirm."
"You don't need to call anyone, because your lips are saying exactly those words," says Locast.
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!"
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FIFA is setting a new goal for the Women's World Cup, with organization president Gianni Infantino stating this week that the governing body is aiming to generate $1 billion in revenue from the international championship tournament.
"Women's football and women in football are crucially important," Infantino said at the 2025 Saudi Arabia/US Investment Forum in Riyadh on Tuesday.
"It's growing as well, and exponentially, and we are targeting [growth] as well to have $1 billion revenue just with the Women's World Cup to reinvest in the women's game."
The public push to hit the billion-dollar mark comes after the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand became the first edition of the tournament to break even, generating a revenue total over $570 million.
The 2027 World Cup will take place in Brazil, becoming the first iteration ever held in South America, while the US — as the only bid on the table — has a near-guaranteed lock on hosting the 2031 edition.
As FIFA takes aim at its $1 billion target for the 2027 tournament, the 2031 World Cup could have a leg up in the revenue game, with FIFA expanding the competition's field from 32 to 48 teams just last week.
Consequently, that 16-team increase boosts the total matches from 64 in 2027 to 104 in the 2031, instantly creating 62.5% more inventory — a move that could help meet or potentially exceed FIFA's bold new revenue goal.
Soccer legend Marta is officially returning to the canary yellow kit, earning a Brazil national team call-up just over nine months after her planned retirement from international duty.
Brazil head coach Arthur Elias named Marta to the world No. 8 Seleção's roster on Tuesday, with the 39-year-old icon returning for the team's upcoming home friendlies against No. 5 Japan on May 30th and June 2nd.
"I was with Marta recently and spoke with her," Elias told reporters on Tuesday. "She said she is available to help the team while she is playing at a high level, as she is now."
Stellar club form fuels Marta's Brazil return
Marta, who hung up her international boots after snagging a third silver Olympic medal at the 2024 Paris Games, hasn't missed a beat since, captaining the Orlando Pride to the club's first-ever NWSL Shield and Championship last fall.
In the process, the scoring phenom claimed the league's Best XI First Team honors, as well as finalist nods for both the 2024 NWSL MVP and Midfielder of the Year awards.
Unsurprisingly, the Pride inked Marta to a two-year contract extension in January.
While Marta's consistently impressive form fueled Elias's request to lure her out of retirement, the manager is also hoping her unmatched leadership will bolster younger athletes as Brazil takes aim at a record-extending ninth Copa América title this summer — and, as the host nation, a deep 2027 World Cup run.
Joining the legend on Tuesday's roster are fellow Brazil veterans Lorena and Debinha, from the NWSL-leading Kansas City Current, and Marta's Orlando teammate Angelina.
"[Marta's] presence in some call-ups is very important for the younger players, for the renewal that is taking place in the national team," explained Elias. "We really want expectations to rise for the women's national team and for football in our country."
FIFA announced the eight cities that will host matches at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil on Wednesday, primarily selecting sites on the South American country's East Coast over tropical regions that require more extensive travel.
In addition to Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracanã Stadium, the tournament's 64 games will take place across Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and São Paulo.
"The selection of the host cities represents the moment where the dream begins to take shape," said Brazil’s minister of sport André Fufuca. "Each of the selected host cities represents Brazil — a diverse and vibrant Brazil, with people who are passionate about football, and places that already live and breathe the sport and that will now have the opportunity to leave a transformative legacy for their communities and for generations to come."
The 32 teams battling for the 2027 World Cup will begin their hunt on June 24th of that year, with the final taking place on July 25th.
Marta, Formiga help announce 2027 World Cup cities
To bolster the news, FIFA tapped famous Brazilians for its announcement video, including star futsal player Amandinha and two-time NWSL champion Debinha.
Also helping drop the eight cities were the country’s most iconic women's soccer legends, Marta — the World Cup's all-time leading scorer — and Formiga, the only athlete to compete in seven editions of the tournament.
"I won't be on the pitch in 2027, but I'm always ready to represent Brazilian football – even more so at a special moment like this," said the retired Formiga.
"I know every corner of our country, and I can tell you: Each of these cities is full of women's football talents who need support and inspiration," she continued. "The Women's World Cup will be an opportunity for them to see the greatest up close and think, 'If they can be there, so can I.' That's the impact that only an event of this size can have."
Using the 2027 World Cup — the first ever hosted in South America — to grow the women's game is top-of-mind for former player Mariléia "Michael Jackson" dos Santos, who now serves as the country's director of women's football promotion.
"We want to create a solid network that will last well beyond 2027," said dos Santos. "The idea is to decentralise the impact so that women's football flourishes in every corner of the country."
"It's a unique opportunity to change the game, and we're going to make the most of it because Brazilian women's football deserves it, and so do the girls in our country."
The legendary 1999 World Cup-winning USWNT is heading to Hollywood, with Netflix announcing Wednesday that the streamer is in development on The 99'ers, a feature film based on Jeré Longman’s book The Girls of Summer: The US Women's Soccer Team and How It Changed the World.
Like Longman's book, the film will chronicle the USWNT's journey to winning the 1999 World Cup before a then-US record crowd at the Rose Bowl — as well as the ongoing impact that victory has on women's sports worldwide.
Helmed by Liza Chasin from 3dot Productions as well as a production team that includes actor Ryan Reynolds, who co-owns third-tier UK men's soccer club Wrexham AFC, the film will be directed by Nicole Kassell.
Kassell, who's resume includes The Leftovers and The Americans, earned both an Emmy and Director's Guild Award for her work on the HBO series Watchmen.
Screenwriters Katie Lovejoy and Dana Stevens, who wrote Netflix's Love at First Sight and The Woman King, respectively, will pen The 99'ers script.
Netflix boosts women's soccer content in lead-up to World Cups
This is far from Netflix's first foray into women's sports, with the streamer boasting documentaries on tennis star Naomi Osaka and gymnastics legend Simone Biles, among others — and a new series on F1 Academy women drivers dropping later this month.
Even more, the content giant is all-in on women's soccer. After chronicling the 2023 World Cup journey of the USWNT in a four-part docuseries, Netflix closed 2024 by snagging the exclusive US broadcast rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cups.
While Netflix acquired the rights to Longman's book in 2020, the timing of The 99'ers development is likely an effort to bolster the broadcaster's women's soccer content in the lead-up to the upcoming World Cups.
Just three days after the world No. 1 USWNT took down Brazil 2-0, the world No. 8 team returned the favor, securing a stoppage-time lead to take the pair's second April friendly 2-1 on Tuesday night.
Brazil's victory in San Jose marked the team's first win against the USWNT since 2014, and their first-ever on US soil.
Striker Catarina Macario put the USWNT on the board just 34 seconds into the match, before 2023 NWSL MVP Kerolin drew Brazil even with a clinical 24th-minute equalizer.
Chippy, physical play left much of the match at a stalemate until Amanda Gutierres came off the bench to snatch victory with a goal for Brazil in second-half stoppage time.
Growing pains apparent in young USWNT roster
Taking a calculated risk on Tuesday, USWNT manager Emma Hayes's starting XI was one of the youngest-ever that the team has fielded, averaging just 22.3 years old.
The inexperienced roster, which included first starts for defenders Gisele Thompson and Avery Patterson, averaged the fewest caps for a USWNT starting group since 2001. Tuesday's 17.9 cap average, however, shrinks to just 8.1 without veteran defender and captain Emily Sonnett's 106 previous appearances.
With two losses in their last three games, the USWNT is leaning into the growing pains of progress as Hayes continues her efforts to develop the US's deep talent pool in the lead-up to the 2027 World Cup.
"It's been really good camp," Hayes said after Tuesday's Olympic gold medal-game rematch. "We mustn't always measure progress by outcome."
"If I only prioritize short-term success, of course, I wouldn't make that many changes. But I'm not making decisions for the short term."
Hayes's next USWNT roster assessment will come later next month, as the national team gears up for a pair of friendlies against China PR during the next international window.
The world No. 1 USWNT has ordered up another shot, as forward Trinity Rodman — one-third of 2024’s Triple Espresso frontline alongside Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson (neé Smith) — returns to head coach Emma Hayes’s 24-player roster ahead of April’s Olympic rematch friendlies against silver medalists No. 8 Brazil.
After leading the USWNT’s attack throughout last summer’s gold-medal run, Rodman is the first of the trio to resume her place on Hayes’s lineup, and her return should bolster a US side looking to balance chemistry-building alongside continued rotation.
"I have to try and find the sweet spot in camp, to reintegrate her back in the team, but also to manage her, because she has a long season ahead," Hayes said of the Washington Spirit star.
Hayes continues to tap fresh USWNT faces
April’s international window will allow Hayes to continue to size up less experienced players on the USWNT roster bubble, furthering a lengthy and deliberate evaluation process that began at the start of 2025.
With USWNT veterans Naomi Girma, Rose Lavelle, and Lynn Biyendolo (neé Williams) still unavailable due to injury, Hayes made room for first-time official invitees Houston Dash defender Avery Patterson and Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
The US has seen Hayes’s process hit both highs and lows since returning from last winter's European friendly tour, with the team most recently taking second place at this year’s SheBelieves Cup.
That narrow SheBelieves loss to No. 5 Japan is still the only one on Hayes's USWNT resume. While always hunting wins, the US boss is playing the long game, focusing on creating what she hopes will be a 2027 World Cup-winning team.
"All of the players know they have to earn every roster spot, every starting spot and every minute they get as a finisher off the bench," Hayes said in a statement. "Working with players who are striving for consistency in elite performance, so they can keep getting call-ups and keep excelling at this level, is an exciting process and one that continues with [April's] two games."
The USWNT will take on Ireland and another opponent
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) March 24, 2025
🗓️ June 26 in Commerce City, CO vs Republic of Ireland
🗓️ June 29 in Cincinnati, OH vs Republic of Ireland
🗓️ July 2 with an opponent and venue to be announced pic.twitter.com/z4OoILObXz
USWNT adds June friendlies against Ireland
The April roster drop arrives alongside a couple of schedule additions, with the US set to host the world No. 26 Republic of Ireland for two friendlies this June.
The teams will first square off in Commerce City, Colorado, on June 26th, before closing out the series in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 29th.
"Ireland is one of the most difficult European teams to play against, so I’m happy we could get these games," remarked Hayes. "We need to play teams that will push us and create an environment where our players have to solve problems and play under pressure."
A third summer matchup is also on the horizon for July 2nd, though both the opponent and venue are yet to be determined.
The USWNT's April roster
- Goalkeepers: Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United)
- Defenders: Alana Cook (Kansas City Current), Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Crystal Dunn (Paris Saint-Germain), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC)
- Midfielders: Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Heaps (Olympique Lyon), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Jaedyn Shaw (North Carolina Courage), Lily Yohannes (Ajax)
- Forwards: Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC)
How to watch the April friendlies between the USWNT and Brazil
Kicking off the series in LA, the USWNT will first host Brazil at 5 PM ET on April 5th, with live coverage on TNT.
The second match in San Jose is set for 10:30 PM ET on April 8th, and will air on TBS.
FIFA confirmed that the inaugural Women’s Club World Cup will now kick off in 2028, officially delaying its original 2026 launch this week.
Instead, soccer's world governing body will introduce a new Champions Cup next year, with FIFA ratifying both events on Wednesday.
The alternate Champions Cup will be a smaller, six-club affair with winners from regional tournaments like the UEFA Champions League and Concacaf Champions League.
FIFA plans to make the Champions Cup an annual event set for every year that does not include the quadrennial Club World Cup.
While worldwide club tournaments are an exciting prospect, a crowded schedule, lack of secured funding, and little news of the proposed 19-team Club World Cup’s development prompted timing concerns as 2026 rapidly approaches.
Now kicking off in early 2028, the Club World Cup will initially begin with six top clubs representing the AFC, CAF, Concacaf, CONMEBOL, the OFC, and UEFA. Those teams will take part in the play-in stage, where three winners will advance to the group stage.
Those three clubs must then contend with five directly qualified UEFA teams, plus two direct qualifiers each from CAF, CONMEBOL, AFC, and Concacaf.
While demand for increased global programming is spreading, FIFA’s delay underlines the logistical hurdles of creating new competitions — not to mention the strain they can cause athletes.
"FIFA needs to involve its stakeholders, like the NWSLPA and NWSL, for an event like this to reach its potential," NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke told ESPN on Wednesday.
"Otherwise, they are hamstringing women's football yet again like they've done since time immemorial."
UK takes aim at 2027 FIFA World Cup
In other international soccer news, the UK announced Wednesday that the country is preparing a bid to host the 2035 FIFA World Cup, with England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland joining forces in an attempt to bring the sport’s biggest event to the United Kingdom.
England’s track record should make the bid particularly attractive after hosting the 2022 Euro to record-shattering attendance and global viewership success — and seeing the home side emerge victorious in the Lionesses first-ever major tournament win.
"Football is and always will be at the core of our country’s identity," said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, throwing the government's full support behind the bid.
"That pride was on full display when England hosted the Women’s Euro 2022. It not only showed the best of our nation to the world but inspired a generation of girls into the game, all whilst boosting the economy."
Should FIFA ultimately award the 2035 hosting duties to the UK, that tournament will mark the first World Cup hosted by the nation since the men's 1966 edition.
With Brazil set to host the 32-team 2027 World Cup and the US expected to lead a serious bid for the expanded 48-team 2031 edition, the FIFA Council officially recommended this week that either African or European nations serve as host for 2035.
The world No. 1 USWNT will take on familiar foe No. 17 China PR in a pair of late spring friendlies, with US Soccer announcing matchups scheduled for May 31st in St. Paul, Minnesota, and June 3rd in St. Louis, Missouri, on Monday.
The games follow two California-hosted friendlies against No. 7 Brazil, set to be played during FIFA’s early-April international break.
The USWNT has a deep competition history against China, having faced the Steel Roses 60 times —more than any country other than No. 6 Canada. China also boasts the second-most US defeats with nine, though they haven't upended the USWNT since 2015.
In total, the US boasts a 38-9-13 all-time record against their longtime rival, including arguably the team's most famous victory: the history-making penalty-kick win in the 1999 World Cup final at the Rose Bowl.
"I love these games because they combine some rich women’s soccer history with the present, with both countries going through transitions in preparation for '27 World Cup qualifying," said USWNT head coach Emma Hayes about the upcoming friendlies in the federation's announcement.
Friendlies to test young USWNT players
The new calendar additions will provide Hayes yet another chance to try out less experienced players — a strategy that saw a particularly youthful USWNT take second place at February’s SheBelieves Cup.
"Our process continues and it’s a patient and comprehensive one," Hayes explained. "It’s up to our coaching staff to give players opportunities — opportunities they have earned — and it's up to the players to show us they can perform at the highest levels."
The US will also honor a recent history-maker at the June 3rd match, as the team officially celebrates St. Louis product and former USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn, who hung up her boots in December.
Across her 16-year professional career, the star center back helped the US win back-to-back World Cups in 2015 and 2019, a 2012 Olympic gold, and eight straight Concacaf championships.
The two China friendlies will also continue the USWNT's 2025 trend of facing non-European teams, due in large part to Europe's long 2025 UEFA Nations League schedule, which spans multiple international breaks and takes priority over overseas friendlies.
While Europe ramps up for a continental battle at this summer's Euro, the USWNT will continue down the long road to 2027 — a road that provides plenty of time to develop budding superstars while paying homage to the success of prior generations.
How to buy tickets to see the USWNT vs. China PR friendlies this summer
Tickets for both upcoming friendlies against China are available now via presale, with general sales opening at 11 AM ET on Friday.
The May 31st St. Paul match will kick off at 5:30 PM ET, with live coverage on TBS. St. Louis's game is set for 8 PM ET on June 3rd, and will air on TNT.
The first matchday of the 2025 UEFA Nations League tournament saw a few regional heavy-hitters shaking off the dust on Friday, with reigning Euros champs England settling for a 1-1 draw against Portugal while perennial contenders Germany similarly split points with the Netherlands after a 2-2 result.
Snagging an early lead for the Lionesses was forward Alessia Russo, who slotted in a ball from right-back Lucy Bronze in the match's 15th minute.
Unfortunately for England, however, Portugal extended their undefeated streak to 11 games after attacking midfielder Kika Nazareth scored a top-corner equalizer at the 75th minute mark to clinch the draw.
Germany and the Netherlands, who claimed third- and fourth-place, respectively, in the tournament's inaugural 2023/24 edition, opened their 2025 campaigns with a back-and-forth battle on Friday.
After Dutch star Lineth Beerensteyn opened scoring by nutmegging German net-minder and 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year Ann-Katrin Berger in the 13th minute, Germany closed out the first half with an extra-time header from Lea Schüller to level the score.
The second half saw the Germans pull ahead thanks to a 50th-minute strike from Sjoeke Nüsken, before Beerensteyn again broke through with the match's final goal in the 66th minute.
After the match, new head coach Christian Wück, who took over the German team last March, told reporters, "We need to learn to maintain our focus, especially after taking the lead. It’s frustrating to draw after putting in such strong efforts."
Reigning champion Spain rallies for late comeback victory
Draws aside, defending Nations League winners Spain earned perhaps the wildest victory of the opening matchday, surging back from a 2-0 deficit against Belgium to claim all three points in a 3-2 finish.
The 2023 World Cup champions fell behind early after striker Mariam Toloba gave Belgium the edge in the game's 18th minute. Forward Tessa Wullaert doubled that lead in the 72nd minute, seemingly putting an emphatic end to Spain's hopes of a victory.
Clàudia Pina clawed one back for La Roja just five minutes later, but it took a pair of stoppage-time goals from Lucía García and late call-up Cristina Martín-Prieto to secure the literal last-second win.
Nations League to set up UEFA's 2027 World Cup qualifying
Established in 2022, the Women’s Nations League is now the continent’s qualifying tournament for the Euros, World Cup, and Olympics.
With records wiped following last year’s rollercoaster Olympic qualifiers, early Nations League matches now serve as a key window into the fast-approaching 2025 Euros — in addition to a heated competition in their own right.
On top of that, the outcome of this second-ever edition of the contest will determine teams' positioning for the 2026 European qualifiers for World Cup. Put simply, the finishing spots teams snag after 2025 Nations League play will determine their league paths to claiming one of UEFA's 11 available spots in the 2027 World Cup.
While there's a lot on the line, there's also a significant amount of action still to come. With four teams in each League A group, squads will play three round-robin home-and-away fixtures to determine their final group-play standings — meaning each of Friday's games have a rematch on the calendar before the stage ends on June 3rd.
The winners of the four League A groups will ultimately meet in the two-leg Nations League semifinals in October, with the two-leg third-place play-off and a final set for November and December.