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)
Global soccer's biggest awards ceremony is making changes, with UEFA announcing Monday that the Ballon d'Or is adding three new women's categories and shifting its dates in order to better accommodate the FIFA women's calendar.
Traditionally held in late October to accommodate the men's calendar, the Paris event historically conflicts with the women's international window, impeding nominees from attending what is arguably the sport's biggest night.
Heavy criticism of that schedule prompted owners UEFA and France Football magazine to move the upcoming 69th edition of the awards ceremony to September 22nd, 2025.
"I mean, it'd be like running an Oscars or a Golden Globes, without having any females present," USWNT head coach Emma Hayes said of the event last year, shortly before earning the first-ever women's coach of the year award. "It just wouldn't happen. And I think that all too often it's an afterthought, to be honest with you."
In addition to addressing scheduling concerns, the 2025 women's ballot will also expand to include Best Young Player, Best Goalkeeper, and Top Scorer for Club or Country — categories previously limited to the men's side.
The Ballon d'Or began honoring women's soccer athletes in 2018, with a combined four of the six total Best Player awards going to Spanish nationals Alexia Putellas (2021, 2022) and Aitana Bonmatí (2023, 2024).
The only other recipients of the award are USWNT star Megan Rapinoe (2019) and Norway's Ada Hegerberg (2018).
This year's nominees will be announced in August.
The NWSL is heading back to the ballpark, with 2024 expansion side Bay FC announcing Tuesday that the club will take on the Washington Spirit inside Oracle Park, the home of MLB's San Francisco Giants.
Shifting the August 23rd match to the baseball diamond isn't just a spectacle — the move builds on Bay FC's continuous ambitions to claim the top NWSL attendance record by filling the Bay Area ballpark's 40,260 seats.
Though the 25-year-old Oracle Park has previously hosted men's contests, August's NWSL match will be the first professional women's soccer game in the venue's history.
Similarly, while this will be the first NWSL competition in San Francisco's baseball venue, it's not the first league match in an MLB stadium.
Last summer, the Chicago Stars hosted Bay FC at Wrigley Field, packing an NWSL-record 35,038 soccer fans into the MLB home of the Chicago Cubs.
That June 8th, 2024, attendance surpassed the previous league-record crowd of 34,130 that attended USWNT icon Megan Rapinoe's final Seattle home game in 2023.
How to attend Bay FC vs. Washington at Oracle Park
To be a part of the potentially record-breaking August 23rd crowd, tickets will be available for general purchase beginning at 12 PM ET on May 6th.
Fans interested in securing pre-sale tickets can add their names to the online list.
Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.
In this week's Sports Are Fun!, soccer icon Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, retired NWSL star Merritt Mathias, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes all things women's sports.
In true Sports Are Fun! style, the crew dives right in. First up: WNBA legend Diana Taurasi's recent retirement announcement.
"I was introduced to Diana Taurasi at age 10 when she started her career at UConn," recalls Mathias. "At that time, I was very much like, 'I'm going to UNC, I'm going to play on the national team.' To see her at UConn — the UNC equivalent for women's basketball — and just the swag she had, the way she carried herself... For me, she transcended the sport."
"Thinking about her legacy — over 20 seasons, six gold medals, all-time leading scorer," says Diaz. "But a lot of people throughout her career, even now, don't know that she's Latina. I feel like that's a huge part of her legacy."
"To see a Latina dominate the sport as one of the greatest ever, if not the greatest, that's super special," she adds.
The co-hosts additionally tackle the SheBelieves Cup results, the SEC coin flip, the 2025 NWSL jerseys, and so much more.
Co-host Mathias urges new USWNT generation to carry the torch
After that, Sports Are Fun! weighs in on coach Emma Hayes's youthful USWNT. That's when Mathias asks if this generation will keep speaking out on cultural and political issues.
"I hope that this iteration of the USWNT starts to find their collective voice," the three-time NWSL champion asserts. "As they head into the 2027 World Cup, this is the first time this generation of players is being confronted with the weight and responsibility of [wearing] that crest."
"It's the truest reflection of America that we've seen from the USWNT, the most diverse," she continues. "It's also going to play under an administration [where] what makes everything great about this women's national team — diversity, equality, inclusion — is being attacked."
"I love that America looks like this because I love our women's national team," agrees O'Hara. "I think that is a great point."
"Will this generation look at the Megan Rapinoes, the Christen Presses, the Alex Morgans, the Becky Sauerbrunns, the Kelley O'Haras, and say, 'We, like you, will continue to push,'" Mathias asks, shouting out her Sports Are Fun! co-host.
"'We are going to uphold the narrative that marginalized groups matter. Because every single one of them is represented on our USWNT.'"
"That's powerful," O'Hara responds.
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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The 2024 Ballon d’Or shortlist dropped yesterday, and while reigning winner Aitana Bonmatí as well as five USWNT athletes made the cut, defender Naomi Girma — considered by many to be the best center back in the world — was shockingly left off the 30-player list.
Seattle Reign head coach Laura Harvey was one of several notable figures to call out the snub, posting on X, “The ballon d’or is recognition of what? Is it domestic performances? Is it national team performances? Is it champions league performances? Because on the womens side how Naomi Girma isn’t nominated makes the whole thing hilarious.”
Girma's resume puts her squarely among the best
The 2022 NWSL Draft No. 1 pick has already racked up a full career's worth of accolades.
In her first professional season, Girma earned Rookie of the Year, Defender of the Year, and NWSL Best XI honors. She also helped her club, the San Diego Wave, win the 2023 NWSL Shield and 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup.
In 2023, Girma became the first defender ever named US Soccer’s Player of the Year. This summer, the 24 year old led the USWNT to Olympic gold as the only field athlete to play every single second of the 2024 Paris Games.
USWNT boss Emma Hayes called Girma “the best defender [she's] ever seen” during the Olympics, saying, “she's got everything: poise, composure, she can defend, she anticipates, she leads. [She's] unbelievable."
Ballon d'Or has a history of skipping over defenders
Awarded by French magazine France Football, the Ballon d’Or has long been criticized for heavily favoring athletes who play in Europe, and those who serve in an attacking capacity. Of the 30 2024 nominees, only seven play for clubs outside of Europe — six of them in the NWSL. Just four defenders — plus one goalkeeper, USWNT star Alyssa Naeher — made this year's cut.
In the award’s five-year history, only one defender has ever cracked the top three: England’s Lucy Bronze, who came in second to the USWNT’s Megan Rapinoe in 2019.
Ultimately, defense may win championships — but it has yet to win the Ballon d’Or.
A tennis player once again topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid female athletes, with Iga Swiatek taking over the top spot.
She becomes just the fourth athlete to top the list after Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova. Both Williams and Osaka had maintained a hold on the list in recent years, with Osaka taking the top spot in 2022. But Williams has retired and Osaka sat out the 2023 season to have her first child, leaving the top spot for Swiatek.
The 22-year-old Polish tennis player brought in an estimated $23.9 million in 2023, which included $9.9 million in on-court earnings after winning the women’s singles title at the French Open. She also added four new endorsement deals.
Twelve of the 20 highest-paid women athletes play tennis, as well as nine of the top 10. Eileen Gu, who came in second on the list, is the only non-tennis player to feature inside the top 10. She made $22.1 million in 2023, with the majority of her earnings coming from endorsements.
Coco Gauff, who won the 2023 US Open, placed third on the list with an estimated $21.7 million in earnings.
Even despite her break, Osaka still sits at fifth on the list having brought in $15 million in endorsements. She’s set to make her return to competitive tennis in the new year, which will include an appearance at the Australian Open.
Combined, the top 20 earners made roughly $226 million in 2023. It’s a drop from the $258 million made in 2022, but the retirement of Williams, who made $41.3 million last year, played a large part in the decrease. Still, the median for the top 20 earners increased from last year to $8.5 million (up from $7.3 million), and eight athletes surpassed $10 million. That number matches last year’s total – which set a record – and is double the number from 2021.
Other athletes inside the top 20 include golfer Nelly Korda, U.S. women’s national soccer players Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, gymnast Simone Biles and WNBA star Candace Parker.
The U.S. women’s national team faced massive attention and expectations at the 2023 World Cup, as displayed in the new trailer for its Netflix docuseries.
The four-episode series, titled “Under Pressure,” will debut on the streaming service on Dec. 12. It chronicles the USWNT’s World Cup journey, which ended in disappointment in a Round of 16 shootout loss to Sweden.
In the trailer, Savannah DeMelo, who had made just one appearance for the USWNT before heading to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, offers a brutal comparison to Suzanne Collins’ popular book series: “It felt like we were in ‘The Hunger Games’ or something.”
The trailer also features co-captains Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan encouraging the team on the quest for a third straight World Cup title.
“Pressure is a privilege on this team,” Horan tells her teammates. “Look at everyone around you. Look at me and Alex.”
Megan Rapinoe, Kelley O’Hara, Kristie Mewis and Lynn Williams also feature prominently, as do former players Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd. Lloyd made waves during the 2023 World Cup for her harsh criticism of the USWNT.
“You can never take winning ever for granted,” Lloyd is heard saying in the trailer.
U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone, who won the 1999 World Cup with the USWNT, sums up the trailer and the team’s unfulfilled goal, saying: “To win one is hard. To win two in a row, unbelievable. To win three? It has never been done.”
Follow the most decorated team in international soccer history as they prepare for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Under Pressure: The Women’s World Cup Team premieres on December 12th. pic.twitter.com/8PijyycAK2
— Netflix (@netflix) November 28, 2023
Megan Rapinoe left her last professional soccer game under unfortunate circumstances — after less than three minutes on the pitch, she went down with a torn Achilles.
Rapinoe’s international playing career also ended unceremoniously after she missed a penalty kick in the USWNT’s Round of 16 loss to Sweden in the 2023 World Cup, eliminating them from the tournament.
On the latest episode of the “Snacks” podcast, Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams discuss how small those two moments look in the scope of Rapinoe’s legendary career.
“I just feel like she’s had such an amazing career. And the last two things, both her national team and club, have been pretty devastating endings, so I just feel for her,” Williams said. “But none of this is … gonna put a damper on her career as a whole.”
Williams, Rapinoe’s opponent in the NWSL Championship, explained that she and Rapinoe were making jokes about the injury after the match, laughing to hold back tears over the way Rapinoe’s last game ended. Instead of “riding off into retirement,” as Williams described it, Rapinoe is headed to rehab again, no longer as a professional soccer player.
Mewis agrees that the injury in her final match doesn’t take anything away from Rapinoe’s accomplishments throughout her career.
“Like you said, I feel like nothing could tarnish her career,” Mewis said. “I just have so much respect for her. Even the three minutes that she played, she served in a really dangerous cross. I think, what an incredible player.
“She’s done so much for the game, like you and I both admire her so much.”
Megan Rapinoe underwent surgery to repair the torn Achilles tendon in her right leg, she and OL Reign announced Wednesday.
The longtime U.S. women’s national team and OL Reign forward sustained the injury early in the 2023 NWSL Championship, which also was the final match of her storied career.
“I wasn’t overly emotional about it,” Rapinoe said after OL Reign’s 2-1 loss to Gotham FC. “I mean, f—ing yeeted my Achilles in the sixth minute in my last game ever in the literal championship game.”
Her former USWNT teammate Christen Press, though, couldn’t hold back her own emotions while watching the game at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, as Tobin Heath shared on the latest episode of their podcast, “The RE-CAP Show.”
“I was looking around trying to see if the stadium was processing what was happening,” Heath said. “And I looked over you and you were crying. And it was such a complicated moment of feelings.”
“We just were not ready for the end to come right at the beginning,” Press said. “And when I texted Pinoe after the game, I told her: Three tears hit the floor. That’s what happened, three giant, real tears hit the floor underneath my shoes.
“And you know what I thought? I thought, those aren’t tears of pity. She’s too important. She’s had too big of a career. She’s had too much success and joy playing this sport for us to have pity. That would be a disservice to the legacy that she’s leaving.
“And the tears fell from my face with love and pride to be able to have shared the field and the locker room with someone who has had such a long-lasting impact and will continue to have that long-lasting impact.”
Rapinoe handled the injury with grace during the championship match, even as her teammates and opponents spoke of their devastation on her behalf. And that continued as she began her recovery.
“Surgery a success. Home, resting, being taken care of,” she wrote on Instagram, tagging her fiancée Sue Bird. “Thank you for all the love, well wishes and good vibes sent my way.”
Forward Megan Rapinoe underwent successful surgery to repair her torn Achilles tendon, led by Dr. O’Malley, this morning in New York and will immediately begin her recovery process during retirement.
— OL Reign PR (@OLReignPR) November 15, 2023
Megan Rapinoe officially retired from professional soccer after her appearance in the NWSL Championship match on Nov. 11. Upon Rapinoe’s retirement, Alex Morgan shared her parting words for the American soccer icon.
Rapinoe and Morgan have been fixtures of the U.S. women’s national team together since 2010, when Morgan made her debut for the side. Thirteen years and two World Cup victories later, and the partnership is finally separating — at least on the pitch.
Two days after Rapinoe’s final match, Morgan shared the emotional farewell speech she gave in tribute to her longtime teammate.
Congratulations @mPinoe, your work here is done 🥂 pic.twitter.com/BFbhDIIQuW
— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) November 12, 2023
“P, you clearly mean so much to me and all of us,” Morgan said. “This team is in good hands, but it is in good hands, in large part, because of you and what you’ve done for this team.”
Rapinoe and Morgan are two key figures in a revolution for women’s soccer in the United States. Along with having historic soccer careers and great success on the field, both players advocated for equal pay for the U.S. women’s national team. Rapinoe, Morgan and the USWNT won their battle with U.S. Soccer in 2022 and earned a new contract for their team along with $22 million in backpay from the league.
And Rapinoe has no plans to disappear from the world of soccer. Rapinoe and her fiancée Sue Bird began a production company together to which Rapinoe plans to dedicate more time. Rapinoe also mentioned a desire to continue to work in the OL Reign organization during the postgame press conference after the team’s 2-1 loss to Gotham FC in the NWSL Championship.
Rapinoe changed the landscape of women’s soccer in the U.S. with Morgan and other members of the national team by her side, and it doesn’t seem like she has plans of stopping in retirement.
“Congratulations on the next chapter in life,” Morgan said. “And I hope you just ride off into the sunset because your work here is done.”