International soccer fans should start saving airline miles, as organizers for the LA Olympics announced on Tuesday that the 2028 Summer Games' soccer tournament will play out in seven stadiums across the US.
Giving the competition a coast-to-coast footprint, organizers tapped venues in New York, Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis, San Jose, and San Diego to host both men's and women's matches, before returning to the Rose Bowl in LA for both tournament finals.
All six venues outside LA house MLS clubs, with San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium and San Jose's PayPal Park also serving as home pitches for the NWSL's Wave and Bay FC, respectively.
"Bringing Olympic Football group-stage and knockout matches to stadiums across the United States means more fans will witness this global event and experience the Olympic spirit firsthand," said LA28 chief of sport and games delivery officer Shana Ferguson in a Tuesday statement.
Joining several other off-site LA 2028 events including Oklahoma City's softball tournament and canoe slalom races, the Summer Olympics' expanded soccer competition will likely kick off before the Opening Ceremony.
The tournament will also follow a progressive east-to-west itinerary to minimize travel demands for the teams, with dates and match distribution set to drop this April.
The LA Olympics' women's football final will take place on July 29th, 2028 — the Summer Games' penultimate day of competition.
WSL club Arsenal earned some new silverware on Sunday, lifting the first-ever FIFA W Champions Cup after claiming a 3-2 extra-time win over Brazilian titans SC Corinthians in Sunday's final.
The South American side overcame two one-goal deficits in regulation, with Corinthians midfielder Gabi Zanotti first offsetting Arsenal forward Olivia Smith's 15th-minute opener in the 21st minute before midfielder Victória Albuquerque played hero with a last-gasp stoppage-time penalty to again equalize following Gunners defender Lotte Wubben-Moy's second-half strike.
Arsenal attacker Caitlin Foord sealed the deal in extra time, sinking a breakaway goal in the 104th minute to secure the reigning Champions League victors the inaugural world title.
"It feels good, just to get on the scoresheet," said Foord following the Gunners' intercontinental club victory. "As a forward, that's your job, but to do it in a moment like this is special.... I don't think it's really sunk in yet, but it's nice to write our names in the history books, that's for sure."
Arsenal did have a a couple notable advantages in the debut edition of the FIFA W Champions Cup, with the final hosted on the club's home pitch at London's Emirates Stadium as well as the fact that the WSL season is currently in full swing.
Meanwhile, both Corinthians and the NWSL's Gotham FC — who claimed a dominant 4-0 Sunday victory over Morroco's ASFAR to take third in the competition — entered the tournament during their winter offseasons.
"It is what it is," said Corinthians head coach Lucas Piccinato postgame. "We hope next time Arsenal will come to Brazil to play against us. I think it would be better if it was in a neutral venue."
Women's soccer clubs are shelling it out, as the 2025 Global Transfer Report from FIFA showed that women's pro team spending reached record highs last year.
Clubs spent a total of $28.6 million on a total of 2,440 international women's soccer transfers, marking a 6.3% year-over-year increase in the number of athletes, but a massive 83.6% bump in spending over 2024 — even without accounting for intra-league deals.
England led the pack on the 2025 FIFA Global Transfer Report, dropping $11 million in fees while taking in $2.1 million in sales, followed by the NWSL's $7.9 million spent.
Notably, US players were in the highest demand at 240 transfers — more than double the 108 British athletes comprising the nationality coming in second.
Reigning WSL champions Chelsea FC sit atop the spending list, racking up high-profile signings like USWNT stars Naomi Girma and Alyssa Thompson.
US billionaire Michele Kang's London City Lionesses trail the Blues at No. 2 in just their first WSL season following last spring's promotion, with the also-Kang-owned French side OL Lyonnes clocking in at No. 3 on the transfer fee list.
Six NWSL teams made the Top 10, led by the Orlando Pride at No. 4, Utah Royals at No. 5, and Washington Spirit at No. 6 — with the Spirit also falling into Kang's portfolio.
Gotham FC's inaugural Champions Cup dreams ended on Wednesday morning, as Brazil's SC Corinthians upset the reigning NWSL champs 1-0 in the FIFA competition's London semifinal.
Corinthians captain Gabi Zanotti scored the match's lone goal in the 83rd minute, after Gotham standouts Gabi Portilho and Rose Lavelle exited with injury.
"We feel like we probably should have done better throughout the game and been more clinical in both boxes," Gotham defender Jess Carter said postgame. "There's not really much more to say other than probably a little bit disappointed by it."
Gotham was at a calendar disadvantage as the only Champions Cup team entering the semifinals during their offseason, causing the players some frustration as FIFA similarly eyes a January start for the 2028 Club World Cup.
"You're asking [NWSL] players to cut their offseason short when everyone's just had competitions and Euros and traveling across the world," Carter continued. "We all want to play, we want to give everybody the highest level of entertainment, and we can only do that if were all fully fit and that goes across the board for every single women's game."
Gotham will now face ASFAR for a shot at a third-place finish on Sunday, after UWCL winners Arsenal demolished the Moroccan champions 6-0 in Wednesday's second semifinal.
How to watch Gotham in the 2026 FIFA W Champions Cup third-place match
Gotham kicks off against ASFAR for third place at 9:45 AM ET on Sunday, hours before Arsenal takes on Corinthians in the 2026 FIFA W Champions Cup final at 1 PM ET.
Both Sunday matches will air live on CBS Sports.
The world No. 2 USWNT returns to action on Tuesday night, taking the pitch for the first time in Santa Barbara, California, to close out the team's January friendlies against No. 47 Chile.
Tuesday also marks the final match before US manager Emma Hayes begins narrowing her player pool ahead of the 2026 SheBelieves Cup in March, with competition mounting in the lead-up to the 2027 World Cup qualifiers in November.
"I have a really good idea of the pool," Hayes told reporters prior to Tuesday's friendly. "I know which group of players we're going to be building around."
With a roster comprised entirely of NWSL players, Hayes will also be managing fitness as the team gears up for their second game in four days.
"One thing I have almost agreed to do, knowing where the players are at this stage of the season with their NWSL club, is to not start a player for two games," Hayes said.
"I'm putting together a whole new lineup," she continued. "Which itself will bring another set of challenges, whether that be first caps, whether that will be inexperience, [or] collectively playing together."
Three January call-ups remain uncapped, as North Carolina Courage midfielder Riley Jackson, Denver Summit defender Ayo Oke, and Bay FC goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz look to make Tuesday night's starting XI.
How to watch the USWNT vs. Chile
The No. 2 USWNT will close out their January friendlies against No. 47 Chile at 10 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage airing on TBS.
Gotham FC steps back into the spotlight on Wednesday, when the reigning NWSL and Concacaf W Champions Cup winners take on SC Corinthians in the 2026 FIFA W Champions Cup semifinals in London.
"The hunger they have to win is unbelievable. It's in their nature," Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said of his team's continued title quest. "They win one competition and they're already thinking about the next one."
"This is where we want to be: competing in the semifinals, competing in the finals, competing to raise another trophy. That's the standard here at Gotham," defender Mandy Freeman echoed.
Further bolstering the US team is recent rookie signee Jordynn Dudley, who joins the NWSL club fresh off her own title-winning run at Florida State.
Hours after Gotham squares off against Brazil's 2025 Série A1 winners, UWCL champions Arsenal will face Moroccan Women's Championship titans ASFAR in the inaugural four-team competition's other semifinal.
The final and third-place matches will take place on Sunday, with a history-making $3.95 million total prize pool on the line.
The tournament winners will take home $2.3 million, while the runners-up net $1 million and each third-place team leaves with $200,000 — with $100,000 and $150,000 already sent to the clubs eliminated from the competition's play-in round.
How to watch the 2026 FIFA W Champions Cup semifinals
Gotham will kick off Wednesday's 2026 FIFA W Champions Cup semifinals against Corinthians at 7:30 AM ET, before Arsenal plays ASFAR at 1 PM ET.
Both clashes will air live on DAZN.
The NWSL is adding fan fashion to matchday this season, teaming up with Washington, DC-based design label Dead Dirt to launch an exclusive preseason collection of jerseys this week.
Dead Dirt dropped the colorful knit merch for all 16 NWSL franchises, with initial jersey inventories for multiple clubs — including incoming 2026 expansion teams Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC — selling out within hours of the Thursday night release.
Showcasing a collared, V-necked, rugby shirt aesthetic, each kit includes nods to the club's color and crest throughout the design.
Named the Spirit's first-ever creative director in March 2024, Dead Dirt founder Domo Wells dropped multiple collections with the Washington club over the last two seasons — from 2024's "New Growth" collection to 2025's "Cherry Blossom" and "Fast Track" capsules — before the NWSL tapped Wells to expand her design footprint league-wide.
"You have to truly understand the team's culture and region. That's why my first full season with the Washington Spirit mattered," Wells told The Cut last month. "That's when the conversation shifted from one team to the entire league."
Additionally, this week's launch is the first of many future NWSL collaborations, with Wells detailing a "layered" plan for cohesive league-wide drops "with the option for teams to go deeper if they want more."
As for what NWSL fans can expect from upcoming Dead Dirt collections, Wells sees her role as "reframing merch as storytelling."
"My goal [is] always to design pieces that live outside the stadium," she explained. "If it doesn't live in [a fan's] closet after game day, it's not worth the spend."
How to buy NWSL x Dead Dirt knit jerseys
The entire NWSL x Dead Dirt jersey collection is available online now at the NWSL Shop and the Dead Dirt store.
Trinity Rodman is officially staying in the NWSL, as the USWNT star announced a deal to return to the Washington Spirit in a high-profile press conference on Thursday night.
Signed through 2028, the 23-year-old forward's new contract is reportedly worth over $2 million per year, making her the world's highest-paid women's soccer player.
"I've made the DMV my home and the Spirit my family, and I knew this was where I wanted to enter the next chapter of my career," Rodman said in a club statement.
The Rodman deal marks a major win for both the Washington Spirit and the NWSL, as USWNT standouts like former Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson and ex-Portland Thorns midfielder Sam Coffey leave the US league to pursue opportunities overseas.
Notably, the deal utilizes the new "High Impact Player" (HIP) rule allowing clubs to exceed the NWSL salary cap for top talent. It results in more balanced terms than Washington's previous back-loaded offer, which the league rejected.
"[Trinity] represents the future of this club and the future of women's soccer," said Spirit owner Michele Kang. "This agreement reflects our belief that elite talent deserves elite commitment."
While the HIP rule is still under arbitration due to an NWSLPA grievance, Rodman's re-signing could be the light at the end of the NWSL's tunnel.
How to watch Trinity Rodman in this weekend's women's soccer lineup
Trinity Rodman will suit up for the USWNT tomorrow, facing Paraguay in the first of two January friendlies. The match kicks off at 5:30 PM ET, live on TNT.
More NWSL stars are jumping ship, as both the San Diego Wave and North Carolina Courage saw respective key players Delphine Cascarino and Denise O'Sullivan sign with WSL clubs over the last few days.
Former Wave forward Cascarino inked a deal through the 2029/30 season with the London City Lionesses on Monday, one day after San Diego announced they had mutually parted ways with the French international despite her contract running through 2026 with an option for the 2027 NWSL season.
"I'm really happy to be here," said the 28-year-old in a statement. "London City is the only independent women's club in the WSL, which excites me."
North Carolina midfielder and captain O'Sullivan made a similar move on Saturday, as the Ireland international signed with Liverpool following more than eight seasons and a club-record 186 appearances for the Courage.
The last-place WSL team reportedly shelled out a club-record transfer fee of approximately £300,000 to roster the 31-year-old two-time NWSL champion and three-time Shield-winner, who called Liverpool "a new challenge" that will see her "only a 40-minute flight away" from her family in Cork, Ireland.
Though the NWSL departures of Cascarino and O'Sullivan mark a kind of homecoming for the European standouts, they are just the latest to exit the US league, after USWNT star Sam Coffey joined WSL-leaders Manchester City last week.
"England — for men and women — is the country of football," noted Cascarino. "It's always been a goal of mine to play in this league."
The Kansas City Current delivered some concerning news this week, with the NWSL club revealing that star striker Temwa Chawinga remains sidelined with an hip adductor injury while the league's 2026 preseason gets underway.
The team currently lists the reigning back-to-back NWSL MVP under a season-ending injury (SEI) designation, a category earned after Chawinga picked up the injury in mid-October, leaving the Kansas City attacker benched for the Current's quarterfinal loss to eventual 2025 NWSL champions Gotham FC.
"It's hard because of the nature of the injury," incoming Kansas City head coach Chris Armas told The Athletic last week. "With Temwa, we've got to be very careful, but she's looking great and doing lots of good work on the return to play."
Also on the Current's SEI list is standout winger Michelle Cooper, with the 23-year-old rising USWNT star suffering a foot injury in Kansas City's final regular-season match of 2025.
"It was a little bit of a tough ending here after, honestly, an amazing historic season," said Armas. "Hopefully they are back as soon as possible, but it's still unclear."
Both Chawinga and Cooper will have some time to recover before Kansas City kicks off their 2026 NWSL regular season against the Utah Royals on March 14th — with teams allowed to lift a player's SEI status any time once the season begins.