A young USWNT will kick off in California on Saturday, as the world No. 2 takes on No. 46 Paraguay in the first of two January friendlies to open the 2027 World Cup qualifying year.
"It's really exciting to see the opportunity presented to a lot of players in this camp," said midfielder Olivia Moultrie prior to Saturday's match, which will pull from a 26-player USWNT January lineup that boasts an average age of just 24.1 years old. "It's players that I've played with on youth teams, and just seeing kind of start coming into the league."
This month's camp falls outside an official FIFA window, leaving the US without both European club players and Gotham FC's squad as the 2025 NWSL champs prepare to contend in the first-ever FIFA Women's Champions Cup in London next week.
"There is no question we will keep — I hope — improving what we're doing," said USWNT manager Emma Hayes. "You don't do that gradually, you don't do that by changing things all of the time."
Additionally, Saturday's match will honor two-time World Cup champion Christen Press with a pregame ceremony, after the star forward announced her pro soccer retirement at the end of last season.
How to watch the USWNT vs. Paraguay on Saturday
The USWNT will take on Paraguay at 5:30 PM ET on Saturday, kicking off live on TNT.
The USWNT set the 2026 SheBelieves Cup scene this week, announcing the annual friendly tournament's full four-team field as well as scheduling details ahead of its 11th iteration.
The world No. 2 US will host No. 30 Argentina in Nashville, Tennessee, No. 10 Canada in Columbus, Ohio, and No. 20 Colombia in Harrison, New Jersey, this March as they continue to hone their roster ahead of November's World Cup-qualifying Concacaf W Championship.
"These are three teams that will likely be in the World Cup in 2027, and of course we'll likely see Canada in World Cup qualifying at the end of the year," said US manager Emma Hayes in Wednesday's press release. "Focusing on our continued preparations and growth as a team, the SheBelieves Cup is of great value."
The grand finale of the 2026 SheBelieves Cup will also double as a retirement tribute, with the USWNT set to hold a pre-match ceremony honoring legendary forward Tobin Heath in her home state of New Jersey.
Heath earned 181 caps for the US from 2008 to 2021, scoring 36 goals while picking up two World Cup wins (2015, 2019) and two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012).
The USWNT will drop its January camp roster on Thursday, tapping the lineup that will contend in two international friendlies against No. 46 Paraguay and No. 47 Chile at the end of the month.
How to attend the 2026 SheBelieves Cup
A myriad of presales for the annual tournament kick off on Thursday, with all tickets going on sale at 10 AM local venue time on Monday.
Fans can snag seats to all SheBelieves matches at USSoccer.com.
US skiing icon Lindsey Vonn is officially back, clinching her spot on Team USA's 2026 Winter Olympics roster this week behind stellar recent performances on the sport's World Cup tour.
The 41-year-old made headlines two weekends ago when she became the oldest Alpine Ski World Cup winner since the circuit's 1967 inception, taking first in the downhill race in St. Moritz, Switzerland on December 12th — her 83rd World Cup victory.
"Every single thing that I could do to be faster, I did," said Vonn after winning the downhill event. "And now, now this is what happens. You get the reward."
Vonn is continuing to rack up the rewards, claiming podium finishes in four of the five total races she's competed in so far this season, earning another second-place downhill finish in St. Moritz before taking third in both downhill and the Super G in Val-d'Isère, France, last weekend.
As for her fifth World Cup race, Vonn clocked in at a still-impressive fourth.
"Four podiums in five races, I couldn't really be any happier," the Olympic gold medalist said in response.
Those finishes have the US ski legend sitting at No. 1 in the World Cup downhill standings and No. 3 in the Super-G — with her downhill ranking putting her far enough ahead to guarantee Vonn one of the four Team USA roster spots at the 2026 Olympics.
"Lindsey qualifying for the 2026 Olympic team is a testament to her resilience and dedication," said US Ski & Snowboard president and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt, confirming Vonn's Team USA qualification in a Tuesday statement. "She's proven once again that elite performance isn't just about past success, it's about rising to the moment, race after race."
Success spurs Vonn to extend final competitive season
Returning to competitive skiing in November 2024 following her retirement in February 2019, Vonn spent part of her five-year hiatus undergoing and recovering from a titanium knee replacement that ultimately returned her to the slopes.
Though Vonn previously planned to retire immediately after February's Winter Games in Cortina, Italy, she's now setting her sights on completing the World Cup circuit in March — though that will officially be the end of the road for the US icon.
"I feel like I'm rolling the dice enough as it is, being 41 and putting myself through this," Vonn told The Athletic. "So this is a one-season, final season."
That said, she'll look to add to her trio of Olympic medals before hanging up her competitive skis.
"For Cortina, things are looking pretty f—ing awesome."
WNBA and Team USA icon Sue Bird added another accolade to her resume over the weekend, becoming the only US player named to the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2026 on Sunday.
Bird's 2026 inclusion will see her join past US inductees like South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and legendary UConn sideline leader Geno Auriemma.
A core member of USA Basketball's ongoing Olympic domination, Bird tallied five straight gold medals in her tenure with Team USA, winning every Olympic matchup she played from the 2004 Summer Games in Athens through the 2021 Tokyo tournament.
Along with her Olympic success, Bird also claimed championships at four FIBA World Cups throughout her playing career.
Most recently, USA Basketball appointed the 45-year-old legend as managing director of the nation's women's team, with Bird assuming her new role in May 2025 after retiring from a decorated WNBA career that included four league championships with the Seattle Storm.
This weekend's FIBA announcement is just the latest in Bird's string of recent honors, with the Storm immortalizing the former guard in statue form in August before her September induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
A two-time NCAA champion, Bird also saw her No. 10 UConn jersey retired into the rafters earlier this month in Storrs.
Bird will snag her next well-deserved honor in Berlin, Germany, as she joins six other players and one coach in the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2026 induction ceremony on April 21st.
No. 1 UConn honored one of the NCAA basketball program's legends on Sunday, hanging up the No. 10 jersey of Hall of Fame guard Sue Bird in a retirement ceremony prior to the Huskies' dominant 102-35 victory over DePaul — their ninth win of the 2025/26 season.
A two-time NCAA champion, Bird is now one of only three UConn women's basketball players with a number in the rafters, joining Rebecca Lobo and Swin Cash — and soon-to-be Maya Moore.
"This is home," said Bird. "This is where it started. So to see what we are about to see, my number up in the rafters next to these other legends, it's an incredible, incredible honor. Hard to put into words."
"The amazing thing about [Cash, Lobo, Bird, and Moore] was the incredible amount of success they had after they left here," said UConn head coach Geno Auriemma during Sunday's jersey retirement ceremony. "That as great as their accomplishments were here, what they've done since they left has been nothing short of incredible."
Bird became UConn's first-ever No. 1 WNBA draft pick in 2002, with the floor general winning four titles with the Seattle Storm plus five Olympic gold medals as part of Team USA before retiring in 2022.
How to watch No. 1 UConn in action this week
After honoring their past superstar, the reigning national champions are now looking to the future, with No. 1 UConn gearing up for a ranked matchup against No. 16 USC on Saturday.
The clash between the Huskies and the Trojans will tip off at 5:30 PM ET, with live coverage airing on FOX.
A full 19 months removed from their back-to-back Final Four runs, No. 11 Iowa basketball refuses to go away, with the Hawkeyes already notching one Top-25 win in the young 2025/26 NCAA campaign so far.
The still-unbeaten Hawkeyes took down No. 15 Baylor 57-52 last Thursday, with Iowa starting post players Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden combining for 28 points while guard Taylor Stremlow added another 12 off the bench in the marquee win.
"We have nice pieces," said Iowa head coach Jan Jensen this week. "But it's knowing when to play which pieces and with whom, and we're six games in."
The Hawkeyes have been finding their new identity under Jensen after a transformative period saw Iowa's longtime head coach Lisa Bluder retire while superstar guard Caitlin Clark joined the WNBA.
"Jan's been amazing," Stuelke told JWS at the Big Ten Media Day in October. "She stepped up like she needed to, and she's been growing every day since she's been the head coach, which it's really cool to see she cares. And it's a great environment for all of us."
"I have a year under my belt," Jensen echoed. "I know what this chair feels like now, and I have a little better of understanding of what that first road trip feels like, what that first big win feels like, or the tough loss feels like."
Iowa's season heats up with a ranked rivalry matchup against No. 10 Iowa State on Wednesday, December 10th.
The state rivals will tip off at 7 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ESPN.
With two games left on their 2025 docket, the USWNT is already setting sights on 2026, announcing two friendlies as part of the team's January training camp.
The world No. 2 US will first kick off against No. 41 Paraguay on Saturday, January 24th, before taking on a still-unknown opponent on Tuesday, January 27th.
"I was pleased with the progress we made as a team in 2025, but we still have a ways to go to get to where we want to be heading into the Concacaf W Championship in the fall," said USWNT manager Emma Hayes.
The US will honor two-time World Cup winner Christen Press in a pre-game ceremony before the January 24th showdown, celebrating the longtime USWNT star's recent pro soccer retirement.
Press's hometown of Los Angeles will play host, as the team takes over MLS side LA Galaxy's Dignity Health Sports Park, with the first 2,000 fans taking home a commemorative CP23 bobblehead.
"January camp is a vitally important part of our yearly schedule, especially with 2026 being a year that will host World Cup qualifying," Hayes continued. "We don't get many training days together during any given year, so there is a high value in getting a whole week of training as well as two matches."
How to buy tickets to the January 2026 USWNT friendlies
Though a myriad of presale opportunities are currently available, tickets to both January 2026 friendlies will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday.
Tickets will drop at 1 PM ET online.
Sweden veteran defender Magda Eriksson is hanging up her international boots to focus on her health, with the 32-year-old officially announcing her retirement from her national team on Sunday.
Eriksson will continue competing at the domestic level for her German club, Bayern Munich.
The longtime captain sat out the most recent international window due to a head injury, watching as world No. 3 Sweden fell to No. 1 Spain in the two-leg 2025 Nations League semifinals.
"It's by far the toughest decision I've ever made," Eriksson said in her social media announcement. "But I'm listening to my body and mind instead of my heart."
"I've landed in the fact that unfortunately it's a decision that has to be made."
After an 11-year career with the Swedish senior national team, Eriksson retires as a two-time Olympic silver medalist, earning those podium finishes in Rio in 2016 and at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games.
Often leading Sweden through major tournaments where early domination dissolved into a third-place finish, Eriksson also helped her team eke onto the World Cup podium in both 2019 and 2023.
"It is heavy news," said Sweden head coach Tony Gustavsson after Eriksson announced her international retirement, calling her "one of our most important players for a long time."
"[Magda's] professionalism, courage, and heart have left a strong mark on the national team," he added.
Angel City bid farewell to two NWSL legends on Sunday, sending club mainstays Christen Press and Ali Riley off into retirement in style following the LA team's final home game of 2025.
"This sport has grown and blossomed in my 14 years as a professional," Press told the 19,000-strong crowd during the post-match retirement celebration. "This community and club marks all of the work my teammates and I did over a decade to fight for equity, progress, and opportunity for the next generation."
"It's always been about the people to me, and you made it worth it to come back to say goodbye," outgoing ACFC captain Riley told her teammates. "As I look around, this is truly a city of angels."
Both Southern California products and international football icons signed with their hometown expansion side prior to Angel City's 2022 debut, going on to face similar injury struggles in recent years.
"With my injury, I had accepted that it was probably the end of my career, that I would finish my days as a soccer player in the gym alone," Riley said after taking the pitch for the last time, referencing the nerve condition that sidelined her for much of 2024 and 2025. "I'm going to sleep in my boots. I can't believe I got on the field."
"It was a really long journey," Press said. "Thank you for making me feel like the most loved player in the whole world."
Now eliminated from playoff contention, Riley and Press will suit up one more time in their pro soccer careers, taking the pitch for Angel City's November 2nd regular-season finale against the hosting Chicago Stars.
As the penultimate international window of 2025 kicks off next week, several global soccer stars are announcing their impending retirements, hanging up their national team boots as global attention turns toward next year's 2027 World Cup qualifiers.
Headlining the list of exiting stars is Wales' all-time top scorer and longtime Seattle Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock, who will suit up for the world No. 32 Dragons one last time against No. 15 Australia next week, ending a 19-year international career.
The 38-year-old notched 48 goals in her 165 caps for her national team, including scoring Wales' first-ever goal in a major tournament during last summer's 2025 Euro tournament.
"The Euros was the pinnacle of my football career, seeing the dragon on the world stage for the first time will be a memory that will stay with me for a lifetime," Fishlock posted in her Wednesday announcement. "Every minute was a pleasure, a privilege, and an honour."
Also stepping away from international duty is 2022 Euro champion and Chelsea FC defender Millie Bright, retiring from No. 4 England's backline on Monday after previously removing herself from consideration for the Lionesses' successful Euro title defense earlier this year.
Other notable international soccer retirements this week include No. 27 Ireland defender Megan Campbell, No. 6 France midfielder Sandie Toletti and winger Amel Majri, and No. 11 Netherlands midfielder Sherida Spitse and striker Renate Jansen.