U.S. women’s national team forward Margaret Purce is excited for the squad’s upcoming international friendlies against England, Spain and Germany.

When asked by CBS Sports Golazo if she was nervous about matching up against the Lionesses, who won the Euro championship in July, Purce called the sold-out match at Wembley Stadium a “good test.”

The United States sits atop the FIFA world world rankings, while England holds the No. 4 spot. The USWNT’s next two opponents also sit in the top 10: No. 8 Spain and No. 2 Germany.

Could @Lionesses vs. @USWNT be a dress rehearsal for the @FIFAWWC Final next summer? 👀

The crew catch up with #USWNT forward @100PURCENT on:

-Her international hopes 🇺🇸
-Her love for Manchester United 🔴
-Her last name if she married @Persie_Official 😂 pic.twitter.com/64h9hcbda2

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 13, 2022

“Every game is almost a rivalry with the U.S. when you’re playing a top 10 team,” she said. “I think that it’s not a question of if England has caught up. I think that the world has been catching up.

“I think that this game is going to be a good test to see where everybody ranks, we haven’t played each other in such a long time. It’s going to be a really good test for both sides.”

The USWNT last faced England in 2020 during the SheBelieves Cup group stage. The U.S. won that game 2-0.

“It’s definitely a different mindset,” Purce said of going up against the Lionesses now. “Every team we play in the top 10, every game is a test. It’s gonna be, can we continue to win?”

Comparing England’s Euros title run with the USWNT’s Concacaf W Championship title run, Purce acknowledged that one of the tournaments is “a bit more difficult than the other.”

Six of the eight Euros quarterfinalists rank in the top 10 in the world, while just two of the eight teams at the Concacaf tournament rank in the top 30.

The USWNT’s fall schedule starts with the two-game European trip, with the match against England on Oct. 7 followed by a match against Spain on Oct. 11.

“The whole trip is gonna be a good test for the U.S., England and Spain back-to-back,” Purce said. “We’ve been playing a lot of teams who have sat in against us, who have played in low blocks. None of us are expecting low blocks against England or Spain.”

This year's Olympic hockey schedule is bringing the head, with the women's tournament kicking off on February 5th in Milan — one day before the Opening Ceremony.

The 2026 Winter Olympics features 10 nations competing across two groups through February 19th, when medal games will determine the podium finishers.

One heated rivalry is at the center of this year's hockey schedule. Defending champions Canada are seeking their sixth Olympic gold, while Team USA enters as the reigning world champions after ousting Canada from the 2025 World Championship.

From the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena to the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, competition is expected to be fiercer than ever, as the third-year PWHL has elevated play across all participating nations. Here's everything you need to know.

Which countries feature in the Olympic hockey group stage?

Group A brings together the world's top-ranked teams: United States, Canada, Finland, Czech Republic, and Switzerland. These five teams automatically qualified based on IIHF world rankings, and were subsequently guaranteed quarterfinal spots. Group B consists of host nation Italy, plus Japan, Sweden, Germany, and France, all earning their positions through qualification tournaments.

Olympic hockey's preliminary rounds run through February 10th, with each team playing four group-stage matches. The knockout rounds follow, with the bronze and gold medal matches slated for February 19th.

Complete 2026 Winter Olympics hockey schedule

Olympic Hockey Schedule: Preliminary Round

Thursday, February 5th (Group stage)

• 6:10 AM ET — Sweden vs Germany (Group B)
• 8:40 AM ET — France vs Italy (Group B)
• 10:40 AM ET — Czechia vs United States (Group A)
• 3:10 PM ET — Canada vs Finland (Group A)

Friday, February 6th (Group stage)

• 6:10 AM ET — France vs Japan (Group B)
• 8:40 AM ET — Czechia vs Switzerland (Group A)

Saturday, February 7th (Group stage)

• 6:10 AM ET — Germany vs Japan (Group B)
• 8:40 AM ET — Sweden vs Italy (Group B)
• 10:40 AM ET — USA vs Finland (Group A)

Sunday, February 8th (Group stage)

• 10:40 AM ET — France vs Sweden (Group B)
• 3:10 PM ET — Czechia vs Finland (Group A)

Monday, February 9th (Group stage)

• 6:10 AM ET — Japan vs Italy (Group B)
• 10:40 AM ET — Germany vs France (Group B)
• 2:40 PM ET — Switzerland vs USA (Group A)
• 3:10 PM ET — Canada vs Czechia (Group A)

Tuesday, February 10th (Group stage)

• 6:10 AM ET — Japan vs Sweden (Group B)
• 10:40 AM ET — Italy vs Germany (Group B)
• 2:10 PM ET — Canada vs USA (Group A)
• 3:10 PM ET — Finland vs Switzerland (Group A)

Olympic Hockey Schedule: Knockout Round

Friday, February 13th (Quarterfinals)

• 10:40 AM ET — TBD
• 3:10 PM ET — TBD

Saturday, February 14th (Quarterfinals)

• 10:40 AM ET — TBD
• 3:10 PM ET — TBD

Monday, February 16th (Semifinals)

• 10:40 AM ET — TBD
• 3:10 PM ET — TBD

Thursday, February 19th

• 8:40 AM ET — Bronze Medal Game
• 1:10 PM ET — Gold Medal Game

While SC Corinthians fell just short of the inaugural intercontinental title on Sunday, the 2026 FIFA W Champions Cup final did prove a massive success for the Brazil league's champions, scoring the highest viewership for a women's club match in the South American country's history.

Brazilian network CazéTV covered the competition's semifinals and final, with the broadcaster registering more than 1 million concurrent streams during Sunday's championship match — a viewership that rivals Brazil's 2023 World Cup group-stage games.

Perhaps even more impressive, Sunday's 3-2 extra-time loss to WSL side Arsenal also coincided with Corinthians' men's team's Brazil Super Cup battle, stressing the growing popularity of the club's women's squad.

"It doesn't matter if it's basketball or football, women's or men's, I'm a Corinthian supporter," a traveling Brazilian fan told The Athletic, with many news outlets reporting on the team's sizable fan support at the FIFA tournament in London last week.

Sunday's Champions Cup viewership also reflects the Brazil club's overall rising attendance, with the team featuring in every one of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A1 league's five highest-attended matches — and winning the Top 4.

Claiming seven of the last eight league championships — including the last six straight trophies — Corinthians' 2024 title match against São Paulo saw 44,529 fans pack Neo Química Arena, netting the largest crowd at a women's club soccer match in South American history.

The fan clamor for Corinthians bodes well for another upcoming FIFA tournament, with Brazil preparing to host the first-ever World Cup in South America in 2027.

"Football is about love and Brazil loves football," said Brazilian soccer legend Marta in a video for a 2027 World Cup event just last month. "Our country is ready to embrace the women's game with pride, emotion and belief."

Spain soccer star Alexia Putellas is hitting the pitch in style, with Nike releasing the two-time Ballon d'Or winner's first Player Edition with the sportswear giant — a bespoke Phantom 6 boot — earlier this week.

Drenched in a bold red, black, and metallic colorway, the Putellas boots include glitter designed to "create additional distinction under bright stadium lights."

With multiple elements highlighting the FC Barcelona attacker's lucky number 11, the Phantom 6 boots also feature the custom Nike logo for Putellas emblazoned on the heel.

Constructed from a pair of interlocking 11s that combine with the letter "A," Putellas's new logo forms a crown, referencing her nickname of "La Reina" — Spanish for "The Queen."

"Growing up in Spain, I could only watch men playing football," Putellas said in a Nike statement on Sunday. "I never dreamed about playing at Camp Nou or having my own Nike boot. This is crazy, but I'm enjoying the process."

Just days before her 32nd birthday, Putellas adds her new Nike Player Edition Phantom 6 boot to a resume stacked with a World Cup (2023), three UEFA Champions League trophies, and numerous Liga F titles as well as her two Ballons d'Or.

How to purchase the Alexia Putellas Nike Phantom 6 boots

The Nike Phantom 6 Alexia Putellas Player Edition boots are currently available for purchase in both adult and kids sizes at select retail stores and online at nike.com.

With the 2026 Australian Open in the rearview mirror, this week's WTA rankings update reflected the season-opening Grand Slam's impact on tennis's top tier.

An exit from the Melbourne Slam's quarterfinals sent US star Coco Gauff skidding two spots to No. 5, as the newly crowned Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina took over Gauff's previous position at No. 3 alongside her second-career major tournament victory.

At the top of the WTA rankings, Australian Open finalist Aryna Sabalenka retained her world No. 1 status, followed by the similarly stable No. 2 Iga Świątek — despite the six-time Slam winner's own quarterfinals ousting.

On the flip side, 2025 champion Madison Keys fell six spots to No. 15, while young Canadian star Vicky Mboko and fan favorite Naomi Osaka each rose three spots to Nos. 13 and 14, respectively.

With Gauff's slight fall, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova now takes over as the top US talent after making her first Australian Open quarterfinals appearance last week.

No. 6 Jessica Pegula, No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 8 Jasmine Paolini all held steady, while new-No. 9 Belinda Bencic and new-No. 10 Elina Svitolina became the first two mothers to earn a Top 10 ranking at the same time.

"It's a dream to return to the WTA Top 10," Svitolina said after reaching her first Australian Open semifinal. "Doing it as a mother means so much to me. I'm proud of my fight and resilience."