The 2023 Women’s World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand on July 20. Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament.

When is it?

The tournament begins July 20 and will run through Aug. 20. The co-hosts will play in the opening matches: New Zealand will face Norway to start the festivities, and Australia will begin its run a few hours later against Ireland.

Where is it?

Matches will be split between Australia and New Zealand, with four sites in New Zealand and five sites in Australia.

• Adelaide, AU – Hindmarsh Stadium
• Auckland, NZ – Eden Park
• Brisbane, AU – Brisbane Stadium
• Dunedin, NZ – Dunedin Stadium
• Hamilton, NZ – Waikato Stadium
• Melbourne, AU – Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
• Perth, AU – Perth Rectangular Stadium
• Sydney, AU – Stadium Australia and Sydney Football Stadium
• Wellington, NZ – Wellington Stadium

What is the draw?

The 32 teams at the tournament are divided into eight groups of four countries. The two highest-finishing teams from each group will advance to the 16-team knockout stage.

• Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland
• Group B: Australia, Canada, Nigeria, Republic of Ireland
• Group C: Costa Rica, Japan, Spain, Zambia
• Group D: China, Denmark, England, Haiti
• Group E: Netherlands, United States, Vietnam, Portugal
• Group F: Brazil, France, Jamaica, Panama
• Group G: Argentina, Italy, South Africa, Sweden
• Group H: Colombia, Germany, Morocco, South Korea

View the full schedule for the World Cup here.

What is the USWNT’s schedule?

The USWNT will play three games during the group stage, with the first coming against Vietnam at 9 p.m. ET Friday, July 21.

Group E includes the team the United States beat in the 2019 World Cup final, the Netherlands. Still, USWNT legend Julie Foudy said the squad landed a “very winnable group” — one that became even more winnable with Dutch star Vivianne Miedema’s ACL injury.

• Friday, July 21 — 9 p.m. ET (Fox)
  • United States vs. Vietnam (Eden Park, Auckland)
• Wednesday, July 26 — 9 p.m. ET (Fox)
  • United States vs. Netherlands (Wellington Regional)
• Tuesday, Aug. 1 — 3 a.m. ET (Fox)
  • United States vs. Portugal (Eden Park, Auckland)

View the full USWNT schedule for the World Cup here.

What do the rosters look like?

Despite a rash of injuries to high-profile players, the rosters for the 2023 World Cup feature some of the world’s best talent.

Germany boasts the likes of Lena Oberdorf, Alexandra Popp and Lina Magull. Australia (Sam Kerr), Brazil (Marta, Debinha), England (Lucy Bronze, Alessia Russo) and France (Wendie Renard, Kadidiatou Diani) and more feature their own stars, all of whom will try to shine their brightest on the World Cup stage.

And then of course there’s the USWNT, with established names (Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe) and rising stars (Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma) alike.

Check out our running list of all 32 teams’ rosters, and check out the USWNT’s 23-player roster below.

China PR pulled out of their June 3rd friendly against the USWNT, according to a Friday US Soccer release which announced that Jamaica will replace the 2022 Asian Cup winners at Energizer Park in St. Louis.

As of now, China will still face the USWNT on May 31st in St. Paul, marking the first of the US’s upcoming two-game international break.

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"After initially agreeing to play two matches during the upcoming FIFA window, the Chinese Football Association subsequently informed US Soccer that its Women’s National Team could play only the first match," USSF said in its statement.

The federation did not provide an explanation for China’s cancelation, quickly tapping Jamaica as stand-ins.

USWNT to contend with Concacaf foes Jamaica

Despite sharing a confederation, the US and Jamaica have only squared off six prior times, with June's match marking the teams' first meeting in three years.

The last clash between the pair occurred at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship, where the US walked away from the pitch with a 5-0 victory over the Reggae Girlz.

Led by Manchester City striker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw, Jamaica earned spots in the last two World Cups, advancing to the Round of 16 for the first time ever in the 2023 edition.

The pair's upcoming seventh meeting will also serve as a celebration of retired USWNT captain and local product Becky Sauerbrunn, with US Soccer calling the decorated defender "the greatest female player in St. Louis soccer history."

With the 2025 WNBA Draft tipping off on Monday night, experts across women’s basketball are busy predicting the results, as this year’s sure-thing overall No. 1 pick begets question marks down the line.

Barring a shocking surprise, the Dallas Wings will snap up UConn star Paige Bueckers first, ushering in a new era of Texas basketball.

The rest of the lottery is more of a mystery, with one lesser-known name projected to shake up the early picks.

Mock drafts from both ESPN and The Athletic have the Seattle Storm using their No. 2 spot to select 19-year-old French center Dominique Malonga, pivoting away from the NCAA-to-WNBA pipeline.

After the top two picks, opinions diverge, with factors like team-fit and overall talent influencing WNBA teams' strategies as they eye the guard-heavy field.

Among the top NCAA players expected to go early in Monday's first round are Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron, USC forward Kiki Iriafen, and LSU forward Aneesah Morrow.

Sportsbooks are also weighing in, with FanDuel currently favoring Citron at No. 3 (-140), Iriafen at No. 4 (+170), and Morrow at No. 5 (+105).

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How to watch the 2025 WNBA Draft

With commissioner Cathy Engelbert set to announce the No. 1 pick shortly after 7:30 PM ET, live coverage of Monday's 2025 WNBA Draft will begin at 7 PM ET on ESPN.

The top three NWSL teams continued their reign over the standings this weekend, with the Orlando Pride, Kansas City Current, and Washington Spirit all rattling off wins in the league’s return from April's international break.

On the top trio's heels is Angel City, whose unbeaten streak lives on after the LA club earned their second straight win in a promising season start for the young team.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Stars, Portland Thorns, and Gotham FC managed to break into the win column for the first time this season, leaving only the North Carolina Courage and Utah Royals still searching for their first three-point performances of 2025.

Resilience puts injury-laden Washington Spirit on top

While they haven’t been perfect, Washington’s continued success could be the season’s most impressive so far, as the team digs out wins despite its onslaught of availability issues.

Saturday's 2-0 road victory over Racing Louisville, for example, came from a Spirit side missing 10 players from its roster — including regular starters Croix Bethune, Casey Krueger, and Hal Hershfelt.

The talent-packed Spirit stepped up in their stead, with midfielder Leicy Santos notching the 58th-minute game-winner before striker Ashley Hatch found the back of the net for the fourth time in as many games in the 75th minute.

Hatch now leads the NWSL's Golden Boot race, with her Saturday goal registering as her 50th in regular-season play for the Spirit — the third-most for a single club in league history.

Though the 2025 NWSL season is only four matchdays old, the race to the Shield could depend on a club's resilience — making the Spirit, with their ability to pick up points when the going gets tough, an early favorite.

2025 NWSL Standings: Week Four

1. Orlando Pride (4-0-0)
2. Kansas City Current (4-0-0)
3. Washington Spirit (3-1-0)
4. Angel City FC (2-0-2)
5. Gotham FC (1-1-2)
6. Portland Thorns FC (1-1-2)
7. Seattle Reign FC (1-2-1)
8. Bay FC (1-2-1)
9. San Diego Wave FC (1-2-1)
10. Houston Dash (1-2-1)
11. Racing Louisville FC (1-2-1)
12. Chicago Stars FC (1-3-0)
13. North Carolina Courage (0-2-2)
14. Utah Royals FC (0-3-1)

Incoming NWSL expansion team Denver announced more infrastructure news on Thursday, naming the squad's first-ever employee in decorated sports executive Jen Millet, who will serve as club president.

"Jen stood out amongst an extensive list of qualified candidates," said controlling owner Rob Cohen in a club statement. "Jen’s understanding of soccer, building world-class brands, ability to engage the community, and passion for creating a culture of excellence made her the ideal fit to run our club."

Previously, Millet served as the chief operating officer for 2024 expansion team Bay FC, a club she led to the league's top in merchandise sales and top-three in ticketing revenue in the franchise's inaugural season.

The Denver post, in which Millet will lead all of the club's business operations, will return Millet to her hometown as she takes on another NWSL launch.

"People might say I'm crazy to do back-to-back builds," Millet told The Athletic. "But I actually love this kind of work, and so I'm excited to get going."

With a new dedicated stadium and training facility in the works, plus record season ticket sales and, now, NWSL-savvy leadership, Denver looks prepared to hit the ground running as the league's 16th team in 2026.