Controversially postponed Wafcon will finally take place and Brazil will hope to retain Copa América title New landmarks, historic wins and the USA gaining Olympic redemption – the last 12 months in the women’s game certainly delivered once again. And 2025 promises to be yet another memorable year as Switzerland host the European Championship, the Africa Cup of Nations finally gets under way and the start of a brand new league brings new hope for Canada. Continue reading...

Cannon fires Stoke past Sunderland for rare winBlackburn and Watford’s promotion bids dented at home Leeds will head into 2025 top of the Championship after a hard-fought 1-0 win at Derby. Sheffield United had briefly returned to the summit following their lunchtime kick-off against West Brom, which ended 1-1 at Bramall Lane. However, Leeds closed out the year in pole position in the race for automatic promotion after Brenden Aaronson’s solitary second-half strike secured them an eighth win in their last 10 matches. Continue reading...

Streamer has exclusive rights for 2027 and 2031 editions Netflix: ‘It’s about celebrating the rise of women’s sport’ Netflix has secured its first major deal in the football market after signing an exclusive broadcast rights agreement to show the 2027 and 2031 editions of the Women’s World Cup live to audiences in the United States and Puerto Rico. The deal, that Fifa has described as a “landmark media rights deal in women’s football”, means the streaming platform acquire the rights to cover a football competition in full for the first time, and will include coverage in multiple languages. The 2027 tournament is being staged in Brazil from 24 June to 25 July 2027 and will involve 32 teams. The host of the 2031 competition is yet to be determined. “This is a landmark moment for sports media rights,” said Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino. “As a marquee brand and Fifa’s new long-term partner, Netflix has shown a very strong level of commitment to growing women’s football. This agreement sends a strong message about the real value of the Fifa Women’s World Cup and the global women’s game.” The chief content officer at Netflix, Bela Bajaria, added: “I’ve seen the fandom for the Fifa Women’s World Cup grow tremendously – from the electric atmosphere in France in 2019 to, most recently, the incredible energy we saw across Australia and New Zealand last year. Bringing this iconic tournament to Netflix isn’t just about streaming matches, it’s also about celebrating the players, the culture and the passion driving the global rise of women’s sport”. The US broadcasting giant Fox and the Spanish-language terrestrial channel Telemundo had the rights to broadcast the 2023 edition of the World Cup in the USA and Puerto Rico. As of November 2024, Netflix was reported to have 66.7m subscribers in the United States. Continue reading...

The longtime anchor of the USWNT backline won two World Cups and an Olympic gold in addition to three NWSL titles. But her trophy case is only the tip of her influence On Tuesday an American soccer icon who left an indelible mark on the USWNT’s back-to-back World Cup-winning era announced her retirement from the game. At 39, Becky Sauerbrunn leaves behind a 16-year professional legacy as an Olympic and (twice) World Cup champion, a NWSL lifer and undisputed leader for club and country, whether with a ball at her feet or a book in her hand. “It’s time,” she wrote, in a beautifully composed social media post that felt reflective of the voracious reader and effective communicator we knew her to always be. Continue reading...

Sauerbrunn to retire after 219 international appearancesDefender won two World Cups and Olympic gold medal Two-time World Cup winner and former US national team captain Becky Sauerbrunn has retired from professional soccer after a 16-year career, the 39-year-old defender said on Tuesday. The four-time NWSL defender of the year, Sauerbrunn hoisted the championship trophy in the top-flight American league three times and won Olympic gold with the United States in 2012. She missed the World Cup in 2023 due to injury. Continue reading...

The Guardian’s ranking of the world’s best female footballers overflowed with Americans. But their fellow players largely shunned them Women’s soccer has grown exponentially in the 22 years since Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra marveled at the very existence of a professional game in the USA in Bend It Like Beckham. In the film, the main characters went off to the USA to play collegiate soccer, while the UK had only the faintest whispers that local clubs might soon field professional teams. Today, the protagonists would have several professional options without ever straying from the reach of Greater London. Continue reading...

Second half goals from Dusan and Weston McKennie help Juventus secure a 2-0 win over Manchester City, leaving the Premier League champions in 22nd place in the Champions League group phase table after matchday six.

Gnonto also on target in 3-1 win against MiddlesbroughSunderland grab late equaliser to peg back Bristol City Dan James marked his 100th Leeds appearance with a crucial goal as his side beat Middlesbrough 3-1 at Elland Road to regain top spot in the Championship. James fired home in the second half after Max Wöber’s own goal had cancelled out Wilfried Gnonto’s opener. Brenden Aaronson added Leeds’s third in added time. Continue reading...

From USA 94 to Ronaldo, via Putin and Newcastle, the 2034 hosts-elect are now at the heart of football politics Saudi Arabia’s football history is lengthy and the country has long been one of the biggest players in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) was founded in 1956. The country’s first international came the following year, at the same time as the foundation of its most successful club side, Al-Hilal (the other three clubs in Saudi’s big four – Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli – are older). A Saudi league was established in the 1970s but it was not until the 80s that the country featured in its first international tournament, the AFC Asian Cup, which it won in 1984. Continue reading...

Friendly international: England 1-0 SwitzerlandClinton scored eighth-minute winner at Bramall Lane Sarina Wiegman says she is not concerned by England’s current lack of creativity after an experimental side recorded a slender win against Switzerland, the European Champion­ship hosts next summer. The England head coach gave her young players a chance to impress and there were several strong individual performances from new faces but the side recorded only three shots on target, having similarly managed just one effort on goal last time out against the USA. Continue reading...

Watch highlights as England hold the United States to a goalless draw as Sarina Wiegman and Emma Hayes go head-to-head at Wembley Stadium.

England's goalless draw with the USA gives a glimpse of Sarina Wiegman's plans for Euro 2025 - with some experimental setting up and a strong defensive display.

England Women 0-0 USA WomenShowpiece friendly struggles to live up to the hype The gap between expectation and reality can be a big one and the tight chess match between England and the United States did not quite provide the action to match the clash-of-the-titans narrative that had been set up before the game. In front of 78,346 fans eager to see who would come away from the showpiece friendly in better shape, the European champions, led by Sarina Wiegman, or the Olympic gold medallists, led by London-native Emma Hayes, the answer was neither. Continue reading...