While La Roja celebrates Down Under, we’re highlighting the U.K.’s fraught history with women’s footy, making the Lionesses’ historic tournament run even more extraordinary.

Hurricane Hilary wasn’t the only storm brewing yesterday, and despite the weather canceling No. 1 UCLA’s and No. 22 USC’s matches, the NCAA gals (thunder)struck pitches nationwide, with ranked squads proving their Top 25 mettle.

Today, we’re digging into everything you need to know about tomorrow’s 6 a.m. ET final that will see No. 4 England or No. 6 Spain claim their first-ever WWC.

No. 3 Sweden and co-host No. 10 Australia will fight to leave this tourney with a W by winning tomorrow’s 4 a.m. ET third-place match.

That’s the question a joint Sportico and Harris Poll study posed, ultimately revealing that 67% of Americans believe student-athletes should be compensated by their schools, once again bringing up the complex college sports conversation.

Only 185 NCAA teams compete in the winter season: 27 in DI, 35 in DII, and 123 in DIII. DI and DII share a championship, while DIII schools have their own postseason tourney.

The world’s most intense game of “the floor is lava” is also one of the NCAA’s top sports, boasting 1057 women’s teams nationwide, including 344 in Division I (DI). Volleyball’s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years — the 2022 championship saw record viewership and the 2023 edition will appear on network TV for the first time.

Although the basics are the same — don’t let the ball on the ground, don’t touch the net, etc. — beach volleyball’s format is a significant shakeup from that of its indoor cousin.

Now one squad is just 90(ish) minutes away from the game’s biggest prize — let’s recap how we got here.

The NY Liberty overpowered the Las Vegas Aces 82–63 in last night’s Commissioner's Cup game, earning the seafoam superstars their first-ever Commish Cup title and a cool $30K bonus per player.

According to a press release yesterday, a “diverse group of Chicago women business and civic leaders” has negotiated a deal to buy the team from its current owners.

As the semifinals of the world’s biggest tournament wrap up, we’re looking at its global impact on the women’s game.