FIFA shakes up the 2027 World Cup

A live painter captured the Spirit’s quarterfinal win in a whole new light.

FIFA shakes up 2027 World Cup draw

Women’s soccer titans are on notice, as a new World Cup draw procedure will keep FIFA’s four top-ranked teams from crossing paths until the semifinals — provided they win their groups.

• Should the current order hold, No. 1 Spain, No. 2 US, No. 3 Germany, and No. 4 England will anchor the 2027 bracket, with the first and third seeds sitting opposite the second and fourth. 

• FIFA’s year-end rankings lock on December 7th, shortly after the USWNT and England seal their World Cup qualifying results. (See full rankings)

How it works: The December 11th draw sorts all 32 nations into eight groups of four, with four pots of eight shaping the tournament field around the top seeds.

• Host Brazil and 28 other qualified teams will learn their fates, joining three placeholders awaiting the winners of March’s Play-Off Tournament.

• CAF, AFC, CONCACAF, OFC, and CONMEBOL are limited to one representative per group, while Europe’s UEFA can place up to two teams per group. (See full format)

Stay tuned: The 2027 World Cup draw kicks off December 11th in Rio de Janeiro.

UConn visits Ohio State in Top 25 clash

​​UConn’s early-season gauntlet is rolling, as the No. 4 Huskies tip off their third consecutive ranked clash tonight against No. 17 Ohio State in Columbus.

• UConn shook off last week’s upset loss to No. 2 Michigan with Sunday’s 91-79 win over No. 10 Iowa, as star forward Sarah Strong’s career-high 39 points fueled the this week’s Big East honors sweep.

• “We have a lot of really good players,” said coach Geno Auriemma. “But we only have one Sarah Strong, and that’s Sarah Strong.” (See full stats)

Scouting report: Ohio State (3-0) rolls in red-hot, after routing Mercyhurst 91-57 on Sunday behind 64.8% shooting — its best performance since 2023.

• Six Buckeyes reached double-digit scoring, led by Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection Elsa Lemmilä’s 19 points and season-high 12 rebounds.

• “You don’t really need to scout UConn — we all know how they play,” said the Finnish center. “This is one of the biggest games of the [non-conference schedule]... It’s always in the back of your mind.” (See full report)

Tune in: UConn visits Ohio State tonight at 6:30 PM ET (FS1).

US & Canada book IIHF Worlds quarterfinals

Hockey's biggest rivals are cruising, as reigning winner USA Hockey and runner-up Canada topped their preliminary IIHF World Championship groups.

• The US capped an undefeated run with Wednesday’s 8-1 victory over Czechia behind captain Hilary Knight’s hat trick, while young star Caroline “KK” Harvey leads all scorers with nine points. (Watch full highlights)

• Canada is also unbeaten, shutting out Finland 2-0 in its group-stage finale thanks to goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens’s 25 saves. (Watch full highlights)

Collision course: 10 teams enter Friday’s single-elimination quarterfinals, with winners reaching Sunday’s semis before Monday’s medal games hit the ice.

• The US faces host Denmark tomorrow while Canada skates against Czechia, with a rematch of last year’s USA vs Canada final — a 4-3 US win — in the works should both advance.

• Germany, Finland, Sweden, and Switzerland round out the bracket, though the North American rivals remain the competition’s sole champions dating to its 1990 inception. (See full schedule)

Tune in: The IIHF Worlds quarterfinals start Friday at 5 AM ET (NHL Network).

Just in time for the NWSL playoffs, Talk Footy To Me is for the fans who’ve been watching since the first whistle — and will keep watching until after the trophy is raised.

• Time Wasting hosts Kelley O’Hara and Ali Riley are chatting with the WoSo faithful, fielding hot takes, postseason predictions, match reactions, and more via the all-new Talk Footy To Me hotline.

• Show off your soccer head status with the Talk Footy To Me collection, featuring limited edition JWS gear fit for football diehards.

Get loud: Call 1-833-TALKFTY to have your voice heard and browse the collection at the JWS Shop.

Nebraska volleyball closes in on Big Ten title

No. 1 Nebraska volleyball isn’t budging, as the undefeated Huskers topped the latest AVCA Coaches Poll by unanimous vote for the fifth week in a row.

• No. 2 Pitt, No. 3 Louisville, No. 4 Florida, and No. 5 SMU also held steady, while No. 7 BYU continues to rise on a 17-match winning streak. (See full standings)

Title loading: Nebraska clinched a share of the Big Ten trophy after sweeping No. 12 Oregon and Washington, with a chance to win it outright by taking one of its final three regular-season games.

• Senior Bergen Reilly earned her second straight Big Ten Setter of the Week, averaging 13.33 assists per set across the two wins.

• “We’re not going to be happy with just regular season champions,” Reilly said. “We want to get the tournament, too.” (See full schedule)

Tune in: The Huskers host No. 25 Illinois tonight at 7 PM ET (B1G+).

WTGL debut does numbers on ESPN

The WTGL is delivering, as Sunday’s indoor golf league’s debut averaged 97,000 viewers on ESPN with eight more regular-season matches to go.

• Peaking at 138,000, the launch surpassed the LPGA’s 2026 non-major average (87,000) while marking the third-most watched women’s golf event since September’s Solheim Cup.

• Ratings trailed the men’s TGL’s 488,000-strong average last season, but rivaled the PGA’s concurrent World Wide Technology Championship final (110,000) despite competing with Week 9 NFL coverage. (See full report)

Tune in: WTGL action returns Monday, as Boston takes on Detroit at 8 PM ET (ION).

Quote of the day

Storm guard Flau’jae Johnson
on her first impression of fellow Seattle rookie — and now close friend — Awa Fam.