USWNT battles Spain in twin October friendlies

New York’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was ejected Sunday, after committing one of the strangest fouls in WNBA history…

USWNT to play Spain in October

The USWNT is ready for October, announcing plans to play two friendlies against reigning champion Spain in the last FIFA window before World Cup qualifiers.

• The US first faces the European titan at Washington, DC’s Audi Field on October 10th, before capping the series at Pennsylvania’s Subaru Park on October 13th.

• “Two more fantastic matches,” said head coach Emma Hayes. “To be able to get these two games on the East Coast will be the perfect tests before we head into World Cup qualifying at the end of the year.” (See full report)

Big booking: Back-to-back bouts with the top-ranked UEFA Nations League winner continues the No. 2 USWNT’s aggressive scheduling approach, after taking on No. 5 Japan and No. 7 Brazil earlier this year.

• “We’ve desperately wanted to get Spain on our schedule, but the difficulties of scheduling the top teams during the women’s international calendar are well known,” said Hayes.

• The US will use the fall slate as a tuneup for November’s Concacaf W Championship quarterfinal against No. 78 El Salvador, with a ticket to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil on the line. (See full rankings)

Be there: Ticket sales for both USWNT vs Spain friendlies begin this week via Ticketmaster.

Tempo makes WNBA history in Montréal

Canada can’t get enough WNBA, as No. 4 Dallas’s 108-95 win over No. 11 Toronto drew 20,996 fans to Montréal’s Bell Centre on Friday — setting a new regular-season attendance record.

• The one-off game’s crowd surpassed 2024’s 20,711 high-mark set in Washington, DC, underscoring the Tempo’s importance as the country’s first-ever WNBA team.

• “Being the only team in Canada, it’s a responsibility for us — and how cool is that?” Toronto head coach Sandy Brondello said postgame. “We get to be seen all over Canada.” (Watch full highlights)

Building steam: The Wings, however, had the last laugh, taking down the Tempo before besting No. 13 Chicago 96-91 on Sunday to build a five-game winning streak.

• Dallas guard Paige Bueckers is averaging 20.7 points per game, sitting Top 5 league-wide while the Wings trail only No. 2 Las Vegas in average assists.

• “We have a great locker room,” Bueckers said last night. “We all play a selfless brand of basketball, and we all just want to win and succeed and do it with each other.” (See full stats)

Up next: Toronto faces No. 8 Washington tomorrow at 7 PM ET (NBA TV), while Dallas hosts New York on Thursday at 9 PM ET (Prime).

Angel City rocks San Diego in SoCal clash

NWSL chaos reigned this weekend, as No. 9 Angel City upset SoCal neighbor No. 1 San Diego on Saturday to kick off 2026 Rivalry Week with a bang.

• LA defended out the win after midfielder Maiara Niehues and fellow Brazilian Ary Borges combined for two quick first-half goals — with Niehues scoring her fourth tally in as many games.

• “I feel like a win, and a win in San Diego, is amazing, but a shutout is really important for us,” ACFC captain Sarah Gorden said. (Watch full highlights)

Injury report: Angel City’s victory was dampened by a potential roster blow, as star forward Jun Endo exited the second half with a non-contact injury less than a year after returning from a 2024 ACL tear.

• “Gruesome scenes in San Diego with Jun Endo down screaming and grabbing her knee from a non-contact injury,” ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf wrote on X. “Hopefully, somehow, it isn't as bad as it looked.” (See full post)

Up next: The Wave will look to regroup against No. 6 Kansas City on Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime), while ACFC rides momentum into Saturday’s 6:30 PM ET match with No. 15 Chicago (ION).

Add JWS Spot to your itinerary.

Before tipoff, we’re taking over Bottom Lounge for an afternoon of player appearances, exclusive merch, free drinks for the first 100 guests, giveaways, and a 1996-inspired celebration of the game.

Whether you’re flying in with friends or meeting up with basketball fans you’ve only known through group chats, JWS Spot is the place to start your weekend.

📍 Bottom Lounge, Chicago

⏰ July 25th | 2-6 PM

Be there: Grab your free ticket today.

Haeran Ryu makes history at Evian Championship

Haeran Ryu made LPGA history this weekend, as the world No. 7 won the Evian Championship to earn her second major title in just three weeks.

• Ryu shot 60 on Saturday to record the lowest-ever single-round score at an LPGA major — before falling behind in Sunday’s final round and forcing a sudden-death playoff against No. 20 Brooke Henderson.

• “Today shots [were] pretty good, but my putting is too bad,” Ryu said afterwards. “I [was] just thinking like, ‘Oh, God, please go in the hole, please.’” (Watch full highlights)

Big picture: The 2026 LPGA Tour now has two double major winners, setting a new record after No. 1 Nelly Korda won the Chevron Championship and the US Open earlier this year.

• “Before these three weeks, I didn’t have a major championship — now two in a row,” said 25-year-old Ryu. “This is just a dream.” (Read full report)

Linda Nosková wins 1st-ever Wimbledon title

Wimbledon crowned a new champion on Saturday, as world No. 7 Linda Nosková defeated No. 6 Karolína Muchová in three sets to lift her first-ever Grand Slam trophy.

• Nosková started strong with a 6-2 first-set win, dropped the second set despite mounting a 5-2 lead, then battled back to take the third 6-3.

• “It’s never easy to get the last point — Karo, you really made me work for it,” Nosková said postmatch, addressing her fellow Czech star. “I’m so glad I could play my first Grand Slam final with you. I think we made history.” (Watch full highlights)

Ups and downs: Nosková’s win continues a season of parity, shooting the Czech finalists up the WTA rankings while past Slam winners No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 4 Coco Gauff, and No. 8 Iga Świątek wait for a breakthrough with just one major tournament to go.

• “I believe that all our Czech fans at home are proud of us, no matter the result today,” Nosková added. (See full rankings)

Quote of the day

Former US Vice President Kamala Harris
addressing Sparks star and WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike after LA’s 102-87 win over Chicago.