New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr hit a stunning 179 not out off 139 balls to inspire her side to chase down 346 against South Africa in the highest successful run chase in women’s one-day international history.
Laura Wolvaardt’s 69 from 74 balls, a 91 from 90 balls by Anneke Bosch and Chloe Tryon’s 25-ball 52 helped South Africa post 346-6 in the second ODI of their series against the Kiwis.
Kerr came in at 21-1 in New Zealand’s reply and struck 23 fours and one six at a strike rate of 128.78 during her match-winning knock.
She was helped by Izzy Gaze, who made 68 from 48 balls, as the Kiwis made 350-8 in reaching their target with two balls to spare and levelling the series.
The previous highest successful chase in women’s ODI cricket was when India made 341-5 in reaching a 338 target set by Australia in their World Cup semi-final last October.
Kerr is no stranger to producing heroics, especially against South Africa, as she inspired New Zealand to victory against them in a T20 World Cup final in 2024.
She was also the ICC’s women’s cricketer of the year in 2024.
Kerr also holds the record for the highest individual innings in a women’s ODI, having hit an unbeaten 232 against Ireland when aged 17 in 2018.
In a new report, Doctors Without Borders says sexual violence is the ‘defining feature’ of the conflict in Sudan.
Hanaan was 18 years old when she was raped by members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of committing widespread “war crimes” during nearly three years of fighting against Sudan’s army.
She was walking alongside a female friend to her makeshift home in an encampment for displaced people in South Darfur, when four men on motorbikes stopped them and asked where they were going.
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“Two took each girl, and they raped us,” she told Doctors Without Borders, an international medical NGO known by its French initials MSF.
“I feel uncomfortable in my body, heavy. I don’t feel pain, apart from in my back – because they beat me, they beat me with their guns on my back,” she said.
Hanaan – not her real name – shared her testimony as part of a report released by MSF on Tuesday, which details the widespread use of sexual violence as a weapon in Sudan’s ongoing brutal civil war.
The NGO said 3,396 survivors of sexual violence sought treatment in MSF-supported health facilities across North and South Darfur between January 2024 and November 2025.
The data, presented in the report titled, There is Something I Want to Tell You…, was drawn from MSF programmes in just two of Sudan’s 18 states and reflects only a fraction of the crisis, while the true scale of the phenomenon remains unknown.
Women and girls accounted for 97 percent of survivors treated in MSF programmes. The RSF and allied militias were found to be primarily responsible for the systematic abuse.
Children among the survivors
“Sexual violence is a defining feature of this conflict – not confined to front lines, but pervasive across communities,” Ruth Kauffman, MSF emergency health manager, said in a statement.
“This war is being fought on the backs and bodies of women and girls. Displacement, collapsing community support systems, lack of access to healthcare and deep-rooted gender inequalities are allowing these abuses to continue across Sudan.”
Following the RSF’s capture of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on October 26, 2025, MSF treated more than 140 survivors fleeing to Tawila. Among them, 94 percent were attacked by armed men, with many reporting assaults along escape routes.
The assaults “deliberately targeted non-Arab communities as a means of humiliation and terror, echoing previous RSF atrocities such as the dismantling of Zamzam camp”, the report said. The RSF took control of famine-hit Zamzam camp in the western Darfur region after two days of heavy shelling and gunfire in April 2025.
Survivors described attacks not only during fighting, but in everyday settings, such as fields, markets and displacement camps.
Children were also among the survivors. In South Darfur, one in five survivors was under 18, including 41 children younger than five, the organisation said.
MSF called on the United Nations, donors and humanitarian actors to urgently scale up health and protection services in Darfur and all of Sudan, and on all parties to the conflict to cease and prevent sexual violence and hold perpetrators accountable.
England head coach Charlotte Edwards says her players have categorically addressed the issues surrounding their fitness.
The physical condition of England’s players was a hot topic of debate before Edwards’ appointment.
England’s early exit from the Women’s T20 World Cup just under 18 months ago prompted former spinner Alex Hartley to say some players were “letting the team down” in terms of fitness.
Athleticism again came into focus during the Ashes in January 2025, and former coach Jon Lewis attributed it to a cultural difference between the UK and Australia.
When asked on a BBC Test Match Special debate show if the fitness issue had been put to bed, Edwards responded that it “100%” had.
“We’re in a really good place. The results are all so high. I couldn’t be more chuffed – we’ve made real progress,” Edwards said.
“It’s not just all about whether you can run round a track. It’s all the other elements to it that we’ve tried to make just as important.”
Edwards will celebrate a year in charge of England, who host the T20 World Cup this summer, on Wednesday.
The 46-year-old said the introduction of specific benchmarks relating to fitness have had the desired impact.
“I think once you set out the expectation, the players know what they need to do. And we’ve added in sort of benchmarks over the winter,” Edwards added.
“We’ve got to keep raising the standard. The players have fully bought into that, which, that was, I guess what I set out to do and am really pleased with the buy-in.
“I don’t know if anyone watched the fielding from the recent [intra-squad] series, but it’s some of the best fielding I’ve seen, certainly from our group, the improvements we’ve made.”
Watch the full debate about England’s women’s team on BBC iPlayer or listen to it as a podcast on BBC Sounds.
Just like last year and the year before, Wales’ Six Nations opener is against Scotland.
Wales had the upper hand in the Celtic clash up until 2023, but have failed to win in their past few encounters, including a sobering defeat at the World Cup.
The two sides will meet again at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, 11 April (16:40 BST).
“They’ve got to be one of our biggest rivalries,” admitted Williams.
“A few years ago it was us on top and they’ve really turned it around. They’re one of our biggest challenges and one of the games that we’re going to go after.
“We do want to write some wrongs [from the World Cup].
And Williams insists they have the calibre of players to be able to beat the Scots.
“It is a big match, but these are the big moments that we’re excited to play. This is what we want to do as rugby players,” she added.
“I wouldn’t call it a grudge match or anything, but we’re looking to beat as many teams as possible, Scotland being one of them.”
After Scotland, Wales host France at Cardiff Arms Park on 18 April before travelling to face reigning champions England at Ashton Gate a week later.
A trip to Belfast follows to take on Ireland after the fallow week before Wales finish their campaign back at the Arms Park against Italy on 17 May.
The women’s category of Olympic sports will be limited to biological females from 2028, says the International Olympic Committee.
Eligibility will be determined by a “once in a lifetime” sex test, which would prevent transgender women and those with differences in sexual development (DSD) from competing.
It will take effect from the Los Angeles Olympics.
IOC president Kirsty Coventry said the policy was “led by medical experts”.
“At the Olympic Games even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat,” she said.
“So it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”
Lynn says he has been very impressed with the South Africa-born former flanker and expects to see a “big improvement” in that area, especially with Holmes being full-time.
“It’s what we will be needing to be competitive,” said Lynn, who admits his side were “bullied off the park” in their World Cup opener against Scotland.
Brython Thunder coach Ashley Beck will attempt to revive Wales’ stale attack, while Exeter Chiefs head coach Steve Salvin will be working with the forwards on an interim basis.
“It’s new voices, new faces and big energy,” said Lynn.
“What we’re going after is that consistency, every coach who’s coming in is making sure that we are following the process.
“I want us to be more hard-working, competitive, and when you’re in those competitive games and you find those winning moments, those game-changing moments, that’s where I feel this team can grow.”
Manchester United fan Pernille Harder scored twice against her childhood club at Old Trafford as Bayern Munich gained a precious first-leg advantage in their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Bompastor was visibly upset on the touchline as she approached the fourth official to question the decision.
Chelsea’s players looked bemused and their frustrations grew, including Bompastor kicking a bottle, when Kadeisha Buchanan’s late effort was ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper Anneke Borbe, although replays showed that was the correct decision.
Asked what feedback she received from the officials on their decisions, Bompastor said: “Nothing. It’s always the same. You go to them and ask them to check they made the right decision, they always say ‘yeah, we are checking.’
“But they made the wrong decision. Nothing changes. When a human makes a mistake, you can understand a little more but when there is the VAR, it’s really difficult.
“I don’t think it’s been the first time for us this season in the Champions League. When we played Barcelona, Catarina Macario’s goal was not offside. That changes a lot. I just think they need to be better.”
Bompastor insisted she believes VAR is good for the women’s game but that the officials using it must be the “right people to check the situations”.
Asked how the women’s game could be respected more, Bompastor said the solution would be to bring the “best” referees to the biggest games.
“If that has to be coming from the men’s game, then maybe,” she said. “If it is coming from the women’s game, then [use] the best ones,” she added.
“We need to make those decisions. It’s really frustrating. We need to bring competence which is the most important thing.”
Pesu, 36, has officiated throughout this year’s Women’s Champions League and oversaw two games at last summer’s European Championship, including the opening match between hosts Switzerland and Norway.
“Playing for Wales is the highest honour you can get when you are a player and it’s the same when you are a coach,” said Beck.
“To be asked by Sean to join the set-up for the Women’s 2026 Six Nations is a real privilege and I am excited by the challenge of coaching at Test match level.
“Having worked with a host of the players in the Celtic Challenge, I know the talent we have in Wales and the challenge for the players is to believe they can compete at this level.”
Wales kick off their Six Nations campaign at home to Scotland at Principality Stadium on Saturday, 11 April.
Absolutely, this is the best team in UCLA women’s basketball history.
Not the best team in the country this year, but truly a testament to teamwork and hard work and talent retention.
Whether UCLA wins it all this season or not, the Bruins are the envy of teams everywhere, including Oklahoma State, whose season they ended with an 87-68 second-round victory Monday. Afterward, UCLA’s six seniors joined their teammates in one last victory lap around the court, waving to fans, soaking in the adoration, on their way to the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive season.
“Seeing a team who gets to host, a team who has stayed together, for the most part, they get to experience all the things that all of us want, and that is so incredibly rare and hard and special,” Oklahoma State coach Jacie Hoyt said.
But how much further those things will take these Bruins in the NCAA tournament after they fought off Oklahoma State?
Maybe all the way, but maybe not.
The road ahead is treacherous. And the Bruins aren’t barreling toward it with the same momentum as the teams they’re likely to face. This deep UCLA team will need to dig even deeper.
They will have Lauren Betts, though, and no one else will. UCLA’s great 6-foot-7 center and cheat code saved the day Monday, scoring 21 of her career-high 35 points in the second half, when the Bruins got tight and the Cowgirls got closer.
Not close, but closer. Much closer than UCLA’s fellow top seeds’ opponents did.
UConn beat ninth-seeded Syracuse 98-45 in a second-round game that featured a killer 31-0 run by the defending champion Huskies.
South Carolina dismissed ninth-seeded USC, 101-61.
Texas blew out eighth-seeded Oregon like a candle, 100-58, on Sunday.
Even the second-seeded Louisiana State Tigers — likely UCLA’s Elite Eight date if both teams win their way to a third consecutive NCAA tournament meeting — got in on the demolition derby Sunday. They routed seventh-seeded Texas Tech 101-47 while setting an NCAA record by scoring 100 points in their 16th game this season.
But this is not a tournament that takes into account point differential. So no harm and no foul when it comes to the scores of the Bruins’ first two wins — and the first round against California Baptist turned into a rout, 96-43, after the Bruins woke up and outscored their guests 52-9 in the second half.
What might matter is that while UConn and South Carolina, Texas and LSU delivered their best spirit- and soul- and confidence-crushing blowouts, the Lancers and the Cowgirls left Pauley Pavilion feeling good about themselves.
The 16th-seeded Lancers can tout that they trailed a top seed by just 10 at halftime. The eighth-seeded Cowgirls (24-10) can crow about outscoring the Bruins 42-41 in the second half.
“UCLA has lost one game all season, right? The majority of those wins were blowouts, like, real blowouts, and it would have been really easy for us to fold after that first quarter,” said Hoyt, referencing the fact that UCLA beat teams by an average of 28.9 points per game this season, fourth-best in the nation.
“But we never did. They were tough and had a resilience and a grit to them that I was really proud to coach.”
That the Bruins (33-1) couldn’t put more significant distance between themselves and a physical Cowgirls team posed some questions about why adjustments didn’t come quick enough, UCLA coach Cori Close said, taking accountability for her part of that. She also saw her players start to let calls and miscommunications frustrate them: “I didn’t think our next-play speed was as good as it has been, and it affects you,” she said.
UCLA coach Cori Close waves to the crowd after Monday’s win over Oklahoma State in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
That doesn’t inspire additional confidence in the Bruins’ path forward. It’s a thorny gauntlet created by seeding rules that bar conference opponents from playing in the Elite Eight — and that could require UCLA, as the No. 2 overall seed, to beat three of the top-five seeded teams if it’s going to win a national championship for the first time since the Bruins won the AIAW title in 1978.
Close hasn’t quibbled with her team’s seeding despite its impressive 31-1 regular-season record against a loaded schedule. But she said Monday she doesn’t like the route that’s been drawn up for her team.
In Sacramento on Friday, the Bruins will play Minnesota, a familiar foe from the Big Ten — one of a dozen conference teams that earned NCAA tournament bids — whom they defeated 76-58 on Jan. 14.
But after that, to reach the championship game the No. 2 team in the nation could meet LSU (the fifth overall seed in the tournament), followed possibly by Texas (No. 3 overall). And then, of course, they’d likely meet No. 1, undefeated UConn in the final, where the Huskies would be trying to win a second consecutive title.
An unenviable assignment, even for a team that seems to have it all.
“You know what does bother me?” Close said. “That the No. 1 and No. 2 overall seeds are not being rewarded because of a guideline that you can’t play a person in your conference in the regional finals. That is an antiquated, poor rule that advantages the wrong teams and the people who haven’t done the work.”
But on Monday, while saying a victorious goodbye to Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins were still mostly unbothered.
“I told ‘em in the locker room,” Close said, “we can talk about your wins and losses all day, but that will always pale in comparison to the way that you’ve affected this community, the way that you’ve touched people’s hearts, the way that you’ve grown as young women.”
Japan edges tournament hosts Australia 1-0 in the Women’s Asian Cup final to claim third title in four editions.
Published On 21 Mar 202621 Mar 2026
Maika Hamano scored the only goal as a formidable Japan battled past Australia to clinch a third Women’s Asian Cup title in front of a record-breaking 74,357 fans in Sydney.
The Tottenham star hit a stunning long-range strike in the 17th minute at Stadium Australia to break Australian hearts and add to their continental crowns from 2014 and 2018.
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Those finals were also against Australia and ended 1-0.
The edge-of-the-seat decider culminated a landmark tournament with more than 350,000 fans through the turnstiles, reinforcing the growth in popularity of the women’s game.
This was about six times as many as the previous tournament record set in 2010 in China, with the final setting a new attendance record for a single game in tournament history.
The Asian Cup doubled as qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil next year, with Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, North Korea and the Philippines all punching their tickets.
The Japanese team, stacked with English-based players, was invincible in their run to the final, fluid across the park, and defending well, steamrolling everyone in front of them.
While Australia proved a much tougher test, nothing could stop them as they accumulated 29 goals and conceded just one through their six tournament games to reinforce their status as Asia’s number one team.
Japan named an unchanged lineup from their 4-1 semifinal thumping of South Korea.
Australia made one change to the team that beat defending champions China 2-1 in the last four with Wini Heatley preferred in central defence to Clare Hunt.
The hosts were composed at the start, looking to dictate the game, and Caitlin Foord should have scored on 11 minutes when Mary Fowler threaded a pass through inside the box.
But the unmarked Arsenal striker sent her shot straight into the arms of Japan keeper Ayaka Yamashita to miss a golden opportunity.
It proved costly with Japan breaking the deadlock six minutes later when Tottenham midfielder Hamano collected the ball outside the penalty area and unleashed a 25-yard rocket that found the top corner.
Foord had another chance when she pounced on a sloppy clearance from Yamashita, but failed to find the target from a tight angle, then scuffed another wide just before the break.
Japan were always a threat, and West Ham’s Riko Ueki went close twice in as many minutes soon after the restart.
With the game on a knife-edge, Australia threw everything they had at Japan in a desperate attempt to find an equaliser as the crowd noise reached fever pitch.
Alanna Kennedy almost pulled off a late equaliser in the 88th minute, but despite intense pressure, Japan were rock solid and absorbed the threat to cling on for the win.
Henderson’s rink – Lisa Davie, Hailey Duff, Katie McMillan and Watt – are competing in their first World Championships after their recent national championship win in Dumfries. Sophie Jackson’s rink, who represented Great Britain at the Winter Olympics, were absent from that competition.
“This week maybe wasn’t about making play-offs for us, it was more about gaining the experience and enjoying the week as a whole, so we will want to finish out strong against Norway and are just out to try our best and enjoy our last game,” added Watt.
Having beaten Australia so comfortably earlier in the day, the Scots looked to be heading for another victory when they led Italy 4-1 after five ends.
But Stefania Constantini’s rink struck back with a three at the sixth end and, although the Scots took a single to lead 5-4, the Italians scored at the final two ends to secure a victory that keeps them in the running for a play-off place.
Switzerland, who lead the way with nine wins and one defeat, hosts Canada, Japan and Sweden have secured their places in the play-offs.
South Korea, China, Turkey and Italy are vying for the two remaining places.
Who: Japan vs Australia What: AFC Women’s Asian Cup final Where: Stadium Australia, Sydney When: Saturday at 8pm (09:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 06:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Two and a half years after their Women’s World Cup dream on home soil ended in heartbreak, Australia return to the same piece of turf in search of redemption.
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The ghosts of the past may still linger, but Saturday’s final offers the Matildas’ golden generation something more: the chance to rewrite their story and lift a first major trophy in front of their own fans.
With eyes on a second continental title, Australia will face heavyweights and two-time champions Japan in a blockbuster Women’s Asian Cup final at Sydney’s Stadium Australia, the same venue on which the Matildas were stunned 3-1 by eventual runners-up England in the 2023 World Cup semifinals.
While many consider Australia favourites to lift the trophy this weekend, history tells a different story. The Matildas have lost both previous continental finals against Japan, leaving the hosts hoping the third time will be the charm.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the final and what to expect from both teams:
How did Australia and Japan reach the final?
Both Australia and Japan have enjoyed an unbeaten route to the final, with the Aussies finishing second in Group A and Japan topping Group C.
Australia, 15th in the FIFA world rankings, opened their campaign with a 1-0 win over the Philippines before thrashing Iran 4-0, but had to fight for a 3-3 draw with South Korea in the final group game.
The knockouts saw Australia overcome North Korea 2-1 in the quarterfinals before they were tested brutally by record nine-time champions China in the semifinals, which they won 2-1.
The Matildas are aiming for their second Asian Cup triumph, but first since 2010 [Paul Kane/Getty Images]
In contrast, World No 6 Japan, the highest-ranked team in the tournament, were dominant from the get-go, beating Taiwan 2-0 to start their campaign. That was followed by an 11-0 rout of India and a 4-0 mauling of Vietnam, as the Nadeshiko sailed into the knockouts with a perfect record and a clean sheet.
In the quarterfinals, they swept past the Philippines 7-0 before downing South Korea 4-1 in the semifinals, reminding fans of why they are the most dangerous side in this tournament.
How many times have Australia and Japan faced each other?
Australia and Japan are familiar foes, having faced off 30 times. The defining clashes came in the 2014 and 2018 editions of the Women’s Asian Cup, when Japan beat Australia 1-0 both times in the final of those tournaments.
Saturday’s match is also the first time Australia have been in the final since losing the 2018 edition.
Australia and Japan last met a little over a year ago at the SheBelieves Cup in the United States. Japan beat the Aussies 4-0 en route to winning the title.
Japan defender Moeka Minami, wearing the #3 jersey, was among the scorers when Japan beat Australia 4-0 in a SheBelieves Cup clash in February 2025 [Michael Wyke/AP Photo]
How many Asian Cups have Australia and Japan won?
Australia have won the Women’s Asian Cup once – their only major title – at the 2010 edition in China, where the Matildas defeated North Korea 5-4 on penalties. Current captain Sam Kerr, then 16 years old, scored the opening goal in that final.
Japan have won the Asian Cup twice, in 2014 and 2018, while they ended runners-up four times (1986, 1991, 1995, 2001).
Japan are also the only Asian team to have won the Women’s World Cup, beating the United States on penalties in the 2011 edition in Germany.
Japan players lift the 2018 Asian Cup after beating Australia in the final in Jordan [File: Raad Adayleh/AP Photo]
What’s the prize money for the winner?
Along with continental bragging rights, the champions will receive a cheque for $1.8m – the same prize money from 2022, which is lower than any other confederation’s equivalent tournament besides Oceania.
In comparison, the winner at the 2023 men’s Asian Cup took home a prize purse of $14.8 million.
Kerr shines for Australia, Ueki leads the way for Japan
Sidelined for two years by an ACL injury, Australia captain Kerr arrived at the 2026 tournament with questions surrounding her fitness and saddled with a heavy burden to restore pride in the Matildas.
Now with four goals in five matches, including a sublime winner in Tuesday’s semifinal, the 32-year-old striker has silenced all doubts and carried her team back into the national spotlight.
“I know I can be one of the best players in the world, and I am showing that at this tournament,” the Chelsea striker said of her recent form.
Sam Kerr’s sublime second-half strike guided Australia to the final [File: Paul Kane/Getty Images]
Along with Kerr, central midfielder Alanna Kennedy has been a goal-scoring machine for the ‘Tillies’, netting five goals in as many matches to sit second on the top-scorers list, while Caitlin Foord has been a key playmaker with three assists.
But the tournament’s spotlight has been captured by Japan’s Riko Ueki, whose six goals in four matches – including a stunning hat-trick off the bench against India – lead the charts.
The striker, often a vital presence in Japan’s front three, poses a headache to the opposition, alongside winger Kiko Seike, who has four goals in four games.
Japan coach says Matildas are ‘massive favourites’
Japan coach Nils Nielsen insists Australia will be “massive favourites” in the final, but his team’s near-flawless progress to the title match suggests otherwise.
Japan’s attacking force has scored a whopping 28 goals in five games, while their solid backline has conceded just one, against South Korea in the semifinals.
The Nadeshiko will have a partisan crowd at the 83,500-capacity Stadium Australia to deal with, and Greenlander Nielsen put the pressure on the Kerr-led Australia by calling the frontrunners.
Japan’s Riko Ueki, right, is the tournament’s top scorer [File: Rick Rycroft/AP Photo]
“The Matildas really have an amazing team; they have adapted to whatever is coming their way,” Nielsen said. “They have a great coach … He hasn’t been here long, and he’s already made so many nice transforms.
“When they play in front of a crowd like this, Australia are big favourites, massive favourites for the final.”
Meanwhile, Australia’s head coach Joe Montemurro believes his side can do better than what they showcased against China in the gruelling semifinal.
“We’re going to have to be better,” he told Australia’s Network 10. “There’s a resilience that we have in our psyche. We need to be better with the ball; we need to be smarter and control tempo.”
Kerr dreams of second Asian Cup triumph
Considered one of Australia’s greatest athletes, Kerr is the only player from the current squad who was also part of the 2010 Asian Cup-winning squad.
But she has never lifted any silverware with the current crop of players, many of whom have been alongside her in the team for more than a decade.
“It would honestly mean everything,” Kerr said of winning the title with them. “We’ve talked about it for ages. This is a dream of ours, and these girls are like family to me.”
Predicted Australia starting lineup
Matildas head coach Montemurro could pick defender Winonah Heatley ahead of Clare Hunt.
Mackenzie Arnold (goalkeeper); Ellie Carpenter, Winonah Heatley, Steph Catley, Kaitlyn Torpey; Kyra Cooney-Cross, Alanna Kennedy, Katrina Gorry; Mary Fowler, Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord
Predicted Japan starting lineup
Japan head coach Nielsen could stick to the same lineup from the last game.
Then the Professional Women’s Hockey League was born in 2023 following many players defecting from the National Women’s Hockey League to form the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Assn., then merging with the Premier Hockey Federation until a historic bargaining agreement.
The National Women’s Soccer League announced a new CBA in the summer of 2024 that included giving players agency on where they are traded and abolishing expansion and collegiate drafts.
That momentum put considerable pressure on WNBA negotiations. Could the players set a new benchmark for future contract negotiations across women’s pro sports leagues?
The Sky’s Angel Reese and the Fever’s Caitlin Clark shake hands before a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 17.
(Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
The WNBA’s CBA was a flashpoint because of the boom in popularity in supporting women’s sports, with players such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese becoming household names. Last season, the WNBA made enough revenue to trigger revenue-sharing for the first time and this season marks the start the league’s new 11-year, $2.2-billion media rights deal.
Unlike in the NBA, where players get around 50% of the league’s revenue before expenses, the WNBA’s first revenue-sharing kicked in only after the league hit a benchmark determined by a formula of revenue targets, which had been difficult to achieve since the start of the deal was the 2020 COVID season played in front of empty stands.
The WNBA broke its single-season attendance record in 2025. As league interest grew, so did the tension between the league and the players’ union.
Many viewed this negotiating cycle as an opportunity to pounce on the increased visibility, and in a lot of ways, the union did. Players are going to be paid significantly more and they got a win in revenue sharing, earning 20% of the league’s revenue before expenses — a big jump from the previous 9% share.
The average player salary before revenue-share payments will be around $584,000.
But was it as much as they should have gotten?
Tamika Tremaglio, former NBPA executive director and advisor to the WNBPA during the 2020 CBA negotiations, said observers were less concerned about the start of training camps looming on April 19 and more focused on whether negotiations would end with a stable deal that would hold for the length of the agreement as market conditions evolve. Increased salaries are always celebrated, but both sides agreeing to a new revenue sharing model was a consequential step forward for players.
“The real story is the revenue share,” Tremaglio said. “At the end of the day, that’s what is going to drive the future.”
The fallout from the new deal will take months or years to fully understand. Free agents will be able to begin signing with teams in April, and since 80% of the players are eligible for free agency, there will be higher figures being floated around than ever.
A’ja Wilson and her Las Vegas Aces teammates celebrate while holding the 2025 WNBA championship trophy.
(Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
That might affect what talent comes to the league, too.
“More European players might come into the league,” a WNBA team consultant not authorized to speak about the league publicly told The Times. “Now that the money is better, that might knock out several college players in the draft.”
There are some WNBA-level players who have stayed in Europe due to restrictive prioritization rules that force players to participate in all WNBA practices and games even if they conflicted with international league obligations. Many WNBA players compete in international leagues during the offseason and prefer the option to keep playing in lucrative foreign leagues if there is an overlap with the WNBA season.
While the new rules for international play in the WNBA CBA are not yet clear, compensation changes could open the door for more players to choose to prioritize the league.
The general consensus among people operating within the WNBA is relief that a deal is in place.
“It’s huge,” one player agent told The Times. “They made big strides. This is important for women’s basketball.
Sparks players Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson, Azura Stevens, Kelsey Plum and Julie Allemand talk during a game against the New York Liberty at Crypto.com Arena on Aug. 12.
(Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images)
“Anytime both sides don’t get everything they want,” the agent added, “that’s a good deal.”
That agent also noted that this CBA will set the precedent for the next negotiations to continue to raise the revenue-sharing if the league continues to make more money.
Under the new CBA, the 20% revenue-sharing is tied to the league’s gross revenue, a significantly different number than the net revenue, which is calculated after all expenses are taken into account. The players were fighting for a percentage of the gross revenue, even if it is a smaller percentage than the net revenue the league offered because it is guaranteed.
The NBA first reached 53% of gross revenue in their CBA in 1983 and has stayed around that number ever since.
“If it was net, you’d have all these other expenses and you sort of lose control of the actual expenses,” Tremaglio said. “You have no control from the perspective of where the players are. But now, you don’t even have to go look at the minutia of auditing every single expense line item. That’s what makes such a difference.”
More details around the CBA, including player housing, expansion draft format and roster spots, will become clearer as the deal reaches ratification.
For now, even if 20% revenue sharing is less than the 40% the players first proposed, the deal represents a significant, stable increase in player compensation.
“This will impact women’s sport globally, not just the game of basketball,” Tremaglio said. “This will impact everything, soccer, everything.”
Iran’s national football team returned to their war-torn nation after several of the players sought asylum in Australia.
Published On 20 Mar 202620 Mar 2026
Iranian authorities on Thursday gave the national women’s football team a hero’s welcome after their return from Australia, where some had made and then withdrawn asylum claims, amid accusations Iran had pressured their families.
Six players and one backroom staff member who travelled to Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup sought asylum earlier this month after they prompted criticism from hardliners in Iran for failing to sing the national anthem before their first match.
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Five of them later changed their minds and returned home along with the rest of the team, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, with their fate prompting international concern amid the US-Israel war on Iran.
Activists have accused Iranian authorities of pressuring the women’s families, including summoning their parents for interrogation, while Tehran has alleged that Australia sought to force the athletes to defect.
Several thousand people, many holding Iranian flags, turned out for the welcome ceremony on Thursday evening in Valiasr Square in central Tehran, where other pro-government rallies have taken place in recent weeks, state TV images showed.
“My Choice. My Homeland,” read a slogan on a giant billboard on the square that showed the players in their national kit and mandatory hijabs saluting the Iranian flag.
Flanked by team members, Iranian football federation President Mehdi Taj said on stage, “What is certain is that these athletes are loyal to the homeland, flag, leader and revolution.”
Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani, one of the most high-profile women in Iranian politics, told the team members: “All Iranians were waiting for you; welcome to Iran.”
Members of Iran’s women’s national football team in Tehran on March 19 [Alaa Al Marjani/Reuters]
‘Threatening their families’
As onlookers cheered the players, giant AI-generated images of the women were projected on a screen showing them pledging loyalty to the Iranian flag against a background of Iranian national landmarks.
Two squad members have remained in Australia, but the remainder of the team, including the five other women who initially applied for asylum, arrived in Iran on Wednesday after a long journey home via Malaysia, Oman and Turkiye.
Activists have accused Iranian authorities of pressuring these five women into changing their minds through intelligence agents putting pressure on their families at home.
“The regime in Iran started threatening their families and basically took their families hostage. Because of that, they were forced to withdraw their asylum and go back to Iran,” Shiva Amini, a former Iranian national football player, who now lives in exile and campaigns on women’s rights, wrote on social media.
But Farideh Shojaei, an Iranian football official who travelled to Australia, said the players had been offered “houses, cars, money, promises of contracts with professional clubs, as well as humanitarian visas”.
“Fortunately, the members of our team valued their national identity above all else and turned these offers down,” she told Iranian media.
Before their opening game, the Iranian team fell silent as the national anthem played, although they later sang it in subsequent matches. An Iranian state TV presenter branded the players “wartime traitors”.
A central feature of the welcome ceremony in Tehran was singing the national anthem of the Islamic Republic, with players and officials joining in.
Members of Iran’s women’s football team arrive by bus at the Gurbulak border crossing on the Turkish-Iranian border on March 18, 2026 [Ali Ihsan Ozturk/AFP]
At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, 12 of the 32 head coaches were female, including England manager Sarina Wiegman.
“There are simply not enough women in coaching today. We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines,” said Fifa’s chief football officer Jill Ellis.
“The new Fifa regulations, combined with targeted development programmes, mark an important investment in the current and future generation of female coaches.”
Fifa hopes these new regulations will see a rapid increase in female representation, including at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Among some of the most high-profile female coaches is London-born Emma Hayes, who is joined by assistant Denise Reddy at the United States.
In 2024, Hayes told BBC Sport that a lack of female coaches in English football is “a massive issue” and urged the game’s administrators to “come up with more creative ways” to address it.
Other female English coaches at international level include Gemma Grainger at Norway, Casey Stoney at Canada and Carla Ward at the Republic of Ireland.
Canadian Rhian Wilkinson led Wales to their first major tournament at Euro 2025 last summer, while Dutchwoman Wiegman has guided England to back-to-back European titles and has been named the Fifa best women’s coach of the year on four occasions.
Wiegman was the only female coach in the quarter-final stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Speaking at that time, she said: “Of course what we hope is to get more female coaches at the top level and that the balance gets better than it is right now.
“Males are welcome too but if the balance is better than hopefully that will inspire more women to get involved in coaching.”
Callender was co-captain for last year’s two-Test series against Australia – leading the side to a historic first win Down Under – and the World Cup in England.
The 25-year-old overcame an ankle injury to feature in the tournament but then needed surgery after Wales’ early exit.
She returned for Harlequins at the end of January and it is believed to be a fresh injury and not a relapse.
Williams, who made her Test debut against Ireland in 2023, shared the captaincy duties and has been chosen as the leader for the Six Nations.
Lynn said: “Kate Williams has the respect of the whole squad, and her leadership skills means she will be Wales captain for this Six Nations campaign.”
Wales lost all five games of last year’s championship, condemning them to a second Wooden Spoon on the bounce.
LA28 revealed the schedule Monday for an extended Olympic soccer tournament that will begin four days before the opening ceremony.
The soccer competition begins July 10 with four men’s group stage games across New York, Columbus, Nashville and St. Louis. The women’s tournament begins July 11 with games in all six of the preliminary round sites, including San José and San Diego.
The soccer competition, which will feature 12 women’s teams and eight men’s teams for the first time, has the longest competition window of any sport in Olympic history because the International Olympic Committee Executive Board wanted to give each team two extra rest days throughout the tournament.
Each team will have two days of rest between group stage games and three days between the final group game and the quaterfinal rounds. The men will begin their knockout round games on July 20 while the women start quarterfinal play on July 21, including one women’s quarterfinal match at the Rose Bowl.
The iconic stadium in Pasadena will host only five matches for the Olympics, including a men’s and women’s semifinal July 24 and the men’s gold medal match on July 28 and the women’s on July 29.
San Diego’s SnapDragon Stadium will have the most matches of any site with 11. In addition to three days of women’s group stage games, the home of San Diego State football, San Diego FC and San Diego Wave FC will host a women’s quarterfinal July 21, men’s and women’s semifinals July 24 and both bronze medal matches.
With the coast-to-coast soccer tournament shaping up, LA28 announced additional ticket opportunities for the competition, allowing fans interested in attending soccer matches to buy up to 12 soccer tickets in addition to the current 12-ticket maximum for all other Olympic events. The 12-ticket maximum for Olympic events includes the opening and closing ceremonies on July 14 and 30, respectively, which each have a four-ticket limit.
Ticket registration for the first ticket drop ends Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. PDT with the first tickets going on sale to locals in Southern California and Oklahoma beginning April 2. The first general ticket drop begins April 9. Fans who are randomly selected to participate in the first ticket drop will be notified via email between March 31 and April 7 with information and their assigned timeslot to purchase tickets.
More than 5 million fans have already registered for Olympic tickets, LA28 said, with Paralympic tickets going on sale in 2027. The organizing committee expects 14 million tickets to be available for the Games, which could eclipse the total ticket sales record set by Paris in 2024.
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UCLA coach Cori Close has said all the right things all season, hammering the importance of winning each day and making the most of every practice.
After watching her team struggle during the Final Four last season, she also urged the Bruins to remember the joy of their journey together was far more important than the final tournament results.
She continued to run the John Wooden playbook on Selection Sunday, brushing away the suggestion that UCLA was snubbed by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
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“Everybody else can talk about whatever they want,” Close said. “We’re going to talk about what that takes, and we are completely committed to just being really focused on us and our journey and keeping the main thing, the main thing.”
While she rightly is focusing on her team, there is no denying UCLA got a bad draw.
Not only were the Bruins denied the No. 1 overall seed despite playing a much tougher schedule than overall No. 1 seed UConn, the Bruins will have to fight through the toughest regional to reach the Final Four in Phoenix.
LSU was the highest rated No. 2 seed and Duke was the highest rated No. 3 seed. Both were assigned to the same regional as UCLA. No. 5 Ole Miss, led by Ohio State transfer and dynamic SEC newcomer of the year Cotie McMahon, is another potent team slotted in the Bruins’ side of the bracket.
“The Sacramento region with UCLA, they absolutely have the toughest region when you look at the LSU-Duke matchup — the No. 1 two seed, the No. 1 three seed,” former Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said on ESPN. “I don’t know how they ended up with the same bracket as UCLA as the No. 2 overall. … I’m perplexed.”
McGraw has been doing the work Close arguably couldn’t for weeks without coming across as whining. The retired coach questioned the NCAA tournament selection’s committee previous rankings that slotted UCLA behind UConn.
On March 2, McGraw posted on X, “Does anyone else think UCLA deserved the overall [No. 1] seed? Undefeated regular season Big Ten champs, beat 11 ranked teams, six of which are currently in the committee’s top 16. They have 14 Quad 1 wins, more than anyone in the country, and their only loss was to another [No. 1] seed. And what about SEC champ South Carolina as the [No. 2] overall?
“UConn is certainly good enough to win the national championship, but UCLA and South Carolina have had as much success against a much tougher schedule.”
UConn fans were quick to point out McGraw’s losing record against Huskies coach Geno Auriemma and their bad blood, but the former Notre Dame coach was armed with notable stats that are supposed to be the basis for the selection committee’s bracket.
It wasn’t enough to help the selection committee ignore the score that seemed to matter the most — a 85-51 UCLA loss to UConn in last season’s Final Four.
“We watched a lot of UConn, we watched a lot of UCLA,” NCAA tournament committee chair Amanda Braun said on ESPN. “The way we watched UConn win throughout the year from beginning to the end, UCLA did a lot of winning too, but ultimately we gave UConn the edge.”
The Bruins have said every team is tough in the NCAA tournament and they must simply focus on being their best each day. Surviving a challenging regional will only make their success sweeter.
And UCLA can take solace that at least one team had a worse draw than it did on Sunday. Crosstown rival USC was awarded a No. 9 seed and will play No. 8 seed Clemson in Columbia, S.C., a short commute for the Tigers’ fans. If the Trojans survive, they most likely will face No. 1 seed South Carolina on the Gamecocks’ notoriously hostile home court.
Survey says
We asked, “How far will the UCLA women advance in the NCAA tournament?”
After 460 votes, the results:
They win it all: 80.8% They lose in the title game: 14.6% Just like last year, they lose in the Final Four: 3.5% A surprising elimination in the Sweet 16: 0.9% A shocking upset in the first or second round: 0.2% They lose in the Elite Eight: No votes
Survey time
How far will the UCLA men advance in the tournament?
They lose in the first round They lose in the second round They lose in the Sweet 16 They lose in the Elite Eight They lose in the Final Four They lose in the title game They win it all
Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
The captain of the Iranian women’s football team has withdrawn her bid for asylum in Australia, Iran’s state media says, making her the fifth member of the delegation to change her mind after her team’s participation in the Asian Cup.
Zahra Ghanbari will fly from Malaysia and travel to Iran within the next few hours, the IRNA news agency said on Sunday.
Three players and one backroom staff member had already withdrawn their bids for asylum and travelled to Malaysia from Australia, where the team participated in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said his country had offered asylum to all players and support staff members prior to their departure over fears they might be punished upon their return home after the team refused to sing Iran’s national anthem at the tournament.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported on Saturday that the three had “given up on their asylum application in Australia and are currently heading to Malaysia”, posting a picture of the women allegedly boarding a plane.
The news was confirmed by Burke a few hours later.
“Overnight, three members of the Iranian women’s football team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran,” Burke said.
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options.”
Five players took up the offer and signed immigration papers last week, with one more player and a member of staff joining them a day later. It leaves two Iranian players in Australia, where they have been promised asylum and an opportunity to settle.
Iran played their three group games of the Asian Cup at the Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland on March 2, 5 and 8, after the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28.
The initial attacks killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other leaders.
Overall, an estimated 1,444 Iranians have been killed since the war began, including more than 170 people, mostly schoolgirls, who were inside a primary school in the city of Minab.
After refusing to sing the Iranian national anthem at their first match, players on the Iranian women’s football team were branded “traitors” by an IRIB presenter.
When Iran played their second game of the tournament against Australia three days later, not only did the players sing the national anthem, but they also saluted it, prompting fears that they may have been forced to change their stance after receiving backlash in Iranian media.
While neither the players nor the team management explained why they refrained from singing before the first match, fans and rights activists speculated that it may have been an act of defiance against the Iranian government.
On the day of the team’s departure from Australia, Burke announced his government had offered all players and staff members the chance to stay back in the country.
On Tuesday, Burke told reporters that five Iranian players had decided to seek asylum in Australia and would be assisted by the government.
“They are welcome to stay in Australia, they are safe here, and they should feel at home here,” he said.
A day later, Burke confirmed that an additional player and a member of the team’s support staff had received humanitarian visas in the hours before their departure.
However, one player, who previously chose to stay behind, changed her mind and decided to return to Iran.
The player, who was later identified as Mohadese Zolfigol, changed her decision on the advice of her teammates, Burke told the Parliament of Australia.
“She had been advised by her teammates and encouraged to contact the Iranian embassy,” he said.
The players who managed to escape with the help of Iranian rights activists were taken away by Australian police officials to a safe house, where they met immigration officials and signed the paperwork.
“Our understanding is that every single member of the squad was interviewed independently by the Australian Federal Police,” Beau Busch, the Asia/Oceania president of players’ welfare body FIFPRO told Al Jazeera last week.
“[The players] were made aware of their rights and the support available to them. They certainly weren’t rushed through that process.”
