France

PARIS — Noel Le Graet has resigned as president of France's soccer federation amid allegations of harassment and sexual harassment and a government ministry audit this month that concluded the 81-year-old no longer had "the necessary legitimacy" for the job.

Le Graet, head of the French Football Federation since 2011, stepped back last month amid a legal investigation into allegations against him of sexual and moral harassment and after an audit and report commissioned by the sports ministry.

France captain Wendie Renard said on Friday that she will not play at this year's Women's World Cup to preserve her mental health, with fellow internationals Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani following suit.

Renard, who is widely considered to be one of the best defenders in women's football, played for France in international games against Norway, Denmark and Uruguay earlier this month.

She has 142 caps for France and plays for French side Olympique Lyonnais.

The latest women’s FIFA rankings were released on Friday and, to no one’s surprise, the USWNT remains No. 1. The last time the Americans fell out of the top spot was for a few months in 2017. England and Germany surged up the Top 10, but coming in at No. 10 is yet another baffling appearance from a team that hasn’t played in three years.

The Top 9 of the women’s FIFA rankings include all the usual suspects: USA, Germany, Sweden, England, France, Netherlands, Canada, Spain and Brazil, respectively. 

France advanced to the semifinals of the UEFA women’s Euro on Saturday after defeating the Netherlands 1-0. It took 102 minutes and the team’s 24th shot of the game before the French could find the back of the Dutch net.

The Netherlands deserves all the recognition in the world for one of the most valiant defensive performances ever seen. France might have been without star striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto, but the team still had an onslaught of an attack.

After the first match day of the 2022 UEFA Women’s European Championships, each team has now had its chance to prove its worth. Going into the tournament, as many as seven teams were considered genuine championship contenders. Some have hit the ground running while others have stumbled. With two games left before the knockout rounds, we have chosen the best teams so far.

We've gotten early glimpses of what makes England, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands favorites at Euro 2022, but the final fixture of the opening round of matches produced a clear frontrunner Sunday after France stormed to a 5-0 halftime lead on Italy — including a h

On Wednesday, July 6 at Old Trafford, England and Austria kick off the opening match of what's expected to be a thrilling and highly competitive Women’s European Championship. When looking at the groups, it's stunning to see just how many blockbuster matches are lined up. In anticipation, we’ve picked out our top five games you definitely need to circle on the calendar.

Netherlands vs. Sweden

Date: Saturday, July 9 | Time: 3:00 p.m. ET | TV: ESPN2

The UEFA Women's European Championship tournament will draw a record attendance in England this summer with 500,000 tickets already sold, UEFA said on Friday.

The tournament, postponed last year due to COVID-19, is expected to draw an audience from at least 99 countries, with 20 percent of the purchases coming from outside England.

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