Spain

11 USWNT stars among the 15 highest-paid players at the Women's World Cup

If you've ever wondered who are the highest-paid women's soccer players on the planet, well, Forbes just published an article digging into the finances of the main stars at the 2023 Women's World Cup.

The business magazine talked to 20 experts in the industry to create their estimates and considered the players' salaries on-field as well as their main earnings off-field (endorsements, licensing, cash returns, etc).

Olé, torera! Aitama Bonmatí brings the fancy footwork and scores a stunner vs. Costa Rica

Spain needed just a six-minute stretch to crush Costa Rica in their Group C opener. La Roja beat Las Ticas 3-0, thanks to an own goal from Valeria del Campo (21') and two daggers from Aitama Bonmatí (23') and Esther González (27').

Aitama Bonmatí goal vs Costa Rica

The best of the three goals was undoubtedly the one netted by Bonmatí. The FC Barcelona midfielder received the ball inside the box, showcasing a sublime touch, and then destroyed her marker with a move that reminded me of a bullfighter's verónica. 

Dogs predict the group stage for each women’s team this summer, here are the results

The18 and the National Peanut Board teamed up for a unique way to predict the results of the group stage this summer in Australia and New Zealand.

We called up some furry friends, Ozzy and Finn, to provide their soccer expertise. 

Peanut butter is a safe treat for dogs so long as it doesn’t contain Xylitol. The National Peanut Board has seven different peanut butter recipes for dogs listed on their website if you’re looking for inspiration.

Women's World Cup odds: Is there any hope outside of USA or England?

With an expanded 32-team tournament and matches across Australia and New Zealand, the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup (beginning with a crowd of over 100,000 for the Matildas opener against Ireland) is going to be the best in the competition's 32-year history.

The USWNT is favored for a three-peat but that's never been done before, and there will be fierce competition from European champions England, two-time world champs Germany and teams looking to take the next step like France and Spain. 

The18's 2023 Women's World Cup predictions

It's time to get laughed at. Here are The18's 2023 Women's World Cup predictions ahead of the biggest (first time with 32 teams) and farthest reaching (first time with two host nations) version of the tournament yet.

The competition's main storyline is the USWNT going for a historic three-peat, but England, the reigning European champions, are massive rivals and aiming for their first appearance in the final. 

Alexia Putellas drops a golazo on Panama during Spain's 7-0 demolition

It's been almost a year since two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas went down with an ACL injury that cost her a place at last summer's European Championship and almost the entire 2022-23 club season with Barcelona.  

Her last appearance for Spain was actually July 2, 2022, when she received her 100th cap and scored her 27th goal in a friendly against Italy.

Now, after a long and demanding road to recovery, Putellas made her long-awaited return to the national team Thursday during a friendly against fellow World Cup participants Panama. 

Big names miss out on Spain's World Cup roster in early ‘W’ for the USWNT

During Barcelona's recent Women's Champions League Final victory over Wolfsburg, nine Spanish players helped show why Barça are the preeminent force of the club game. It should logically follow that Spain are one of the pre-tournament favorites at this summer's World Cup, but on Monday their 30-player provisional roster was released with some big names already omitted before the squad is cut to 23.

The 15 best players at the Women's World Cup, ranked

The growth of the women's game has manifested in the biggest (32 teams), most audacious (co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand) World Cup yet. The individual talent pool, as evidenced by our following best players at the Women's World Cup list, has also never been more exciting.

There are some household names looking for one last legacy-defining tournament, but there's also an emerging next generation taking things to another level.

FIFA threatens Women’s World Cup broadcast blackout after low-dollar bids from broadcasters

Europe's top soccer nations face a broadcast blackout for this year's Women's World Cup unless media can improve on their "disappointing" offers for the rights, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.

Offers from "Big 5" European countries were not acceptable to football's world governing body and a "slap in the face" of the players and "all women worldwide", Infantino said.

The 'Big 5' nations are Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.

10 months after ACL tear, Alexia Putellas returns in Barça's biggest match of the season

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes probably had to deliver the most difficult team talk of her career after training on Wednesday. Looking ahead to tomorrow's Champions League semifinal second leg against Barcelona, she had to convince her team to forget about Caroline Graham Hansen's exceptional strike at Stamford Bridge, giving Barça a 1-0 advantage, then she had to prepare her team for the vociferous cauldron of noise they're about to face inside the Camp Nou.

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