A Massive UWCL Week Is Here 🏆

Plus, Spain win another Nations League title.

December 09, 2025

Happy Tuesday, TWG readers!

And we thought things were winding down! What a weekend of soccer, from the San Diego Wave winning World Sevens to Everton’s big win over Chelsea in the WSL, and now we have Champions League this week to top it all off. Way more on the UWCL matchups below! 🤩

Last week, TWG released a “Friendlies” interview with Lo Labonta, plus a special with NWSLPA Executive Director Meghann Burke on the latest in the Trinity Rodman saga — make sure to check that out if you still have questions on where she might end up in 2026. We also put out a new episode of “Mewis Squared” on Friday. This week, check out “Friendlies” with Caroline Weir on Thursday and another “Mewis Squared” on Friday! Plus, we’re looking for callers to ask their big end-of-year questions for a future episode. Call me at 855-611-4050 and leave a message! ☎️

I spent the weekend in Boston at the MiB Live Show, which was an incredible review of the World Cup draw, featuring Noah Kahan, Zdeno Chára, and more… Plus, I got to see my parents, some friends, and stop for pizza at Source in Cambridge, one of my favorite spots. 🍕

PS - We’re currently hiring for a few different roles here at MiB, including a hybrid writer/editor to help us grow the TWG newsletter! If you're on the hunt for your next job, or know someone great who is, please check out our full list of openings here. 🙌

Thank you all so much for being here!

Love,
Sam

Champions League Action Returns! 🏆

The inaugural UWCL league phase plays its final games this month, with matchday five of six taking place this week. At the close of the league phase, the top four seeds will progress straight to the quarterfinal, while teams ranked fifth to 12th will enter a playoff knockout round, and those in 13th through 18th will be automatically eliminated. 

Here are some of this week’s key UWCL matchups:

Arsenal vs. Twente (TODAY, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇳🇱

The reigning two-time champions of Europe have been temperamental in the tournament so far, but secured a massive three points in their last match after beating then-undefeated Real Madrid. With two games to go in the league phase, the Gunners are in 10th place, which means every point counts. First up, 14th-placed Twente, then 11th-placed Belgian side OH Leuven next week. 

Wolfsburg vs. Real Madrid (TODAY, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🇩🇪🇪🇸

One of the tastiest matchups this week goes down between third-placed Wolfsburg and seventh-placed Real Madrid. The German club is currently in the top four, which would see them go straight to the quarterfinals, but the five teams sitting below them are all within two points. Meanwhile, Las Blancas are in seventh, but could break into the top four with a win. A victory for either side here could really shake things up.

Manchester United vs. Lyon (Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇫🇷

While playing in their first-ever UWCL, United picked up their first defeat in the side’s previous game and enter Wednesday’s challenge while sitting in fourth, but tied on points with the teams just above and below them. A top-four finish is within reach and would see them head straight to the quarters, but the Red Devils first play eight-time champions OL Lyonnes (who sit in second behind Barcelona) tomorrow, then Italian giants Juventus next week.

Chelsea vs. Roma (Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇮🇹

Chelsea head into matchday five in sixth place after drawing first-placed Barcelona in their last match. With positive results, they could break into the top-four and progress straight to the quarterfinals. To see out the league phase, the USWNT-laden Blues play 16th-placed Roma this week, then third-placed Wolfsburg in their final match. 

📬 Enjoying The Women’s Game? Check out our other MiB newsletters:

🐦‍⬛ The Raven: Our Monday and Friday newsletter where we preview the biggest matches around the world (and tell you where/how to watch them) and recap our favorite football moments from the weekend.

🔍 The Correspondent: Rory Smith’s thoughts on the world of soccer, culture, food, and how they all connect – every Thursday.

🇺🇸 USMNT Only: Your regular update on the most important topics in the U.S. men’s game, all leading up to next year’s World Cup.

Meanwhile, in the WSL 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Chelsea 0-1 Everton

In the second-to-last matchweek of the year, ninth-placed Everton ended Chelsea’s record-setting 34-game unbeaten streak in WSL action. The reigning treble-winners — who started Americans Naomi Girma, Cat Macario and Alyssa Thompson in the contest — conceded in the 12th minute and failed to break through against the Toffees’ goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan, who made six big saves, despite outshooting the Evertonians 30 to four while holding 79% of possession. With the loss, which is their first in 585 days, the west London side held on to second in the table but trail first-placed Manchester City by six points.

  • Sam's Take 🗣️: What an upset! It's so tough to break through an organized defense like this when you concede early, but Chelsea have had some warning signs as of late, like when they tied last-placed Liverpool a few weeks ago. It was reassuring to see Lauren James return to the field after injury and hopefully she can re-ignite Chelsea's attack before the holiday break.

Up next: After playing Roma in midweek UWCL action, Chelsea looks to recover this weekend against seventh-placed Brighton (Sunday, 7 a.m. ET, ESPN). 

Leicester City 0-3 Manchester City

They may not be competing in UWCL this season, but City strengthened their hold on first place of the WSL table this weekend after beating 10th-placed Leicester City by three goals away from home. Jamaican striker Bunny Shaw scored a double (and assisted Brazil’s Kerolin for the third), putting her on top of the WSL goal charts with eight in 10 games. 

Up next: City close out the year against eighth-placed Aston Villa (Sunday, 6:55 a.m. ET, ESPN). With a six-point lead at the top of the table, they’re assured to finish the midway point of the year in first, but will aim to maintain the cushion between them and the Blues.   

Also: U.S. goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce returned to her starting role with Manchester United after suffering a fractured eye socket on Nov. 11. The keeper made two saves in a 2-1 win against West Ham, which saw the Red Devils finish the weekend in third place behind Chelsea.

Say Hello to Our New Merch Store 🛒 

Just in time for some holiday shopping, we have a brand new store with brand new apparel for all your favorite shows at TWG! Come check it out.

Spain Win a Second Straight Nations League Final 🇪🇸

Scoring goals against German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is no easy feat (just ask her Gotham teammate Esther, who had this bicycle kick blocked early in Tuesday’s contest). But after going 0-0 in the first leg, La Roja broke through in the second fixture of the UEFA Nations League final. Spanish forward Clàudia Pina scored two electric goals in the space of 13 minutes, with teenage talent Vicky Lopez adding a curling beauty in between to seal La Roja’s 3-0 victory over Die Nationalelf. With that, Spain are back-to-back Nations League winners. 

🥤 Olipop power everything we do here at The Women’s Game. You can use code TWG20 for 20% off your first order at drinkolipop.com/TWG20.

Goals of the Week, Presented by New Balance 💥

2026 City Guides: For Fans, By Fans 🍻

The most important tournament in men’s world football is nearly upon us! To celebrate, we are creating Men in Blazers city guides for all 11 host cities to help the footballing faithful experience your city like a local fan. Now up: New York and New Jersey! Home to pizza, bagels and (mostly) effective public transportation — not to mention the final that the entire world will be watching.

Come June 2026, the entire planet will descend upon your region and we want you to tell us what’s great about the place in which you live, what the world should go see, what to eat and drink, where to watch, and how to best experience the five boroughs and the great state of New Jersey.

To tell us (and the footballing world) about your favorite locations, simply fill out the short survey below.

News & Notes 🗞️

⚽️ The NWSL Players Association has filed a complaint with the NWSL surrounding the league’s rejection of a new contract for Trinity Rodman. The NWSLPA claims that the league violated the terms of the CBA after rejecting a record-setting contract offer for Rodman, as the star forward is sought by several clubs across multiple leagues in the U.S. and abroad.

🇩🇪 Last week, Germany was officially selected to host the UEFA Women’s European Championship in 2029. The Germans, who’ve promised to break records for ticket sales, were selected ahead of bids from Poland, as well as a joint bid from Sweden and Denmark. 

🌊 The San Diego Wave won the inaugural North American World Sevens Tournament (which built on this past May’s inaugural World Sevens that Bayern Munich won in Portugal). The SoCal squad beat Mexican side Tigres 3-0 in the final, featuring a brace from Adriana Leon, to claim the $2 million prize. 

  • Sam's Take 🗣️: World Sevens looks like so much fun — I would have LOVED to play in a 7v7 tournament like this. Huge congrats to the Wave for taking home the trophy, and the $$$!

📈 The Guardian’s Top 100 Female Footballers of 2025 are in, with nine USWNT players voted onto the list. Five of this year’s top 10 represent Spain, with three members of England’s Lionesses joining them. Polish Barcelona striker and top-scorer Ewa Pajor and NWSL back-to-back Golden Boot winner, Malawian forward Temwa Chawinga, round out the top 10. 

🌉 Bay FC has a new coach. Former England U-23 manager Emma Coates is set to take hold of the 2024 expansion club that made the playoffs in their debut season, but finished the 2025 season in 13th place out of 14 teams.

It’s TWG Trivia Time 🤔

This week’s question: With eight titles, OL Lyonnes are the winningest team in Champions League history. When was their last title, and who scored in the final?

Respond to this email (or reply here) for a chance to win a coveted TWG patch.

Last week’s answer: When the USWNT played their first match in program history in 1985, Italy won 1-0.

Congrats to Alexa Yeo, who was the first person to respond with the correct answer. Alexa, the patch is on its way! 💌

Moment of Joy 🤸

Hannah writes: Hi Sam, Lynn, and Becky,

My name is Hannah and I'm a long-time listener, first-time emailer currently living in Northern Virginia. The Reign has been my #1 team for ~10 years but rooting for the Spirit as my local team has also been really fun. 

Anyway, I'm reaching out because I thought you should know that after many, many Olipop segments on the pod, I finally bought my first can of Olipop in early November and LOVED it. I bought a Christmas box from Costco recently and my cat, Ivy, is also a big fan.

That's all - I didn't have a question but hope you're all enjoying the holiday season. :)

All my best (and go Reign),
Hannah

Sam writes: Hannah! First off, I love your cat. Secondly, aren’t the holiday Olipop cans so cute!? They are really helping me get into the holiday spirit even more. I love them. Thanks for listening and for writing in!

I hope you have a great holiday season,
Sam

📝 Want to be featured in next week’s TWG newsletter? Send Sam an email! All your questions, comments, and dog (or wedding) photos can be sent to [email protected]

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