drawing fans from all over the world. the women's world cup wraps up on sunday with a tantalising grand final, pitting england's lionesses against spain's la roja. we are less than ten hours away from kick off as england hope to make history. sports editor dan roan has more on this significant moment in english women's sport. a real sense here that this could potentially be a once—in—a—lifetime defining moment, notjust for this team but for the women's game and indeed english sport more generally. the lionesses have already made history, they will become the first senior england team to walk out for a world cup final on foreign soil ever. but if they can add a global title to their european crown it would be an outstanding achievement when you consider the fewer resources they have had compared to their rivals like the us, it would establish them as a dominant force in the women's game,

it would be a triumph not just for these players, whose humility and talent and approach has set them apart as role models to millions, but also to their coach sarina wiegman, who has turned the side into a formidable force over the past two years. and indeed for the fa, whose investment in this side over the past decade has paid off emphatically. and of course, for many it would be a hugely symbolic and powerful completion of the journey the women's game has been on since the fa ban on women playing at football league grounds was lifted half a century ago. it will be watched by many millions back home, a huge opportunity for the sport in terms of profile and boosting participation numbers. there is a huge amount at stake here in sydney for this team today. meanwhile, la roja navigated a tumultuous and historic route to the women's world cup final. shaimaa khalil now takes a look at spain's journey and how this tournament has inspired the younger generation. and done!

gabi lopez has been following his national team's phenomenal rise in the women's world cup down under. as a former player in spain's second division, this final hits very close to home. i've been watching the tv in spain, the radio, and everybody�*s talking about the final. everybody. my family were commentating. i've never seen that before. i'm still playing, i'm a coach, and i can say now, i can see aitana, alexia, jennifer and i can say, wow, they are amazing. so i think for the kids, for the coaches, for the players, it's amazing that women's football is that big. you wouldn't notice it at first glance, but this team, now one win away from world cup glory, has been marred by so much tension and unrest. at the centre of that is head coachjorge vilda. tensions followed last yea r�*s euros defeat against england, with 15 players threatening to quit over concerns about his training methods and inadequate game preparation. cracks were obvious after their humiliating loss against japan.

all through the tournament, the deep divisions threatened to spill over on the pitch. it has been a rough yearforthem, between the players, with the coach. and i think they have just understood that they have to just lay that on one side and just be focused on the world cup, trying to get the best of themselves on the pitch, and i think they have really achieved it. spain managed to write a different story on the pitch. it's a squad that delivers beautiful football, a team chock full of talent who mostly come from barcelona's dominant women's team. the teenage star salma paralluelo, a former runner, has scored in the quarter and semifinals and is now one of the standout players of this tournament. salma paralluelo, i think it's crazy that she's just 19 years old, and she'sjust been fully committed to football for one year. probably she will be one of the best players in the next years. spain's team has exceeded expectations at every crucial junction of this tournament.

they've managed to put deep differences aside and create memorable moments on the pitch. they now face england, a formidable foe, for a chance to lift that trophy for the first time. but no matter what the result is, this women's world cup has inspired a whole new generation of young players. it's a testament to how far the women's game has come that many of the players who grew up with only male role models have now themselves become idols. now there's a real opportunity to get into soccer, like there's somewhere to go afterwards. i think that women's popularity has improved a lot. it'sjust been really- inspiring to watch them break so many records. the countdown to the final is on, and there are some very strong opinions here. spain. england. spain. england! shaimaa khalil, bbc news, sydney. there have also been some serious conversations taking place about women's sport off the field, including

about pay parity. the total prize pot for the women's world cup is $110 million — a 300% increase from the 2019 tournament. but it's significantly lower than the $1140 million pot for the men's tournament in qatar last year. at the beginning of the competition, a cnn analysis found women world cup players would on average earn just 25 cents for every dollar made by the men. but the response from the world game's governing body, fifa, has come under fire. speaking in sydney, fifa president gianni infantino said women who "pick the right fights" can "convince us men what we have to do" to ensure progress is made for women. pick the right battles, pick the right fights. you have the power to change and convince us men what we have to do and what we don't.

just do it. with me, with fifa, you will find open doors. just push the doors. they are open. for more on this, my colleague caitrionia perry spoke yesterday to former american professional soccer player, joanna lohman. joanna, thanks forjoining us. you might talk to us a little bit about the life of a woman's soccer player in the us. many people think of soccer players and they think big mansions, flash cars, eye—watering salaries, is it the same for the women in the us? i hate to be a myth buster, but unfortunately it's not the same in the united states. i say that knowing that the sport is growing exponentially, the resources invested in the women's game are growing. but when i was a soccer player, i retired in 2019,

so anywhere from 2000 to 2019, the salary was below minimum wage. i would say on average i made about $16,000 a year playing professional soccer, and instead of living in a mansion, i lived with a host family. it was a situation where we understood the resources were very minimal, the salaries were very minimal. so we were working towards a brighter future which we are seeing now with the 2023 women's world cup, and the current state of women's football in the united states. the salaries might be different between men and women but the commitment is no less different, the physical pressure on your body is no less different. there's still a long road to go, isn't there? yeah, a very long road to go. we have been fighting, battling for equal pay dating back, you know, to 1985, when the women's national team had their first ever team camp.

this has been decades, generations of fighting for equal pay. again, we are starting to see steps taken towards equal pay, we have the women's national team in 2022 signed into law equal pay. you are seeing that have a ripple effect on countries around the globe. you are seeing countries like canada in confrontation with their federation, because of equal pay. you are seeing different teams really trying to push for equality and justice, and for what they feel like they deserve. yet the prize money isn't the same, this world cup is only one quarter of the fund that there was for the men's world cup. fifa has grossly undervalued the women's game. the 2023 women's world cup is another statement about how powerful women's soccer can be. so it will force fifa to truly look at the game

in a more serious manner, and dedicate more resources towards the women's game. again, we have fought tooth and nailfor equality. we have consistently created events, world cups where we are selling out stadiums, where you see growth year after year, when it comes to the world cup. and now, i think australia has been a testament to the women's game, and the talent, the skill level, the humanity involved in it. and all of the compelling storylines we have going into this world cup final. given that long push, as you have described it, when you see the comments today from fifa president gianni infantino who says women who pick the right fights can convince us men what we need to do to progress women's football — what is your reaction to that statement? it is infuriating to a certain extent. because we have consistently

had to ask for what we deserve. and demand for there to be progress and change. in the face of so much resistance, and that's what makes me so proud to be part of the women's game, the battles we have fought in the face of pushback... everyone is saying that we don't deserve it, we can't do it, we can't sell out stadiums. and now, we are absolutely proving people wrong. as well as being an international and club soccer player, you were a college athlete, and if we look at title 9, which gives women athletes equal opportunity in sport and educational institutions at educational institutions in receipt of federal funding, should the penalties for institutions that don't divide the money equally, should they be more strongly enforced? yeah, they should be. title 9, in 1970, was enacted so women do get

equal investment and resources when it comes to sports. it has been a transformational piece of legislation for female athletes in the united states of america. but there have been countless institutions that have tried to sidestep or get around the concept of equal investment when it comes to women's sports. i would be interested to know your thoughts, just when you were talking there about worth, and the messaging — we have so many young girls and young women tuning in every day of the week to women's sports. what kind of messaging does that send to them when you are making points about not being worth as much? it means they are worth fractions of what a man is worth. and that is not the messaging we want to send young women in the us or globally. because we have found that the best leaders tend to be women. the skills we possess,

that women have had in spades when it comes to empathy and listening skills and compassion — these create the best and most effective leaders. they run our countries and companies and businesses, run our families. when you create a female athlete, you are creating a future leader. and that is exactly what we want to do with this women's world cup, to have every young girl watching inspired to believe they can achieve more, inspired to believe they can be the next leader, the next president of the united states, the next prime minister. that is absolutely the type of messaging we want to send to young women around the world. focusing on those great athletes briefly, joanna, the final is on sunday, it's the pinnacle of your sport. i'm going to put you on the spot and say england or spainforthe win?

i am on the bbc but i would be saying this otherwise, i am taking england over spain, i've been so impressed with the lionesses' resilience throughout the tournament when it comes to injuries and playing in front of 75,000 people rooting against you in the stands. they have been an inspiration, so i am taking the lionesses, in the world cup final. we will leave it there, joanna, thanks so much forjoining us. someone else hoping for an english victory is alex culvin — a former professional english soccer player and currently head of strategy and research for women's football at fifpro, which represents 65,000 professional football players — male and female. caitrionia perry caught up with her earlier. alex, thanks forjoining us. we will get your thoughts on the big game on sunday in a moment, but let's first talk about the tournament and women's soccer in general. some top draw soccer on display the past few weeks,

but also the tournament has shone a light on inequalities in pay, prize money, basic things as well, like kit and access to physios and proper nutrition. what do you think the legacy of this tournament is? i think the legacy we will see is one of the best tournaments that there has been in women's football to date, i think the players have performed to a level that was expected from everybody who is a fan and who works in women's football, but for those new fans, probably something they had never seen before because it has been truly exceptional. i think moving the tournament to 32 teams has meant the quality has increased, where many people doubted that and thought the quality would decrease because of the increase in teams. so the on the pitch legacy is absolutely phenomenal. off the pitch legacy is yet to be seen. you are right, there has been a lot of discussion about pay

equity, around conditions and basic treatment of high performing athletes and international footballers. that remains to be seen, i don't think the compensation i don't think the conversation should stop here. we are really conscious, once the light goes off, these players and the world cup finishes, what happens after that. it remains to be seen what the legacy is off the field and around the players in a more holistic sense. i'm hoping the conversation doesn't stop here. there is a great difference country to country, you have somewhere like the us where there is equal pay at a national level, but it's not the same in every country. tell us about that. yeah, the us is the anomaly in international women's football. because there is such a spotlight on women's football now, we see the us has got equal pay, and equal revenue that goes into their collective bargaining agreement. but actually that was a long, hard fought battle over many, many years, which started

around 2015. so that is something to strive for, for every national team around the world. however when you look down the pyramid and we move down and look more broadly at football globally, there are really fragmented examples of how football is developing globally. that is for a couple of reasons. investment, first and foremost, being prepared to say, we are investing in the team and it's a long—term strategic investment that's super important. in many teams, they go from tournament to tournament, so it's like we invest for this certain amount of time because we want this x result, whereas we want a long—term strategic vision at fifpro, not only for national teams but club football as well. to invest in players doesn't mean you get results, it's not an immediate impact of investment.

england are a really good example of that, the way they have invested in their national team quite heavily since the formation of the fa wsl, and now european championship winners and world cup finalists. plenty more to talk about, we will leave it there for now, enjoy the game, alex. i believe you are going along on sunday. head of strategy and research for women's football at fifpro, thank you forjoining us. as alex said, the issues we're discussing about are notjust exclusive to football. adelphi university in 2019 analysed average player compensation in american sport. it found a massive pay gap between the nba and the wnba. last season, the top earning male made more than $50 million, while the highest paid females made $228,000. the study also found male golfers made 25 times more than what female

golfers were paid. and in 2019, tennis, well known for its female superstar athletes, women could still take home less than their male counterparts at the same tournament. for more on this, caitrionia perry spoke yesterday with bonnie morris, an expert on women's sports history at the university of california—berkeley. and macaela mackenzie, a sports journalist and author covering women's equality. let's start with the issue of tennis. the men and women get paid the same at grand slams but not necessarily other events, but the sponsorship deals vary widely, and that in a sport where some women are as big if not bigger stars than their male counterparts. the path of progress moves slowly for women in sport, doesn't it? it's very slow. i second everything your previous speaker alex had to say. i was interested to hear her praise the progress of women's soccer in the united states.

we're certainly behind in so many other areas of equity. tennis has had a bit of a head start because of the dynamic push by billie—jean king, her very famous battle of the sexes victory over bobby riggs. it's about to celebrate its golden anniversary in late september, 50 years. you sometimes you need one advocate to open the door. we have a pattern in the united states of assuming that male sports are the standard, and that allowing women to play is, you know, some kind of pathway towards fairness. that sets up a real parameter that it's almost a privilege for women to step onto any court. they have to prove themselves, they have to come up with the funds.

the structure has been set up early on to set up early on to support and mentor men, initially to have men bringing other men along. a big gap we have in the us, not simply the pay and equity in women's basketball that you mention, but the struggle for women coaches and women athletic directors to be in the leadership positions, to help nurture other women's sports. micaela, if i can bring you in, you have been writing about sport and feminism. sport is a place where on some level sexism appears to be tolerated where it isn't in other walks of life. i think that's absolutely true. dr morris brought up the battle of the sexes with billie jean king in the 705, i spoke to her for my book and one of the things she talked about, she knew very clearly at the time and still understands very clearly now, was that in order to get real change in these metrics like pay and prize money,

sponsorship dollars, we need to have culture change. it's about changing hearts and minds, notjust trying to win this argument on court. that's what she did with bobby riggs. i think that speaks to what we see in sports like tennis. there are many stars you are much bigger and have bigger fan bases on the women's side, they draw bigger viewership numbers, and still the sponsorship gap exists. so i think that speaks to the underlying bias that still haunts the sports industry. you mentioned changing culture there. if we look at the issue of maternity leave, that's something in the field of soccer where fifa have said female players must have maternity leave, so the rules are there to protect them. but the culture isn't necessarily there. absolutely. it's one thing to say you have paid leave which is enough of a fight already.

obviously in the us it's something we currently do not have in most industries. most women do not have that opportunity available to them. but even if they do, having a culture that supports the return to work and specifically in sports, the return to play, where your body is yourjob — that is something that really needs to happen, i think, from the top down. we are starting to see a lot of progress there, us soccer has been a surprising leader in that space according to a lot of the players over the years who have supported, trying to play after becoming mothers. it's something we absolutely need to see more broadly. crosstalk. how can we solve these issues? ijust feel like historically there is a lot of skittishness about women's bodies. all of this tension about modesty, uniforms, a big barrier globally for many young women from conservative

cultures to do public or even private playing. in the us, even with more progressive attitudes about public appearance, participation and dress, there's still a lot of tension about the exposure of women's arms and legs. maternity leave or the interesting discussion about women having to wear white when they are self—conscious about their periods. that goes back to the historic discomfort in the culture about women's bodies being on display. historically, what we have been willing to pay for or support as a culture is beauty contests. the display of attractiveness. and not athletic competitiveness. until we move past that cultural tension, we will be stuck with evaluating players based on appearance and not understanding that it's the everyday support of women from cradle to grave, through all the life stages,

not simply the novelty of an occasional world cup event, but i think what alex was saying earlier, the long—term vision, investment in athleticism, self—confidence, less concern with beauty and more concern with strength... in the same way we inculcate those ideals with men. just briefly, micaela, on that point of keeping young girls and young women in sport, there were big challenges there, just very briefly, how could it be addressed? i think it needs to start with the culture change we are talking about. it needs to start with the idea that women's sports are a product worth investing in. for so long, the conversation has been that women are not as strong, as fast, as a skilled. as strong, as fast, as skilled. that is all very much permeate the conversation around sport.

that istill very much permeates the conversation around sport. what we are seeing especially in this world cup cycle, when you treat the product of women's sport as a valuable entertainment property that people can and will and should get excited about. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. it certainly was quite an eventful start to our weekend, with storm betty pushing north, bringing heavy rain and strong winds. a pretty grey and blustery start in northern ireland. here, we had 46 millimetres of rain from storm betty. but the story improved and, actually, we had some sunshine and some warmth coming through. by the end of the afternoon, temperatures in lincolnshire peaking at 25.9 celsius. so this was the story, then, on saturday, with storm betty anchored to the north—west, starting to drift its way a little bit further westward. so as we go through the day on sunday, we will have more cloud the further north and west and a few scattered showers to begin with. and then into the afternoon, perhaps some more showers developing across the western half of england and wales.

further east, drier, settled with some sunshine. and temperatures, well, 17 to 21 degrees for scotland and northern ireland, perhaps peaking at 2a or 25 degrees — 77 fahrenheit — for england and wales. into the first part of next week, low pressure will move in from the north and it will bring showers or longer spells of rain across scotland and northern ireland. some blustery winds as well. for england and wales, it stays largely dry with showers fairly isolated, and with a south—westerly wind direction, those temperatures will start to climb. it'll feel quite pleasant, in actual fact. temperatures peaking at 26 degrees here, 16 to 21 under the cloud and the rain. a similar story as we move into tuesday, always the risk of some showers continuing into the far north and west and a few along west—facing coasts. but there'll be plenty of sunshine and plenty of warmth. it will feel quite pleasant. once again, those temperatures peaking widely into the mid—20s across central and southern england. but by the middle part

of the week, we are expecting a change. a weather front could potentially bring some wetter weather, and as this drifts its way steadily eastwards, the wind direction will swing around to a fresher north—westerly. so that means that we're going to lose some of that warmth. the russet tones disappear back to the near continent. it will be a cooler story towards the end of the working week. so further north, it looks likely it will stay cool and showery at times, with temperatures mid—to—high teens. but even across england and wales, a noticeable difference to the feel of the weather, although we might not see that much rain in the far south—east.

this is bbc news.

we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. life at 50 degrees, first broadcast in 2021. surface temperatures at the moment, somewhere between 87 and 95 degrees. so many people don't think that climate change is real.

itjust was extremely hot and everyone was starting to get worried, day by day, until it happened. temperatures will climb well into the 40s, making conditions even worse on our fire grounds. the footage that i took of the fire was shot on the gopro that i had actually got for christmas five days before the event. it was on a very hot day to begin with, so that made the fire, i think, a lot more aggressive. in the afternoon, i got the first glimpse of the fire coming over one of the mountains

in front of us.