The international break is here — but not before a week full of action worth catching up on. European competitions now know their semi-finalists and finalists, transfer rumours are swirling (and being shut down), and a new generation of young talents continues to emerge.

Sydney FC may not be in the best form right now, but their future looks incredibly bright. Their defence is being strengthened by a teenager who has already surpassed even Australian legend Sam Kerr in one remarkable way.

She is Poland’s captain and Barcelona rely on her goalscoring instinct — but she is not Robert Lewandowski. Women’s football is on the rise in Poland, which celebrated its first-ever major tournament appearance in the summer of 2025 and set a league Ekstraliga attendance record the season before. Ewa Pajor has undoubtedly played a major part in that growth.

Breaking into the England national football team setup is never easy - but Lucia Kendall has made it look exactly that. The 21-year-old Aston Villa midfielder has quickly caught the attention of Sarina Wiegman with her energetic and composed performances in the Women's Super League this season. But while she looks like the complete footballer, it wasn’t always football for the youngster from Winchester.

BK Häcken secured a convincing 3:0 win in the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup semi-final and head into the home return leg with a comfortable advantage. Vice-captain Tabby Tindell spoke to Queenballers about how the team is feeling ahead of the second leg and highlighted the players they will be relying on the most.

Equal pay. Equal conditions. Equal respect. Finally. Women’s football has reached full equality. Clubs are investing equally. Salaries are fair. Medical care is consistent. Careers are sustainable.A long-awaited shift. A milestone moment for the game.

Despite winning the first leg of the semi-final of UEFA Women’s Europa Cup in Prague 3–2, Hammarby were not satisfied with their performance, according to Elin Sørum. Their motivation for the return leg is clear: to win — and deliver the result they promised to Bajens, the Hammarby fans.

We all know it’s part of the game. Football never stands still — players come and go, squads evolve, and change is inevitable. But that doesn’t make it any easier. Every fan has that one player — the one who feels woven into the identity of the club, the one you can’t quite imagine in another shirt. You convince yourself they’ll be there forever. So which departures have hurt fans the most?

It’s been a dramatic week, with several derby clashes, Alessia Russo reaching a major milestone, and the Damallsvenskan season kicking off. Unfortunately, there’s also been some sad news. Here’s our weekly round-up.