Most of today’s generation of professional footballers grew up in a world where women’s football was not fully professional and where there was no guarantee it ever would be. For many, that meant dividing their time between multiple sports. And Jackie Groenen had big future in judo. But, she got an ultimatum.

On Friday, 1 May 2026, Elena Sadiku lifted the first-ever Europa Cup trophy together with her Häcken side, just months after taking over the team in December 2025. In her previous role at Celtic, she had already made history by delivering the club’s first-ever title in the Scottish Women's Premier League. Yet as a player, her own journey was cut short, forced to retire at just 23 after suffering her third ACL injury. What is the story of Elena Sadiku?

The name of Aiara Agirrezabala has appeared strongly in the elite of Spanish football after her great breakthrough in Liga F. The young Real Sociedad academy player broke the ceiling of the elite and made her debut in the 25/26 season with a brace in less than 45 minutes on his first matchday league against Madrid CFF. In addition, this made Aiara the youngest player to score a brace in the history of the competition at the age of 16 years and 133 days.

It has been an incredibly turbulent week in women’s football. We now know who is heading to Oslo for  Women's Champions League final  as well as the winners of the first ever Europa Cup. We’ve seen players confirm their futures, some staying, others moving on, while one has even brought her career to an end.Elsewhere, the Serie A champions have been crowned, and in WSL 2, promotion to the top tier for next season has been decided.

While the NWSL is one of the fastest-growing leagues in women’s football , offering opportunities and structures different from those in Europe, its player pool is still largely dominated by Americans. Close behind are players from Mexico and Brazil, alongside a handful of notable Europeans, such as German goalkeeping legend Ann-Katrin Berger or Norway’s Guro Reiten, who recently arrived from Chelsea. But when it comes to Italian players, the league had to wait.

At just 18 years old, the Catalan gem Clara Serrajordi Díaz has captured the attention of many women’s football fans this season. The newly crowned two-time Spanish league champion is proof that Barcelona’s bet on youth is paying off.

Felicia Schröder is undoubtedly one of the brightest talents Swedish football has produced in recent years. Despite interest from abroad, including clubs in England, she has chosen, for now, to stay at Häcken. With her goal in the first leg of the final, the 18-year-old drew level with Michaela Khýrová and now has the chance to finish as the top scorer of the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup. For Queenballers, Schröder opened up about her decision to stay in Sweden and how the competition has helped her develop as a player.

Ashley Lawrence believes women’s football in England is more advanced than France but that all of Europe is moving in the right direction. In an interview with Queenballers contributor Ayisha Gulati, Ashley Lawrence described how her life has changed since transferring to France.

The international break is over and domestic football is back. Two leagues have already crowned their champions, with Bayern Munich among the sides celebrating after a particularly successful week.  But what else happened across the women’s game?