U20 WWC stars: Carolina Tristão, the teenager tipped to fill the void left by Kika Nazareth at Benfica

Portuguese women’s football continues to grow and produce players capable of making their mark on the world stage. Kika Nazareth is currently one of its leading figures, particularly following her move to Barcelona in 2024. Her flair and technical ability caught the attention of one of the biggest clubs in world football, eventually earning her a move away from Benfica.

But beyond the established names competing at the highest level, women’s football in Portugal has experienced significant growth in recent years, reflected both in the development of the domestic league and the progress of the national team.

According to the Portuguese Football Federation, the number of registered female players surpassed 20,000 during the 2025/26 season, with participation rising particularly sharply following the 2023 World Cup.

The tournament in Australia and New Zealand represented a historic moment for Portuguese women’s football, as the national team competed at a World Cup for the first time. One of the lasting images of Portugal’s campaign was Jéssica Silva in tears while listening to her country’s national anthem before matches.

Silva later explained what those moments meant to her. Hearing A Portuguesa at a World Cup had been a childhood dream, while the emotion also represented a release after years of pressure and sacrifice in a game where generations of Portuguese players had fought for recognition.

The next generation is already here

Three years later, Portugal can celebrate another generation of exciting young players beginning to emerge. One of them is Carolina Tristão, a key member of the Portugal U20 side competing at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.

Just days before the tournament began, Benfica announced that the teenager had extended her contract with the club until 2029. And in Portugal, comparisons are already being made with another player who emerged from Benfica before moving to one of Europe’s biggest clubs: Kika Nazareth.

Tristão is increasingly being viewed as the player capable of filling the void Nazareth left behind when she joined Barcelona. And she has already taken one of Kika’s records.

Tristão became the youngest player to represent Benfica’s first team in a Supertaça final. At just 16 years and 321 days old, she also became the youngest player in the history of Benfica’s women’s team to feature in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Both milestones had previously belonged to Nazareth.

Wearing the No.10 for Portugal

Despite being only 17, Tristão has already made more than 40 appearances across Portugal’s youth national teams, including at Under-17 and Under-19 level, scoring more than 10 goals.

Her growing influence has also seen her handed the No.10 shirt for Portugal, another indication of the expectations surrounding one of the country’s most exciting young talents. Yet even Tristao did not expect her rise to happen quite so quickly.

After making her Benfica first-team debut, she admitted that she had never imagined reaching the senior side at such a young age. Once she stepped onto the pitch, however, she felt comfortable.

There was a reason for that. Tristão had spent much of her footballing childhood learning how to compete against players who were physically stronger than her.

Learning the hard way

To understand where that confidence comes from, you have to go back to her early years in Braga. As a young girl, Tristao regularly played football in the street and at school alongside boys two or three years older than her.

The physical disadvantage forced her to adapt. She learned to release the ball more quickly, use her body to protect possession and find ways to compete against bigger and stronger opponents.

Those experiences gradually helped shape the player Benfica have today: technically gifted, comfortable under pressure and already trusted on some of the biggest stages despite her age. Kika Nazareth left Benfica for Barcelona as one of the brightest talents Portuguese women’s football had produced.

Now, another teenager is beginning to follow the path she once walked. Carolina Tristao is only 17, but the records are already breaking and Portugal may have found its next big talent.