We have seen the end of the October women’s international break, the first of this season, with red cards, retirements, and goals galore. Some countries are fighting for promotion in the Nations League, while others are competing in some not-so-friendly international friendlies. With ups come downs, and there have been significant injuries that have plagued the women’s game, too.
England had an up-and-down break, losing 2-1 to Brazil, then winning 3-0 against Australia. With numerous injuries and a makeshift defence, it really tested England's adaptability. Aggie Beever-Jones scored to continue her scoring streak for both club and country. Lucy Bronze celebrated her birthday in style with a goal and an assist. Both games saw England's opposition receive red cards, both given to very experienced players, and both had penalties converted by Georgia Stanway, with debuts for Lucia Kendall, Taylor Hinds and Khama Keating, who became the first black women's player to play in goal for the senior side.
All this was overshadowed by the injury to England Euros superstar Michelle Agyemang, which has now been confirmed as an ACL tear, marking the 16th ACL injury in the women’s game within three months. This injury has ended her season, but she will return to fight for her spot next season for the World Cup.
Wales continue to be beaten, but the main story from their international break is the farewell to Jess Fishlock, who retired after nearly 20 years in the Wales national team. She is Wales' most capped and highest goal scorer across the men’s and women’s game. They lost 2-1 to Australia and 5-2 to Poland, with the latter scoring goals in the final stages of the match.
Scotland, like England, lost one game and won the other. They beat Morocco 2-1 but lost 4-3 to Switzerland. Scotland’s window was used to give minutes to promising players while keeping experienced anchors such as Caroline Weir involved. The Morocco win was a valuable test of winning mentality and match control away from home. The high-scoring Scotland–Switzerland match will be mined for positives in chance creation and finishing. Still, the goals conceded will be immediate coaching talking points, with a focus on concentration and defensive organisation in the final third.
The Republic of Ireland were in the Nations League promotion battle against Belgium over two legs. They won the first 4-2, but Belgium came back fighting at home, winning 2-1. Overall, Ireland won 5-4 and were promoted to Nations League A. Abbie Larkin, who scored the 90th-minute winner, sealed the aggregate promotion, which will see them face more competitive European sides and truly test their abilities. Katie McCabe won her 100th cap and was moved into a more advanced role to deliver upfront. “Wearing that green jersey, there is a weight and a responsibility … It’s a very sacred thing.” — Katie McCabe.
“That was a proper captain’s performance… She led from the first minute all the way through. Coach Carla Ward.
Spain entered this break after a disappointing end to the Euros, losing on penalties to England. Since then, Sonia Bermudez has come in as the senior coach from the U-23s. Jenni Hermoso is back after a year-long absence, and Mapi Leon made herself available for selection and started both games. They won their Nations League semi-final against Sweden on aggregate, 5-0, in a bid to retain their title. Alexia Putellas and Claudia Pina scored the goals. With ups there came downs, and Salam Paralleulo was subbed off in the first leg at home as she had a partial MCL tear, leaving her out for 8-10 weeks. Spain’s high-possession, high-press style, excellent set-piece routines and clinical finishing are a replicable formula for tournament success. Their capacity to press as a unit and finish chances from tight spaces was decisive.
Sweden did not fare so well this international break, as they were punished by Spain’s set-pieces and rapid movement in the final third. While Sweden tightened up in the second leg, they could not manufacture the creativity or finishing needed to trouble Spain’s consolidated defence. The scale of the first-leg defeat (4–0) was the headline: a blow to Sweden’s confidence and a clear indicator that tactical or personnel changes are required to match Europe’s elite.
Germany will face Spain next international break to determine who wins the Nations League, a rerun of the Euro 2025 semi-final. Their game against France was much closer, with a 3-2 aggregate win, and Klara Bühl was a key player for them. Germany’s tie with France was a tight, tactical contest. The decisive moment in the first leg was Bühl’s long-range finish, a reminder of Germany’s set-piece and shot-creation threat from distance. The second leg was dramatic: France opened the game, Germany responded, and the tie featured physical intensity, including an incident where Sjoeke Nüsken was struck in the face during an aerial challenge, sustaining visible swelling but remaining on the field.
France missed out on the final but enjoyed possession dominance throughout the tie, struggling to convert control into the decisive goals. Despite generating chances and showing midfield fluency, France was unable to outscore Germany. Contributing to the concern, Marie-Antoinette Katoto reported thigh/hamstring discomfort late in the tie, raising selection questions for future fixtures. France’s inability to convert its dominance into goals will be a recurring strategic concern, a possession without punch problem.
The USNT played New Zealand, with Emma Sears scoring her first career hat trick. Catarina Macari recorded her fourth career brace, and Rose Lavelle added a first-half goal. San Diego Wave defender Kennedy Wesley made her debut. This was the USA’s 10th win of the year as they dominated the match with 34 shots and more than 82 per cent possession and received 10 corners.
They also played Portugal in back-to-back fixtures, the first with a more experienced US team, which lost 2-1; this was Portugal's first-ever win against the USWNT. The second involved youthful energy, which the home side won 3-1. Olivia Moultrie scored a brace in the rebound match. Portugal’s win demonstrated that established hierarchies can be challenged; for the US, it was a clear signal to integrate youth quickly and to fix defensive marking on set plays.
Brazil started off strong with a 2-1 victory against England, scoring two early goals and staying organised to maintain their lead after a red card incident reduced them to ten. They celebrated hard at the end, having a party when they beat the European Champions. Though it was an international friendly and the tactics and behaviour of the Brazilian international players could be called into question at one point, someone had their hands around Chloe Kelly's neck. The red card forced Brazil to adapt to ten players and highlighted their defensive organisation and game management skills.
There was another game in this window that saw them beat Italy 1-0. The goal came from Luany Dudinha who scored the second goal against England.
The Dutch have a new manager Arjan Veurink who was Sarina Wiegman assistant-manager and has the Euros three times in a row with her. They played Canada and Poland in their friendlies and dominated possession across these friendlies but suffered for lack of a cutting edge. The 0–0 to Poland and narrow 1–0 results over Canada underline a need for better conversion in the final third despite territorial advantage.Possession without finishing is the core narrative: the team must refine forward link play and finishing touches ahead of competitive matches.
Canada's performance this October window like others was underwhelming; they lost to the Netherlands and Switzerland by 1-0. They were frustrated by Switzerland’s defensive organisation and lost a tight, low-scoring game. The Netherlands match exposed inconsistency in turning possession into genuine scoring chances. In their game against Switzerland Olivia Smith had to be substituted with a hip injury and she withdrew from camp for assessments back to Arsenal.
Australia saw the return of Sam Kerr after finally recovering from her ACL injury. In the Wales friendly, Australia displayed clinical counter-attacking patterns and set-piece advantages; the Derby with England was disrupted by a last-man red card for Alanna Kennedy, and England’s dominance was exploited by the numerical advantage. Kerr’s minutes were managed and she provided leadership rather than explosive, match-wracking bursts as she eased back. Alanna Kennedy's red card changed the game.
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