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Women's international break: playoffs & friendlies

Stina Sweden

A host of Gunners will be aiming to move one step closer to qualifying for Euro 2025 in Switzerland as their nations take on the play-offs.

Swedish duo Stina Blackstenius and Rosa Kafaji, the latter fresh off the back of her maiden goal vs West Ham, will face Luxembourg home and away in the first round of the play-offs.

Katie McCabe is also in play-off action with Ireland as The Girls in Green head to Georgia for the first leg before hosting the second leg in Dublin four days later.

Midfielder Frida Maanum will be hoping to help two-time European winners Norway move closer to qualification when they take on Albania over two legs this month and Austria international Manuela Zinsberger will be aiming for the same as they face Slovenia.

Having secured safe passage to the finals next summer already, our quartet of England stars are hosting Germany and South Africa in two friendlies this month. Lionesses captain Leah Williamson and forwards Beth Mead and Alessia Russo helped England qualify back in July with a 0-0 draw in Sweden. 

The same trio are joined by Lotte Wubben-Moy for the two friendlies this month, which will be taking place at Wembley and the Coventry Arena.

Elsewhere, some of our stars will be going head-to-head with Lia Walti’s Switzerland playing Australia, who have Steph Catley, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Caitlin Foord in their latest squad. Walti’s Switzerland then face France in their second friendly of the window with Australia heading to Duisburg to take on Germany.

There’s a second all-Gunner showdown of the break with Kathrine Kuhl’s Denmark hosting Daphne van Domselaar’s Netherlands in Esbjerg. Kuhl, who has 35 caps to her name, will also face South Africa with Van Domselaar’s Dutch side entertaining Indonesia.

Completing the line-up of European international friendlies are Spanish duo Mariona Caldentey and Laia Codina. La Roja host Canada in Almendralejo before heading to Italy on October 29.

In America, Emily Fox has the prospect of playing three matches in this break as the USA take on Iceland twice in the space of three days, once in Austin and the other in Nashville, before entertaining Argentina in Louisville.

Finally, Freya Godfrey completed her fine October with a first call-up to the England U23 squad. Godfrey was nominated for the 2024 Golden Girl award last week and will now help England U23s face the Netherlands and Portugal in the European U23 League.

FULL LIST OF CALL-UPS

All times BTS

Thursday, October 24
Netherlands U23 vs England U23 (Godfrey)
European U23 League | Velp | 5pm

Friday, October 25
USA (Fox) vs Iceland
International Friendly | Austin | 12.30am

Albania vs Norway (Maanum)
Euro 2025 qualifiers | Shkoder | 3pm

Denmark (Kuhl) vs South Africa
International Friendly | Aalborg | 5pm

Slovenia vs Austria (Zinsberger)
Euro 2025 qualifiers | Koper | 5pm

Georgia vs Ireland (McCabe)
Euro 2025 qualifiers | Tbilisi | 5pm

Luxembourg vs Sweden (Blackstenius, Kafaji)
Euro 2025 qualifiers | Esch-sur-Alzette | 6.30pm

Switzerland (Walti) vs Australia (Catley, Cooney-Cross, Foord)
International Friendly | Zurich | 7pm

England (Mead, Russo, Williamson, Wubben-Moy) vs Germany
International Friendly | London | 7.30pm

Netherlands (Van Domselaar) vs Indonesia
International Friendly | Doetinchem | 7.45pm

Spain (Caldentey, Codina) vs Canada 
International Friendly | Almendralejo | 9pm

Sunday, October 27
USA (Fox) vs Iceland
International Friendly | Nashville | 9.30pm

Monday, October 28
Germany vs Australia (Catley, Cooney-Cross, Foord)
International Friendly | Duisburg | 5.10pm

Tuesday, October 29
Austria (Zinsberger) vs Slovenia
Euro 2025 qualifiers | Ried im Innkreis | 5pm

Denmark (Kuhl) vs Netherlands (Van Domselaar)
International Friendly | Esbjerg | 5pm

Italy vs Spain (Caldentey, Codina)
International Friendly | Vicenza | 5.15pm

England U23 (Godfrey) vs Portugal U23
European U23 League | Shrewsbury | 5.30pm

Norway (Maanum) vs Albania
Euro 2025 qualifiers | Oslo | 6pm

Sweden (Blackstenius, Kafaji) vs Luxembourg
Euro 2025 qualifiers | Gothenburg | 6pm

Ireland (McCabe) vs Georgia
Euro 2025 qualifiers | Dublin | 7.30pm

England (Mead, Russo, Williamson, Wubben-Moy) vs South Africa
International Friendly | Coventry | 7.45pm

Switzerland (Walti) vs France
International Friendly | Geneva | 8pm

Wednesday, October 30
USA (Fox) vs Argentina
International Friendly | Louisville | 11pm