England took on China in their first friendly of the international break. Many of the Chinese team had not played a game in months, as the Chinese Women’s Super League finished in September. That showed on the pitch, with England dominating and winning 8-0. Sarina Weigman’s team were 5-0 up at half-time thanks to braces from Beth Mead and Georgia Stanway, with Lauren Hemp adding a fifth. 

The second half was much of the same, but slowed down due to multiple substitutions. Stanway completed her hat-trick, with best friends Alessio Russo and Ella Toone completing the rout. Next up is another friendly against African side Ghana at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium on Tuesday, November 2nd at 7:00 p.m. GMT.

The Scottish team travelled to Cadiz, Spain, to take on Ukraine in their first friendly, before facing China in the same city. Scotland were second best for most of the game. However, they did start the best with Erin Cuthbert and Caroline Weir looking lively. It was Ukraine who took the lead just before half-time thanks to Roksolona Kravchuk. The Scots lacked the finishing touches when they got around the penalty box, but managed to rescue a point in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Celtic midfielder Maria Christine McAneny reacted first to a loose ball in the box to score on her full debut.

Wales were also in Spain for their international friendlies, facing South Korea in Malaga. A 1-1 draw meant that Rhian Wilkinson’s side has now gone 12 games without a win. However, they deserved more than a draw, but wasted several huge chances to secure victory. Sophie Ingle headed them in front after just six minutes, but failed to add to their lead in the first half. South Korea grew into the game in the second half and were rewarded with an equaliser when Kim Min-Ji, left unmarked, headed home in the 68th minute. Despite not winning, it was a good result against the 21st-ranked team in the world. They take on Switzerland in their final friendly.

Ireland faced Hungary in Marbella, Spain, producing an exciting game. Crystal Palace striker Abbie Larkin opened the scoring for Ireland early, making it 2-0 in the 18th minute. Hungary pulled one back before half-time courtesy of Borbarala Vincze. Denise O'Sullivan made it 3-1 just after half-time with a lovely strike after a great assist from Hayley Nolan. It could have been more for Carla Ward’s team, but it was a Hungarian goal that ended the scoring with Zsanett Kajet capitalising on a mistake to make it 3-2 with a few minutes remaining.

How can a game like this end 0–0? In the first leg of the Nations League final between Germany and Spain, the German national team had seven chances to score. However, they failed to convert any of them in front of 41,159 fans at the Fritz Walter Stadium.

In the first half, the Spanish team offered little resistance, allowing Germany to play its game. With plenty of possession and pressure on goal, the only thing missing was the ‘efficiency in front of goal’ that national coach Christian Wück had called for. Cata Coll saved everything that came her way.

After the break, coach Sonia Bermúdez's team seemed to have found their rhythm. In the first 15 minutes, they were able to impose their game more clearly and created two chances for the world champions. One came from Alexia Putellas and the other from NWSL champion Esther. After this period of Spanish pressure, however, the Germans came back with Klara Bühl, who put in a strong performance, creating more chances. However, it was not enough to score a goal. Aitana Bonmatí's performance also highlighted the Spanish team's overall weakness. The Ballon d'Or winner was not seen much and was substituted for Athenea in the 77th minute.

Although the 0-0 score does not necessarily reflect the course of the game, fans can now look forward to an exciting second leg. On Tuesday at 5.30 p.m., Spain and Germany will battle it out for the title at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.

In the match for third place between France and Sweden at the Stade Auguste Delaune in Reims, it was a close call for Les Bleues. In the first half, Juventus goalkeeper Peyraud-Magnin had to save France several times. Shortly before half-time, the home team was awarded a penalty – a very harsh decision by referee Desiree Grundbacher. Sakina Karchaoui, PSG player, confidently converted the penalty in front of around 7,000 fans in the stadium.

Arsenal striker Stina Blackstenius equalised in the second half. Sweden was actually the more dangerous team on the pitch, but Peyraud-Magnin saved many shots on goal after the break. Once again, Sweden found themselves in danger shortly before the final whistle: France were awarded a corner in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Karchaoui laid the ball off, and captain Griedge Mbock was on hand to tap it in – 2-1. The final whistle went immediately after the goal.

The return leg will take place on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the 3Arena in Stockholm.

On Sunday, Aitana Bonmatí broke her leg during training with the Spanish national team. According to the Spanish Football Federation, she suffered a fracture of the left fibula. She will miss the second leg of the Nations League final. The world's best women's footballer is expected to be out of action for several months.

But that's not the only bad news for Barcelona's already decimated squad: Kika Nazareth has also been injured. The Barça striker had to be helped off the pitch injured during the friendly match between Portugal and the Netherlands. It is not yet clear how badly she has been injured, but she left the pitch in tears.

The final matchday of the Champions League is on Wednesday, December 17th, and Belgian side Oud-Heverlee Leuven will make history. They will welcome current European champions Arsenal to the Den Dreef Stadium, where they have sold a Belgian women’s record 9,285 tickets for the game. It will be a great atmosphere and great to see the women’s game growing all over Europe and the world.

In March, Angel City player Sydney Leroux announced that she was taking a break from football because she was struggling with mental health issues. Now, the 35-year-old has revealed in a video on Instagram that she has been diagnosed with anorexia. She says she has been living with the condition for as long as she can remember, but never realised it was a problem. She simply assumed that this was how her body reacted to stress.

The mother of two was ‘absolutely terrified’ of going public with her anorexia diagnosis. ‘But I will never let my fear outweigh the possibility of saving someone's life,’ she explains in the video. Leroux adds that studies show that one in five female athletes shows signs of an eating disorder – in high-performance sports, the rate can be as high as 40 per cent or more. The US world champion now hopes to help others with her openness.

In the Mexican Liga BBVA MX Femenil, the final matches between Club América and Tigres Femenil attracted record numbers. No other women's football match in Mexico has been watched by as many people as these two. 3.6 million fans watched the two games on YouTube, TikTok or Facebook, and 4.4 million people watched the matches on television.

Tigres Femenil became champions – after a 3–3 draw in the first leg, Las Amazonas won the second leg 1–0. With seven titles, Tigres are the league's record champions.

The final between Washington Spirit and Gotham FC also set a new record in the NWSL. At peak viewing times, 1.55 million fans watched Gotham FC win its second NWSL title on CBS. This makes it the most-watched match in the league's history. It also represents a 22 per cent increase compared to last season's final.

The second edition of World Sevens Football will take place from 5 to 7 December. After its debut in Portugal in the spring (Bayern won the first edition), the show tournament will take place this time in Fort Lauderdale (Florida, USA). Eight clubs from North America will compete for prize money of $5 million. Club América, Deportivo Cali, Flamengo, Kansas City Current, Nacional de Football, San Diego Wave, Tigres Femenil, and AFC Toronto will take part.

The teams play 7-a-side 15-minute halves on a pitch that is only half the size of a standard pitch. DAZN will broadcast the three-day tournament.