Day 1 of a new cycle

This Wednesday, July 23, marked the kickoff of the 2025/26 preseason for Sport Lisboa e Benfica's women's football team. With a clear focus on preparing for another demanding season, the group, still incomplete, reported for work on a day set aside for medical examinations and physical tests.

Coach Ivan Baptista currently has the following players at his disposal: Thaís Lima, Rute Costa, Lena Pauels, Joana Silva, Letícia Almeida, Pauleta, Anna Gasper, Clarinha, Beatriz Cameirão, Rakel Engesvik, Chandra Davidson, Neide Guedes, Nycole Raysla, Lara Martins and Andrea Falcón.

The group of international players who were (or still are) playing for their respective national teams will join later. Among them are Portuguese players Andreia Norton, Andreia Faria, Carole Costa, Catarina Amado, Lúcia Alves, Diana Gomes, Ana Borges, and Diana Silva, Norwegian player Marit Lund, Spanish player Cristina Prieto, and Nigerian player Christy Ucheibe.

As has been customary in recent seasons, a group of around ten young players from the B team will also be integrated into the Inspiradoras' routines, and will train with the senior squad during the first weeks of preseason. The focus on training and sustained growth is, once again, one of the hallmarks of the start of the season.

Pauleta, one of the athletes who has been with the women's soccer team since its inception, returns with renewed enthusiasm.

"It's always great. We want to be here, doing what we love most—playing soccer and representing this great club. So I'm happy to be back and eager to get to work," said the captain in statements to BTV.

The Spanish player acknowledged that, due to the injury she suffered, she had been training alone at Benfica Campus for a few weeks. Now, she points out, it's different: "Having people around now, seeing familiar faces from last season... it's really nice. There are always smiles and jokes between everyone, and it's great to be back in this environment."

When it comes to the new faces in the working group, Pauleta has no doubts: "I think we are a team that integrates new faces very well. In addition, the players who arrived this year are already known to some of us, as they are also national team players. It's always good to have people who add something extra. We all think that way. That's why we welcome new arrivals and are eager to work together and have a good time on and off the pitch."

The midfielder also emphasized the importance of intergenerational coexistence in a group where the commitment to young players is real and ongoing.

"Like the Club, we also strongly believe in nurturing younger players. It is important that they have a training environment with us, that they understand how our routines work, what our training sessions are like, and the level of demand we maintain on the field. It is good that they can absorb our experience and that we, on the other hand, also absorb the identity they bring from the youth academy. This youth is good for us," she said.

The preparation, it should be noted, also includes several training matches, all behind closed doors, with emphasis on some matches against men's youth teams – ideal moments to test dynamics, rhythms, and solutions.

The first official match of the new season is scheduled for the weekend of September 6/7 (date and time to be confirmed), with the Super Cup against SCU Torreense. Until then, the team will refine their strategies, build momentum, and fuel their ambition to continue writing pages of success.