For the first time ever, the blue-and-garnet colours of SCU Torreense will be worn in a continental tournament. Based in the city of Torres Vedras, about 30 miles north of Lisbon, they qualified for the Women’s Champions League after finishing third in Portugal’s BPI League. Qualification is just the latest success for the club, which had already won the Taça da Liga and Supertaça this season, after their Taça de Portugal title last year. Over the past few seasons, Torreense have fought to establish themselves as a force in Portuguese women’s football alongside traditional powerhouses Benfica, Sporting and Braga, all of whom have featured in the WCL in recent seasons.

“These have been incredible times, we made history with Torreense,” team captain Carolina Correia tells us. The 24-year-old Portuguese international defender started 15 of 18 league games in a season where the team began inconsistently, but grew stronger and secured important results in the final stretch, including a 2-0 win over Sporting in March. “Looking back to my first days at the club,” Correia continues, “I would never have believed I’d have three trophies and a spot in the Champions League. I’m filled with pride … we are a very ambitious team, and as time goes by, we consolidate our style and achieve our goals. These achievements will for ever be in our memories and, of course, in our history.”

With the club season now over, Correia has turned her attention to the national team. Francisco Neto, the Portugal head coach, has called up 25 players for the Women’s World Cup qualifiers against Latvia and Finland in early June, as the Navegadoras hope to maintain their unbeaten run. Correia was called up again alongside her Rute Costa, the Torreense goalkeeper – although Costa had to withdraw from the squad due to personal reasons. In the previous round of qualifiers, Correia started in the 3-0 win against Latvia and came off the bench in the second half of the 2-1 victory over Slovakia.

“When I join the national team, I am always eager to help them go far, and in this case, get to the World Cup. I am young and still new to the group, so I believe I bring energy and quality, while also trying to learn from the best”, she says. “When I was younger, I dreamed so much of playing for the national team. I remember watching Ana Borges play, and now I’ve had the opportunity to share spaces with her and with other more experienced players. They helped me grow, and I think the Navegadoras now have a really good mix of generations.”

Correia says she has been heavily inspired by defenders such as Mapi León and Irene Paredes, both serial winners with Barcelona and world champions with Spain. However, when asked about her biggest football influence, she cites a Portugal and Manchester City men’s centre-back: “I loved watching Benfica games, and I loved seeing Rúben Dias play. His leadership and the way he played became a reference for me.”

Watching the leadership skills of León, Paredes and Dias also helped her grow at Torreense, where she arrived on loan from Benfica in 2023, was signed permanently in 2024 and has a valid contract until this summer. “I’ve grown so much in the past three years at the club, especially as a leader, when I took on the challenge of being captain,” she says. “I think it has been really positive for me. This role challenges me every day, and I really hope to live up to it … [moving to Torreense] was the best choice I could make.”

The approximately 19,000 inhabitants of Torres Vedras have plenty to celebrate with their local club. Not only will the women’s team compete in the Champions League for the first time, but the men’s team will play in the Europa League after winning the Taça de Portugal against Sporting. The men’s side has already announced they will host their European matches at the Estádio do Algarve, nearly 200 miles away in Faro, as their own Estádio Manuel Marques does not meet Uefa capacity requirements, holding just 2,431 spectators. The women’s side has yet to confirm whether they will do the same. Still, Correia believes Torreense’s strong sense of community and mentality will serve them well.

“We know there are challenges, but our strengths can take us far in the Champions League … I think what defines us is that we are a really united team, on and off the pitch. We want the best for each other, and we know we can achieve things together. We are also able to overcome adversity. It was not an easy season, but our unity defined our team.”

There are still many challenges ahead in Correia’s career, from trying to qualify for the 2027 World Cup with Portugal to deciding her next professional steps. “When I was a kid, I didn’t see myself becoming a footballer, I thought of football more as a hobby. But as time passed, I started taking it more seriously and realised this was what I wanted to do. I started playing for fun with my cousin in the backyard and in parks, and then life led me to football,” she says. “My biggest dream is to win the Champions League. I know it’s going to be difficult, but nothing is impossible. I’m pretty sure I will keep choosing what is best for me. For now, I’m focused on the national team and the next matches. And after that … the future will tell.”

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• This is an extract from our free email about women’s football, Moving the Goalposts. To get the full edition, visit this page and follow the instructions. Moving the Goalposts will be sent out once a week, on Wednesdays, in the close season but will be back on Tuesdays and Thursdays from September.