Francisco Neto has already chosen the 23 players called up for the Euro

Defender Bárbara Lopes, midfielder Samara Lino and forward Stephanie Ribeiro have been removed from the Portuguese women's national team's final squad for the 2025 European Championship finals in Switzerland, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) revealed today.

Out of the final group for the tournament, which will take place between 2 and 27 July on Swiss soil, was forward Carolina Mendes, who was preparing for the third final phase of a European Championship, but was injured at the start of the training session, at Cidade do Futebol, in Oeiras, Lisbon.

However, Bárbara Lopes, 23, and Samara Lino, 26, both Torreense players who on Monday earned their first cap for the main national team, in the preparation match against Nigeria (0-0), in Amadora, will continue with the Portuguese delegation to Switzerland, where they will work with the group of registered players, by decision of the technical team.

The Pumas forward from Mexico, who has scored one goal in four international appearances, also wanted to make her debut in a finals tournament wearing Portuguese colours, but ended up being overlooked by Francisco Neto, who had until Wednesday to 'cross out' four players from the list of 27 pre-selection players released on 10 June.

On the other hand, Kika Nazareth, from FC Barcelona, ​​who has not played since March 12, the day she suffered a rupture of the internal lateral ligament in her left ankle, in a match against Real Madrid, for the semi-finals of the Copa de la Reina, is on the list of 23 players.

The 'quinas' women's team reached the group stage in its first two participations in European Championships and always finished in fourth place, facing, in 2017, Spain (0-2), Scotland (2-1) and England (1-2) and, in 2022, Switzerland (2-2), Netherlands (2-3) and Sweden (0-5).

Portugal will make its debut in Group B against world champions Spain on July 3 in Bern, before facing Italy four days later in Geneva and Belgium on the 11th in Sion.

Only the top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage.

List of 23 candidates:

• Goalkeepers: Inês Pereira (Deportivo, Esp), Patricia Morais (Sporting Braga) and Sierra Cota-Yarde (Toronto, Can).

• Defenders: Ana Seiça (Tigres, Mex), Ana Borges (Sporting), Carolina Correia (Torreense), Diana Gomes (Seville, Esp), Catarina Amado (Benfica) and Carole Costa (Benfica), Joana Marchão (Servette, Sui) and Lúcia Alves (Benfica).

• Midfielders: Andreia Jacinto (Real Sociedad, Spain), Andreia Faria (Benfica), Andreia Norton (Benfica), Beatriz Fonseca (Sporting), Dolores Silva (Sporting Braga), Tatiana Pinto (Atlético Madrid, Spain), Fátima Pinto (Sporting) and Kika Nazareth (FC Barcelona, ​​Spain).
• Forwards: Ana Capeta (Sporting), Diana Silva (Sporting), Jéssica Silva (Gothan, USA) and Telma Encarnação (Sporting).