As the men’s game takes an international break, the majority of this week’s team earned their spot with their national teams. With everything from Nations Leagues to World Cup Qualifiers, there were big games all around the globe, and many of the star performers have found their way into this week’s EA FC 25 Team of the Week. Here are some of the show-stealing matches that earned players their In Form cards this week for FC Team of the Week 28, as well as a look at one player EA overlooked.

Romelu Lukaku Carries Belgium To Nations League Semis

With the Belgian Golden generation nearing its final years and generally considered a bit disappointing, even if that may be a bit unfair for a group that brought a non-prominent nation to just its second World Cup semifinal, a Nation’s League victory may not quite be enough to declare it a stunning success. It’s still a lot better than losing a Nation’s League, though. Thanks to Romelu Lukaku’s efforts against Ukraine, Belgian hopes of winning this Nation’s League remain alive after he single-handedly dragged them through the two-legged affair.

Things started great for Belgium in the opening leg, and they had Lukaku to thank as it was his header that put them ahead after 40 minutes. Unfortunately, the end of the game went less swimmingly as Ukraine put three past the Belgians to carry a two-goal advantage into the second leg. The situation was beginning to look hopeless as that lead held into the 70th minute before Belgium scored to make things interesting. Then it was time for Lukaku to take over. First, he leveled the tie on aggregate with a stunning overhead volley inside the box. After nearly giving Belgium the aggregate lead minutes later, he did just that in the 86th minute, running masterfully off the defense to get free in the box and fire one home, sending Belgium on to the semifinals and himself into the Team of the Week.

Erin Cuthbert Starts Chelsea’s Very Good Week Against City

The game remained tied into stoppage time, and it looked like Chelsea might drop points for just the third time this season. Cuthbert had other ideas. In the 91st minute, she got on the end of a cross, powering home a header for the 2-1 win for Chelsea. Things would only get worse for Manchester City in the midweek as a 3-0 Chelsea win saw their two-goal victory in the first leg come to nothing, with City now having endured a nightmare run of four losses in three competitions to the Blues.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Pushes Gabon Toward The World Cup

Even with the expanded field for the upcoming 2026 World Cup, African qualifying remains a positively brutal affair with little room for error. With teams taking part in 16 groups, with only first place guaranteed a spot and only four second-place teams earning a playoff opportunity, every game matters. This is made more challenging by the historically unpredictable nature of African qualifying campaigns, where few teams enter without at least the capability to cause problems for some of their more vaunted opposition. With Gabon sharing a group with African powerhouse Ivory Coast, the pressure is on to make the most out of every match.

In what is likely his last hurrah with the national side, Gabonese star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did everything he could this week to keep his nation on course for its first-ever World Cup qualification. Facing off against Kenya, Aubameyang opened the scoring for Gabon after being left unattended on a counter and firing it home low past the keeper. When an Aubameyang shot was stopped by handball, he confidently stepped up to bury the resulting penalty to extend the lead to 2-0. This proved critical after Kenya scored just shy of the 60-minute mark. While Gabon had to endure a nervous 30 minutes, the two goals from their captain were enough to keep them hot on Ivory Coast’s heels and in one of the precious top four second-place spots.

Gia Corley Elevates The Wave

Following a season where the San Diego Wave were looking to build off a Supporters’ Shield, it turned out to instead be one of heartbreak and surprising departures, both in the form of Alex Morgan’s retirement mid-season and the shocking release of coach Casey Stoney. The Wave entered 2025 looking for a strong start to shake off the bad energy of a non-playoff year. Thanks to the work of Gia Corley, they have gotten just that through two matches, as she was pivotal in the Wave’s 3-2 victory against Utah. 

Corley had a hand in two of the Wave’s three goals, with the opening assist a particular piece of brilliance. Chasing a ball down into the corner in a style fans have seen come to nothing thousands of times, Corley instead worked a bit of touchline magic to free herself into the 18 on the charge. Her squared ball led to a tap-in for Maria Sanchez. The Wave would add a second, only to see their two-goal lead evaporate. Fortunately for them, Corley was in the right place at the right time to almost immediately restore the advantage, intercepting a poor goal kick before firing it home past the helpless Utah defensive unit to secure the victory and a crucial early three points.

Mike Maignan’s Penalty Heroics

It’s not often you look at a keeper who had a two-match window featuring a shutout and a 2-0 loss, and the most decisive action came in the defeat. For Mike Maignan and France this past week, however, that’s exactly what happened. In the opening leg of their quarterfinal tie with Croatia, France fell 2-0, but it could have been worse. Croatia was awarded an early penalty only to see the French stopper make a stunning save with his feet while diving away from the shot down the middle. 

While a big save in a match you still lose by two may often feel like a wasted effort, in this case, it proved crucial after France scored two in regulation in the reverse fixture. While Maignan had nothing to do for the full duration of the second leg, including extra time, he would once again get his chance to prove his value against a penalty shooter, and he did not let the opportunity slip through his grasp. With the shootout extending to sudden-death shots, it was the French keeper who made the decisive save to unknot the score and move France into the semifinals.

Who Was Overlooked? – Myles Lewis-Skelly (England)

Before getting into Lewis-Skelly’s senior national team debut, give me a moment to argue against some dismissive criticisms of the level of competition he faced. While Latvia and Albania may not be the most glamorous names in European football, Albania has been a tough opponent for many years now, including qualification to the last Euros, where they acquitted themselves quite well in a Group of Death, drawing with Croatia and losing by just one goal each to Spain and Italy. 

When Lewis-Skelly received a call-up from Thomas Tuchel, many criticized the decision, as well as the attitude of the player in a pattern that is all too familiar to those who have watched the English national team, its press, and its fans.

Any doubters will have been promptly put in their place by the teenager as he made a spectacular debut against Albania as part of a weekend in which he featured from the start twice, and England allowed no goals. The highlight has to be his goal against Albania, set up by a breathtaking Jude Bellingham assist, though it was far from Lewis-Skelly’s only key contribution, as evidenced by his Man of the Match award. Any claims he was unworthy of the shirt were well and truly left in the rubbish bin, and a spot on this week’s team would have been more than fair for the effort.