The Players 

Josip Juranović, now a forty-time Croatian international, faced Gibraltar and Czechia. The comfortable 7-0 victory against the British overseas territory off southern Spain marked the first points in Group L of Croatia's World Cup qualification, and the subsequent 5-1 against the Czechs cemented Croatia's status as favorites in the group. Full-back Juranović played the entire 90 minutes in the first match. 

Union's defender Leopold Querfeld was also active in the qualification for the upcoming World Cup. While he did not participate in Austria's 2-1 win over Romania in their first group match, he had the opportunity to showcase his skills for 45 minutes on Tuesday, successfully helping defend a 4-0 halftime lead against San Marino until the final whistle. With six points, the ÖFB team is now in second place in Group H. 

András Schäfer laced up his football boots for two friendlies before heading off for a well-deserved holiday. In the 2-0 away loss against Sweden the 26-year-old was on the field for the entire match but could not prevent Hungary's third consecutive defeat. In the final international matches of 2024/25, the Hungarians celebrated a narrow 2-1 victory against Azerbaijan four days later, with Schäfer substituted in the 85th minute. 

For László Bénes and his teammates of the Slovak national team, there were two friendly defeats in the same period. Their 4-1 home loss against Greece was followed by a narrow 1-0 loss to Israel . Bénes was a second half substitute in both matches. 

While all the mentioned Unioners have now officially concluded the 2024/25 season, full-back Jérôme Roussillon is still in preparations with the Guadeloupe national team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the USA. The first group match against Panama is on 17.06.2025, followed by games against Jamaica (21.06.2025) and Guatemala (25.06.2025).