A lot has been happening in women's football over recent weeks.

Firstly, the Under 20s World Cup has kicked off in Chile, and England, with Chelsea's own Brooke Chaplen, Danni Buet and Clare Rafferty, have qualified from the group stages.

Mo Marley, England's Under 20 coach, was pleased with the first outing in the competition, which ended in a 2-0 victory over Chile, with Chaplen scoring the opening goal.

The second Group game then saw a 1-1 draw with Nigeria, and Marley headed toward the final match of Group A against New Zealand with four points under England's belt.

Toni Duggan's stoppage-time equaliser was enough to secure another 1-1 draw last night (Wednesday), and meant England progressed to the quarter-finals at the expense of their opponents.

Triumph against New Zealand means England Under 20s have mirrored the senior side's success in China 2007, when England's women's team, which included Casey Stoney and Eniola Aluko, went out after a 3-0 defeat to the United States in the quarter finals.

Outside of World Cup action, the senior England women's team now know who they will face in the group stages of next year's European Championship.

Hope Powell's side find themselves in Group C alongside Sweden, Russia and Italy while Finland, Ukraine, Denmark and Netherlands preside in Group A and Group B will see Germany, Iceland, Norway and France all face one another.

England, which includes Chelsea's Stoney, Aluko, Lianne Sanderson, Anita Asante and Siobhan Chamberlain, will begin the tournament on 25 August 2009, when they line-up against Italy.

They'll then face Russia on 28 August before the final game of the group stages against Sweden on 31 August.

'Sweden will be tough, and we know that they will probably be considered favourites in the group,' said England Women's manager Powell on the FA website.

'But Russia and Italy are fast developing and are also bringing through good young players,' added Powell.

England last faced Sweden for a friendly back in February, when they lost 2-0, which didn't help to build confidence over the previous 1-0 defeat to the Swedes in 2005.

However, the senior side have fared better against Russia and Italy in recent meetings. An emphatic 6-0 thumping was on the cards when England hosted Russia in Milton Keynes during March 2007 and the previous game against Italy, which also took place in Milton Keynes, saw England romp home to a 4-1 win.

But most successful of all the England sides of late has been the Under 17s, who recently lost out to a World Cup bronze after suffering a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Germany.

Chelsea's Jodie Jacobs and Rebecca Jane both started the game under the watchful eyes of Under 17's coach Lois Fidler, but the Under 17s' hopes of reaching the final were dashed by a 2-1 loss to eventual winners North Korea.

All this action on the international stage helps to explain the lack of competitive games Chelsea Ladies have played this month, but not despair, as the Blues will return to Imber Court on Sunday 14 December to face Doncaster Rover Belles.

For more information on the Chelsea Ladies, including player profiles, visit the Ladies' section of the site.