As the UEFA Women’s Euros 2025 draws nearer, here’s everything you need to know to prepare for a summer of Swiss soccer!
Women’s sport is bracing itself for another world-class soccer tournament, as clubs, players and fans continue to push for equality while Europe’s best women’s soccer teams prepare to display their excellence on a global stage this summer. Hosted by Switzerland, 16 teams plan to travel and compete to be crowned champions of Europe. Will reigning champions, England, retain their title or will the Spaniards, World Cup champions, snatch it?
When will the tournament take place?
The tournament will kick off on the 2nd of July and run until the 27th of July.
Where will the tournament take place?
The 2025 Women’s Euros will be held in Switzerland and take place in 8 different host cities including, Basel, Geneva and Zurich.
How did teams qualify for the Euros?
To determine qualification, 51 European teams were divided into 3 leagues (A, B and C), based on how successful they were in the 2023/24 Women’s Nations League:
- League A featured the highest-ranked teams
- League B included mid-ranked teams
- League C contained the lowest-ranked or new entrants
These 3 leagues were then further split into groups of three or four teams. Within the groups, each team played one home and one away match against the others.
To achieve direct qualification, the top two teams in each League A group will automatically qualify, as well as Switzerland who are also guaranteed a spot due to being the hosts of the tournament.
This leaves seven spots still available to qualify for the tournament for teams who haven’t secured automatic qualification. These teams gain a chance through the playoffs, which is split into two paths across two rounds.
In round 1, there are two pathways:
Path 1
This path includes the third- and fourth-placed teams from League A, who will face the five group winners and three best-ranked runners-up from League C. These matchups will be played over two legs, with the eight winners progressing to the next round.
Path 2
Meanwhile, League B’s four group winners and two best runners-up will go up against the remaining two runners-up and four third-placed teams from the same league. Once again, the six winners from these ties move into Round 2.
Moving onto round 2:
In the second round, the 14 winners from both paths will be drawn into seven playoff ties. Each tie is played over two legs, and the seven winners will secure their place in the final tournament in Switzerland.
Overall, a confusing concept but it leads us to where we are now, the grouping of teams that have qualified for the tournament.
Let’s take a look at the groups:
In Group A sits tournament hosts, Switzerland who will be competing against 3 Nordic teams, Finland, Iceland and Norway. With a well-renowned squad featuring Caroline Graham Hansen, Guro Reiten and Ada Hederberg, Norway are the favorites to top the group, despite Iceland being ranked higher in FIFA’s most recent rankings.
Group B features the reigning world champions, Spain, who are likely to top the group and progress through to the quarter finals. Back-to-back Ballon d’Or winner, Aitana Bonmati, hopes to add the Euros trophy into her collection as she attempts to win the tournament for the first time with Spain. It seems as though there will be a strong competition between Belgium and Portugal as they battle for second place after their success against England in the Nations League – Belgium winning 3-2 in April and Portugal securing a 1-1 draw.
Thirdly, Group C holds seven-time European champions, Germany, as this time they wish to lift the Euros trophy after missing out at Wembley, in 2022, against England. However, after announcing her retirement from international football in 2024, the Germans will be entering their first major tournament without star player, Alexandra Popp. Newcomers, Poland, look to showcase their talents this summer as they have secured qualification for their first major tournament. Scandinavian side, Sweden, are entering the tournament having no trophies, yet after their impressive run in 2022 during the Euros, where they reached the semi-finals, they remain hopeful that they are able to succeed again. Denmark are currently sat in a rough patch of form, but could they turn it around and get out of their group?
Finally, let’s take a look at Group D. The Lionesses are early favorites to top the group due to their history of success in major tournaments, including winning the Euros in 2022, but after losing key players such as Mary Earps and Millie Bright, will they be able to hold onto their title? Up against England is the Netherlands and France, making Group D a highly competitive group. Both teams will be looking to reach the quarterfinals and with only 2 spots to claim to get out of the group stage, will they both make it? France will be looking to rely heavily on the creativity of Kadidiatou Diani, while the Netherlands look to Vivianne Miedema to regain form after returning from injury. Finally, Wales, who are competing in their first ever major tournament. Though it might be difficult for Wales, excitement is high which could lead to something remarkable for them.
With historic debuts, competitive standards and world-class talent on display, the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 is set to be a landmark event in the growth of women’s sport. Stay tuned – this summer in Switzerland promises non-stop action.
Lola Perkins
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