European Women’s Championship past winners and favourites for Euro 2025 | OneFootball

England v Germany – UEFA Womens Euro 2022 Final – Wembley Stadium

London, England, July 31st 2022: England celebrate winning Euro 22 during the UEFA Womens Euro 2022 Final football match between England and Germany at Wembley Stadium, England. (Kevin Hodgson / SPP)

Euro 2022 winners England will look to defend the UEFA Women’s European Championship when Sarina Wiegman’s side travel to Switzerland for the Euros this summer.

The Lionesses won the trophy for the first time by beating Germany 2-1 at Wembley Stadium in 2022.

This summer, 16 teams will compete to be crowned champions, with the tournament taking place between July 2nd and 27th.

England was drawn in group D alongside France, the Netherlands and Wales, while Lionesses boss Wiegman has named her 23-player squad for the tournament.

As Switzerland prepares to host Euro 2025, we explore the tournament’s history through its past winners while assessing the favourites to lift the trophy next month.

Who was the first team to win the Women’s Euros?

The first-ever competition was held in 1984 and consisted of only four teams – England, Denmark, Italy, and Sweden.

It was then only known as the ‘European Competition for Women’s Football’.

Both the semi-finals and finals were held over two legs, with England and Sweden playing in the final.

Sweden won the first leg 1-0, before England repeated the score in the second, with the tie decided on penalties.

Linda Curl and Lorraine Hanson missed from the spot for England, with Sweden prevailing 4-3 in the shootout.

Who is the most successful Women’s Euros team of all time?

Germany holds the record as the most successful team in Women’s Euros history, as winners of eight out of the 14 championships held

Their dominance began in 1989 – when they were still West Germany – and won six successive tournaments between 1995 and 2013.

Notable wins included a 6-2 thrashing of England in 2009 and a 3-2 win over Sweden in 1995.

It’s perhaps no surprise that the top two scorers in the tournament’s history are both German.

Inka Grings scored 10 goals across the 2005 and 2009 tournaments, while Birgit Prinz scored the same total across their successes between 1995 and 2009.

No other nation comes close to Germany’s success, with only four other nations winning the tournament.

Norway won the trophy in 1987 and 1993. The Lionesses joined the Netherlands and Sweden as one-time winners after clinching the trophy in 2022.

Nadine Angerer (front L) and Anja Miitag (front R) of Germany celebrate with the team after winning the UEFA Women’s EURO 2013 final soccer match between Germany and Norway at the Friends Arena in Solna, Sweden, 28 July 2013. Photo: Carmen Jaspersen/dpa +++(c) dpa – Bildfunk+++

UEFA European Women’s Championship finals and winners

Which nations are the favourites to win Euro 2025?

Spain is widely regarded as the team to beat off the back of their World Cup success in 2023.

Since April, they have won four Nations League games, in which, they have scored 18 goals – including 11 in two games against Portugal.

Defending champions England remain strong contenders despite a mixed record since their success in 2022.

The Lionesses lost to Spain in the 2023 World Cup final but split victories against the Spaniards in their two Nations League games in 2025.

Eight-time champions Germany can never be overlooked despite losing captain Alexandra Popp to retirement.

Germany had a difficult 2024 but have won six games on the bounce and is unbeaten in 2025.

The Netherlands, champions in 2017, are also in the mix despite crashing out of the quarter-finals in the last Euros and the World Cup.

Potential dark horses in the tournament are France and Sweden who have a host of talented players but perhaps lack the depth that other teams listed have.