UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 Preview | OneFootball

The 14th UEFA Women’s Euros will take place in Switzerland between July 2nd and 27th. The tournament has already broken records for ticket sales and seems to have one of the strongest player pools that we have seen.

EURO Facts

The Hosts

This will be Switzerland’s third consecutive European Championship appearance. As they look to progress out of Group A under the stewardship of legendary player and manager Pia Sundhage, the Red Crosses will have to outdo Norway, Finland and Iceland. After Norway, the Swiss have the strongest squad. Plus, with home advantage a first-place finish is possible. Sundhage will use the 5-3-2 or 5-4-1 to sit deep in their box. It’s a solid strategy, but can lead to too much concession of space.

Team captain Lia Wälti is the side’s most important player, able to screen the defense and keep the ball. The Arsenal player will be tasked with distributing to the advanced midfielders.

One of the most exciting prospects at the tournament is Barcelona forward Sydney Schertenleib. Naturally a central midfielder, the 18-year-old plays as a forward for her country.  In practice, she is another midfielder, routinely moving to the right or centrally to turn her marker or shoot from range or pick out a willing runner. Her shots from distance can light up any game.

The Favorites

Spain

Coming off a strong run of form in the Nations League, Spain comes into the tournament firing on all cylinders. Spain’s strength lies in their Barcelona core: Cata Coll, Ona Battle, Irene Paredes, Patri Guijarro, Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmati, Claudia Pina, new signing and former academy player Laia Aleixandri, and Mariona Caldentey. Having multiple players who know each other inside out and understand the intricacies of play with and without the ball leaves La Roja in a primed position.

After suffering an ACL injury days before Euro 2022, Alexia Putellas has since managed her minutes. This season, the two-time Balon d’Or winner made seventeen Liga F starts and still managed to score sixteen goals and assist eleven from midfield. The 31-year-old is comfortably among the best players in the world and is due to have another great tournament.

One potential pitfall is the relationship between the Spanish players and the federation. The ongoing tension between them could become a distraction.

England

After winning their first Euros in 2022, England reached the World Cup final, losing 1-0 to Spain. Some things, however, have changed since then. The international retirement of Mary Earps gave Hannah Hampton the title of first-choice keeper, and the handing over of the baton from Fran Kirby and Rachel Daly to the next generation.

While England played a near-perfect tournament on home soil and were in the midst of a thirty-game unbeaten run under Sarina Wiegman, the main question became ‘What happens when England loses? ’ The answer seems to be a slight lack of consistency as the Lionesses have failed to win more than two games in a row since April 2024. In terms of personnel, the squad’s makeup consists primarily of players from domestic treble winners Chelsea(6), presumably reinforcing the strong winning mentality instilled by the senior players. England will be without Chelsea and England captain Millie Bright due to personal reasons.

Germany

Euro 2022 finalists and eight-time European Champions Germany will be confidently crossing the border having won five of their last six games under new coach Christian Wuck. Wuck has implemented a high-pressure, man-to-man marking system, resulting in thirty-eight goals during his ten-game tenure. This structure, however, is not faultless. Germany has conceded numerous chances via single midfield passes. From the outside, it seems Germany has a strong unit off the pitch; possibly the most important attribute in tournament football. Most of Germany’s attacking output comes from the wings. Captain Giulia Gwinn attacks relentlessly, allowing winger Jule Brand to drift inside and use her speed to leave players behind. Klara Bühl on the opposite wing will cause problems for any defence, utilising her two-footedness, strength and shot power.

New Blood

Poland

Poland qualified for their first-ever tournament after beating Austria in their second playoff clash. The Poles enter the tournament in strong form, winning their last ten games.. Though Poland has been drawn into one of two groups of death with Germany, Sweden and Denmark, fans should not be too disheartened due to Poland’s own qualities. Centre- Back Pauline Dudek is defensively astute, Tanja Pawollek will sit at the base of the midfield acting as a defensive screen while providing a long shot threat, to her left, Ewelina Kamczyk, a playmaker who will be vital in attack,  allowing Ewa Pajor to do what she does best.

With sixty-eight goals in one hundred and one caps, Pajor is not only Poland’s greatest but Europe’s most prolific striker. The Barcelona striker won the Spanish Golden Boot in her first season in Catalonia, scoring twenty-five goals from twenty-two starts, most of those goals coming from balls in behind or being that second quicker than her marker to tap home.

Wales

Wales enter their first international tournament with a tough assignment before them. The Dragons managed to seal one of the final places at the tournament, beating Slovakia and Ireland to book their tickets to Switzerland.

Pitted against England, the Netherlands and France, outside expectations are low. Although results have not been perfect in the lead-up to the tournament, Wales have managed to draw twice against Sweden and narrowly lose to Denmark. In defeat, Wales tend to keep the scoreboard down, yielding hope.

Under the Canadian Rhian Wilkinson, the Dragons will deploy a 4-3-3. At their best, playing on the counter, Hannah Cain will be the target of quick throughballs. Left-back Lilly Woodham provides the team with a great engine and cultured left boot. 38-year-old Jess Fishlock is the brain that the team can look for when under pressure. The playmaker is willing to take risks from the left or slow it all down if necessary.

Dark Horses

Iceland

Iceland have qualified for their fourth consecutive European Championships; an impressive feat for a population of around 390,000 people. They escaped the group stage in 2013 but have subsequently left the tournament early. Since 2024, there has been relative success, most notably a 3-0 triumph over Germany.

What makes Iceland so challenging is their style of play. A direct game, including plenty of long balls and crosses into the box, causing headaches for opponents. Over the years, Iceland has become known for its physicality, proving very difficult to defend. Placed in a tough Group A with Switzerland, Finland and Norway, Iceland aren’t favorites, but a quarter-final berth is possible.

Italy

The women’s game in Italy has become stronger year over year since the full professionalization of its league in 2022. This has translated to the national team that Andrea Soncin picked up after an ebb in September 2023. It is difficult to tie one formation to Soncin, but his preferences tend to be a 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and the occasional use of three central defenders. Gli Azzuri use the centre of the pitch to create intricate passing patterns near their opponents’ areas, culminating in high-quality chances. They are not afraid to utilize the full width of the pitch, using long diagonal balls from right to left to bring the left-back or winger into the game.