Behind the scenes: Spain's official Women's Euro 2025 photo
Is England In Crisis Ahead Of Euro 2025? | Full Time Review
As England prepares to defend its European title, the nation has been rocked by the sudden retirements of high-profile veterans Mary Earps and Fran Kirby, and the withdrawal of vice-captain Mille Bright. As pressure intensifies on head coach Sarina Wiegman ahead of Euro 2025, many are wondering: Is England really in crisis? On a special edition of Full Time, Tamerra Griffin is joined by The Athletic's Megan Feringa and Jacob Whitehead to unpack how England got to this point, and where Wiegman's team might be heading. What has changed since the Lionesses won Euro 2022? Has opinion soured on Wiegman? Is this amount of noise normal for any high-profile defending champion? Who will step up to be the leaders for England in Switzerland this summer?
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New York Times
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Euro 2025: Wales team guide – can the debutants be disruptors in the toughest group?
Finally. The sense of relief for Wales after qualifying, at last, for their first major women's tournament is palpable and powerful. That they have been drawn into the European Championship's toughest group — with England, the Netherlands and France — will not dampen spirits, nor will the fact they are the lowest-ranked team to have made it to Switzerland this summer (30th in the world, by FIFA's calculations). The underdog tag is something this team neither shirk nor embrace. And, while very few expect Wales to get out of the group, or perhaps even win a single point in the process of trying, the lack of pressure is viewed as a privilege in the camp. Rhian Wilkinson, 43, was tasked with what was historically an impossible job, made tougher by the fact she stepped into the role of leading Wales just two months before the Euro 2025 qualifying campaign began. The former Canada international arrived armed with 181 appearances for her national side and two Olympic bronze medals, but her coaching pedigree was not so well established. In her first head-coach position, in 2021, she guided her former team Portland Thorns to the NWSL Championship title, but departed later that year after an investigation into a relationship with a player. Wilkinson was cleared of any wrongdoing. Advertisement That Wilkinson has turned Wales' women — a team that, much like their men's side before the magic of Euro 2016 sparked a flurry of tournament appearances, seemed condemned to a life of near-misses (see: World Cup 2019, Euro 2022, World Cup 2023) — into a cohesive and competitive unit in the space of just 10 months has defied most expectations. Under Wilkinson, Wales have become more confident on the ball and prefer to move quickly through the thirds. In their Euro 2025 qualifying campaign, a high press was used regularly and with plenty of success. That said, Wilkinson has shown there's a shrewd practicality to her style and against better quality opponents, Wales are happy to soak up pressure, defend resolutely and hit teams on the counter, playing off a high-positioned forward and committing high up the pitch. Mention Wales Women and one name comes to mind: Jess Fishlock. With more than 150 caps and 47 goals (a record for Wales' senior national teams, women's and men's), the 38-year-old has become an extension of her nation. But under Wilkinson and with Fishlock battling recurring injuries, Wales have learnt to look elsewhere for influence. Everton midfielder Hayley Ladd is the brains of the operation now, while Liverpool counterpart Ceri Holland has become a reliable source of goals and energy. Wales have done well under Wilkinson to move away from a hardened reputation as being Fishlock's team and become more of a sum of their parts. But the biggest strength they have this summer? Zero pressure. The Welsh are happy to be here and they are happy to prove themselves on the biggest stage. If that sounds familiar, it might be worth checking out what happened in France nine years ago with the men's side… While more of a squad than previous years, Wales are still not one of the most blessed nations in terms of strength in depth, so their team is a mixture of elite players and some with less top-level experience. Another potential weakness? Goalkeeper. Their usual No 1, Olivia Clark, left FC Twente of the Netherlands to join Leicester City in January, but the 23-year-old did not make a single appearance for the Women's Super League side after that transfer and her rustiness was exposed recently in the Nations League. Manchester United backup Safia Middleton-Patel has made a case to take over the gloves this summer, but at 20 years old and with just 11 senior club appearances to her name, all but one of them out on loan, that would be a bold call. In Wales' final Nations League games in early June, 18-year-old Manchester City defender Mayzee Davies suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury, becoming their second player ruled out by that issue in the space of two months, following on from experienced backup goalkeeper Laura O'Sullivan. Advertisement Midfielder Sophie Ingle has been a notable name absent from the team sheet since also suffering an ACL injury last September during a pre-season match with Chelsea. Wales without Ingle was once an inconceivable premise and, while Wilkinson has done well to bring in young players to replace her, as well as moving Ladd to her preferred position as a No 6, the 33-year-old's quality on the ball is second to none — something this team have missed at times. Ingle has returned in time to make the squad for these Euros, but whether she is match-fit is another question. There is also a slight concern about Fishlock — the Seattle Reign midfielder has had intermittent spells out all through the first half of the 2025 NWSL season due to an ongoing, unspecified leg injury. In Wilkinson's first 10 matches in charge, Wales recorded six wins, three draws and only one defeat. More recent performances do not make for such positive reading (four defeats and two draws in six Nations League matches, against Italy, Denmark and Sweden, both draws impressively coming against the latter). Yet the results only tell half the story. Under previous manager Gemma Grainger, Wales were the Nations League A weaklings, losing successive matches by a scoreline of 5-1 to Germany and Denmark in 2023, and looking increasingly reliant on the individual brilliance of Fishlock. This time around, the first three of those defeats were all by a one-goal margin until the final match against Italy, where they went in at half-time already four down and were ultimately beaten 4-1. 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Between March 2004 and March 2006, Wales' women played just one friendly — against American university Kennesaw State's women's team, who were on a multi-match European tour. Wales won, 1-0.
New York Times
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This England team head into the tournament with the kind of pedigree they have never had previously: reigning European champions and 2023 World Cup finalists. On their day, the Lionesses have the talent, know-how and experience to beat any European side, but their form has been patchy to say the least. Gone is the time when England went on an unbeaten 30-game streak and were a relentless winning machine — but they have proved they can get results in tournament football. Sarina Wiegman has been in charge of England since September 2021 and signed a contract extension in January 2024, keeping her with the Lionesses until after the 2027 World Cup. Known for her directness and honesty with players, the former Netherlands international makes decisions based on what is best for the team. After triumphs with the Netherlands in 2017 and England in 2022, she could become the first manager, in the men's and women's games, to win three Euros titles in a row. Wiegman normally uses a 4-2-3-1 out of possession and then, in possession, pushes her box-to-box midfielder up the field to form a 4-3-3. In England's third group game of the 2023 World Cup, however, she showed her flexibility by going to a 3-4-1-2 after Keira Walsh's injury and even maintained that formation on the midfielder's return as England made it to the final. Walsh and Georgia Stanway are the heart of England's midfield. Walsh is the lynchpin connecting defence and attack and Stanway is the engine. Should they miss a game, England's level would surely drop significantly given the lack of backup options. Lauren James brings a sense of unpredictability and her mere presence can trouble opponents. Her two-footedness makes her a versatile option for Wiegman as she can pop up in pockets across the front line. England have depth in the No 10 (attacking midfield) role and in wide areas but no one can replicate James' talent. England field a very strong starting XI with some of the best players in the world. They have leaders on the pitch and a coaching staff off it who have been there and done it. They know what it takes to win. When England start slowly, a habit of late, they make life very difficult for themselves and struggle to get into a rhythm. Their substitutes have been having less impact than at Euro 2022, preventing them from killing the game. Millie Bright, Mary Earps and Fran Kirby are all missing for different reasons. Bright, the captain at the 2023 World Cup, withdrew from selection as she was unable to 'give 100 per cent mentally or physically', while Earps and Kirby have retired from international football. Neither would likely have made the starting XI, but the trio leave a notable void in the dressing room, especially in leadership and experience. Great Britain failed to qualify for the 2024 Olympics and a summer off for England's players was seen by some as a blessing in disguise. But they have struggled to string together consecutive convincing performances. They have been making errors and losing control of games, including in the 4-3 defeat against Germany in the autumn at Wembley, and away to Belgium in April, when they lost 3-2. That said, they have kept clean sheets against the world's best, with a 0-0 draw against the United States in November and a 1-0 win over reigning world champions Spain in February. Their most fluid performance came at the end of May, when they beat Portugal 6-0. But they could not back up those levels against Spain a few days later, losing 2-1 in early June. England will want another trophy but with such a mixed bag of recent results, it is uncertain which version of this team is going to turn up. They do not have the luxury of easing themselves in with a straightforward fixture — they kick off their tournament against France, then face the Netherlands. There is a realistic possibility they do not make the knockout stages. England assistant Arjan Veurink will leave the Lionesses to become the Netherlands head coach after the Euros, returning to his homeland. Going the other way, Netherlands assistants Janneke Bijl and Arvid Smit will join Wiegman in England.
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One of the teams in this group will be going home far earlier than they had hoped. Three does not go into two and France, the Netherlands and England will expect to make the knockout stages. The Netherlands and England are the two most recent winners of the European Championship, with both achievements being accomplished under the same manager, Sarina Wiegman. Spare a thought for poor Wales, who are being thrown in at the deep end for their first international tournament. They have not been at their best in recent months and the disruption leading into this tournament — the retirements of Mary Earps and Fran Kirby, plus Millie Bright making herself unavailable and having surgery — has not helped, but it is still hard to look past holders England as the leading contenders to get out of this group. Wiegman's side have lost to the Netherlands and France in the past two years but they have also pulled out crucial wins against both teams when they have needed to. Wiegman has repeatedly shown she is a manager who can weather the storms of international tournaments, having reached the final of every European Championship and World Cup in which she has managed. That is not to say it is impossible England are on the wrong end of a shock here — it just feels hard to bet against them. England vs Netherlands This whole group is pretty mouthwatering but the game between England and the Netherlands on the second matchday (July 9) will be pivotal. There is plenty of European Championship history between these teams — the Netherlands knocked England out at the semi-final stage in 2017 — with Dutchwoman Wiegman now managing England only adding to the fun. Meetings between these sides have seen plenty of drama in recent years. In their Nations League group in 2023, Renate Jansen scored a late winner for the Netherlands, then in the reverse fixture at Wembley, Ella Toone did the same for England. Expect this one to go down to the wire. Lauren James (England) When fit, Lauren James is one of the best players in the world. England look like a different side when she is playing, and their success this summer may very well depend on whether they can keep the Chelsea forward healthy. She set the World Cup alight in 2023 until she was sent off in the round of 16 — she will be hoping she can harness the more positive aspects of that tournament in Switzerland. Advertisement Whether it is her ball-carrying, passing, shooting or even her defensive work rate, James has become the complete forward. Wiegman can use her off either wing or as a 'No 10' through the middle, adding to her unpredictability. James is so good that this England team could be built around her for years to come, but she needs to deliver this summer. Veerle Buurman (Netherlands) When Chelsea announced a transfer deadline-day signing last September, plenty of people asked, 'Who?', when they saw the name Veerle Buurman. The left-sided centre-back was immediately loaned back to her previous club, PSV, then broke into the Netherlands team at the start of the season. She has looked very comfortable at senior level and her ability to vary whether she carries the ball or passes it out from the back makes her unpredictable in build-up. She also contributes in attack. She registered two goals and an assist at the most recent Under-20 World Cup, and has a goal and an assist in her senior international career already too. Wales For several of Wales' players, this summer will mark the culmination of years of work, none more so than Jess Fishlock, the 38-year-old who has amassed more than 160 caps for the national team. Widely regarded as one of the best midfielders ever in the women's game, Fishlock has been a dedicated servant to the Wales national team. But it is not just her. Angharad James, Hayley Ladd and Sophie Ingle are some of the other names who have spent years striving for the opportunity to play in an international tournament for Wales. Ingle is in the squad but missed the whole of the 2024-25 season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in Chelsea's pre-season. Under former Portland Thorns manager Rhian Wilkinson, Wales have become a well-organised defensive side with a penchant for a quick counter-attack, powered by the speed of Bristol City winger Ffion Morgan and the sharp finishing of Leicester City forward Hannah Cain. They could hardly have been drawn into a tougher group but it also represents a free hit — and the opportunity to spoil England's summer. Netherlands captain Sherida Spitse recently became the most-capped international player in European football history. In April, she played her 241st game for the Netherlands in a 3-1 win against Austria, surpassing Caroline Seger, who made 240 appearances for Sweden before retiring in 2023. The men's record is held by Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 221. Spitse made her debut as a 16-year-old in 2006, in a 4-0 defeat against England. She has since gone on to feature in seven international tournaments, with this summer's Euros being the fifth one she has been selected for. (Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
