Women's Euro 2025: Five things to know – DW – 06/27/2025
Euro 2025 is being hosted by Switzerland from July 2 to July 27 and the matches will be played at eight stadiums: in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Thun and Sion. Iceland and Finland open the tournament in Thun on July 2, while hosts Switzerland kick off their campaign three hours later in Basel's St. Jakob-Park stadium – where the final is to be played on July 27. Germany open their campaign against Poland in St. Gallen on July 4.
By today's standards this is a relatively small tournament, with just 16 teams, divided into four groups. Each team plays the other three in their group once, with the top two from each advancing to the quarterfinals. Should matches in the knockout stage remain drawn after 90 minutes, two 15-minute periods of extra time are played. If necessary, matches will be decided in penalty shootouts.
World Cup champions Spain disappointed by finishing out of the medals at last summer's Paris Olympics, still they top this list as the continent's highest FIFA-ranked women's team (No. 2). By now they should have put the controversy over the unwanted kiss by former FA President Luis Rubiales after the 2023 World Cup final behind them.
Normally one of the first teams you would name would be the defending champions, however England have had a list of absences and injuries to deal with in recent months. Key central defender Millie Bright ruled herself our, saying she was at her "mental and physical limit" while fellow Euro 2022 winners Fran Kirby and goalkeeper Mary Earps retired on the eve of the squad announcement. Bayern Munich star Georgia Stanway as well as Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood of Manchester City, each missed the bulk of the season after undergoing knee surgery but all make the squad, as does the mercurial Chelsea forward Lauren James, who is nursing a hamstring injury.
Germany, finalists in 2022, are just behind Spain in the FIFA rankings but are a lesser-known quantity than they were three years ago. They've gone through a coaching change after the disappointing 2023 World Cup and captain Alexandra Popp retired. New coach Christian Wück is optimistic about his squad, which he hopes will play with a mixture of "joy, enthusiasm, will and conviction."
France have established themselves as regular quarterfinalists in recent Euros, making it to the semifinals in 2022 – and the Nations League Final in 2024. They had recently fallen off a bit but climbed back into the top 10 in FIFA's latest women's rankings.
Following the retirement of Alexandra Popp, Giulia Gwinn has big boots to fill as Germany's new captain, but is a proven winner with Bayern Munich. She was also a member of the that fell at the last hurdle in England three years ago.
Spain boast two recent Ballon d'Or winners in midfielders Aitana Bonmati (2023, 2024) and Alexia Putellas (2021, 2022) – two good reasons for making Spain one of the favorites. Both were members of Spain's World Cup-winning side in 2023 and semifinalists at the Paris Olympics.
A teammate of Putellas and Bonmati at Barcelona, Ewa Pajor is making her debut at a major tournament with her national team, as this is the first time that Poland have managed to qualify for either the World Cup or the Euros. They will need the striker to be at the top of her game if they are to come out of a group with Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
One of her opponents will be Pernille Harder, a veteran of more than 160 matches for Denmark at 32, she is still going strong for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
For the defending champions, Alessia Russo has graduated from Euro 2022 supersub to England's first choice striker. The Arsenal forward was joint top scorer in the domestic Women's Super League (WSL) and won the Champions League with her club. She will be the focal point for a side who have plenty of attacking midfield threats.
UEFA announced late last year that it had earmarked a total of €41 million ($47 million) in prize money for the 2025 Women's Euros, representing a 156% increase on the figure from the previous tournament in 2022. In a statement, European football's governing body said the increase in funds reflected "UEFA's on-going commitment to growing women's football across Europe." Still, the women continue to trail far behind the men in this department, with the total prize money for Euro 2024 coming in at €331 million – or about eight times what the women are playing for this summer.
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WAFCON finally underway but faces familiar problems – DW – 07/15/2025
A year later than planned, the women's Africa Cup of Nations is taking place in Morocco. While star players impress, familiar problems remain. The rescheduled women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) is underway in Morocco, a year later than planned. The tournament sees some of the best players in the world fighting for glory, but as players and nations emerge, familiar problems linger that threaten to stop the tournament from reaching its full potential. While not a traditional powerhouse, Morocco is becoming the emerging epicenter of women's football on the continent. Thanks to no competing bids and some of the best stadiums in Africa, Morocco have become a stable and safe choice for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to host the tournament. They are hosting again this time around, after having hosted in 2022. They are also set to host in 2026. Recent investment in the women's game in Morocco is clearly paying off. The women's team unexpectedly reached the World Cup knockout stages in 2023 and have developed star players such as captain and legend Ghizlane Chebbak, who scored a hat trick against DR Congo in the group stage of this year's WAFCON. Under Jorge Vilda, the former Spain coach who was sacked after the 2023 scandal involving former Spanish Federation President Luis Rubiales, Morocco are daring to challenge the established football forces of Nigeria and South Africa. They also have the potential to deliver lasting cultural change to both northern Africa and the rest of the continent. Elsewhere at this year's WAFCON, Nigerian superstar Asisat Oshoala, Zambia's striking duo of Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji and South Africa head coach Desiree Ellis are just some of the star-studded names that make this tournament one of the most intriguing ever. And yet, the tournament is held back from reaching its full potential by off-field decisions. As a result of the delay, scheduling for the tournament only came out at the end of May, leaving promotion somewhat last minute, especially compared to the Euros. Furthermore, with three stadiums in Morocco being renovated for the men's tournament, three smaller grounds are now being used, affecting attendance numbers. "We don't celebrate this team enough," Ellis said of her players ahead of their opening game. "That needs to change because many of them are not full-time professionals; that's what makes it the hardest part." Beyond the recognition that many of these teams deserve and yet still remains elusive is the question of fair financial compensation. South Africa's tournament build-up has been hampered by financial issues, with reports that players were not training and sponsors hadn't been secured. An agreement with the players has since been reached, but the team's frustration is one that sadly many other nations competing this summer will likely be able to relate to. "Women in sports, in general, are getting the leftovers," Ellis said. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The prize money on offer is also a contentious issue. On the face of it, the CAF announcement that the prize fund for this year's WAFCON had been increased by 45% was positive, with the winners now receiving €853,000 ($1 million). But that total is not only less than the winners of the other two women's competitions this summer – the Euros (€1.75 million) and Copa America Femenina (€1.3 million). It is worth noting that the Euros total prize money is up by 156% from the last edition. As is often the case for most women's tournaments, the pot is considerably smaller than the men's version. While €853,000 for this year's WAFCON winners is obviously a step in the right direction, it is still a long way off the €6 million Senegal's men got for winning the AFCON in 2023. This pay gap marks a wider issue in the women's game, which many players at this year's WAFCON have to contend with. As FIFA's annual report on women's football in March this year revealed, sustainable income remains elusive for many in the professional game. In the report, FIFA highlighted that the global average annual salary for a woman playing professional football is €9,952 ($10,900). Players at teams given the Tier 1 designation were on an average salary of €20,492 but the average of those at Tier 2 and 3 clubs was €3,719 and €2,392 respectively. While many of the 288 players at this year's WAFCON play their club football in Europe, only a handful play at top outfits. For example, only 10 play in the NWSL (top women's league in the USA) or the WSL (top women's league in England) and most of the South Africa, Botswana and Tanzania squads play domestically. 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