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BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
When is the Women's Euros 2025?
Euro 2025 is finally here, with 16 teams from across Europe ready to showdown!The 2023 Women's World Cup ended in heartbreak for England's Lionesses, losing out in the final to Spain - but will they fare better this time around? And which of the home nations has qualified for the first time? Find out all this and more with this article from Bitesize! Switzerland will be the host nation for Euro 2025, marking the first time they've played host to a major women's sporting event on this will be played right across the country, with the tournament kicking off in Thun and coming to a close at St-Jakob Park, in other host cities include St Gallen, Zurich, Lucerne, Bern, Sion and Geneva. Euro 2025 kicks off on Wednesday 2 July, as Iceland face off with Finland at the Stockhorn Arena in Thun. The game will kick off at 5pm UK time, with hosts Switzerland taking on Norway later that group stage of the tournament will continue on through to 13 July, with the quarter-finals beginning on July 16 - all leading up to the final on Sunday 27 July. 16 teams will compete for the crown of Euro 2025 champions this summer, including two of the home nations - one of them for the first time!The nations who qualified are: Iceland, Finland, Switzerland, Norway, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Wales, Netherlands, France and teams will be split evenly across four groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarter-finals. Euro 2025 marks the Euros debut of the Wales women's national football team, with Rhian Wilkinson's side joining England in Group will kick off their tournament in Lucerne, taking on Netherlands on Saturday 5 July at 5pm UK time. England will begin their campaign later that day, facing off against France at 8pm UK teams will play their second match on Wednesday 9 July, with England playing Netherlands in Zurich, and Wales matching up against France in St their final group stage game, England and Wales will come face to face with one another, kicking off in St Gallen at 8pm UK time on Sunday 13 July. The first official UEFA Women's Euro took place between 1982 and 1984, with 16 teams across Europe coming together to compete for the trophy. England, Scotland, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland all took part - alongside nations like France, Italy and Portugal, amongst competition's first game took place on 18 August 1982, with Sweden comfortably beating out Finland in a 6-0 final took place in 1984, with England facing off against Sweden over a two-leg final. The Swedes beat England on home turf, before an England win at Kenilworth Road sent the final to a penalty unsurprisingly, England lost on penalties, with Sweden becoming the first ever Women's Euro champions! England go into the 2025 Euros as reigning champions, with the Lionesses roaring to victory over Germany in the final of Euro 2022. Chloe Kelly's goal in extra-time marked an end to over 50 years of hurt for England's men and women's national hold the record for the most number of Women's Euro titles, having won eight of the 13 that have taken place as of this year. Other winners include Sweden, Netherlands and Norway with the possibility of a further nation being added to those ranks this summer! The first Women's EurosEverything you need to know about Euro 2025Ella Powell: How my teachers helped kickstart an international football careerSix things you need to know about women's football
Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Welcome to World Sevens Football – DJs, smoke cannons and £3.7m prize pot
Of all the unique elements to the new World Sevens Football tournament, the Jaws theme tune being played before a penalty kick was perhaps the most striking. Bizarrely brilliant is the best way to describe the first full day of women's football's new competition. Few knew what to expect from this tournament, which will earn the winners £1.9 million in prize money. Even the teams competing were not sure what was waiting for them when they arrived in Estoril on the Portuguese Riviera. An unpredictable DJ, smoke cannons and street-style football was the answer. Telegraph Sport was on the ground in Estoril to take in and assess women's football's new format. Eyes on the prize There had been questions over how seriously the competing teams would take the World Sevens. Manchester City left several of their big-name players at home in contrast to Manchester United, who brought a full strength squad. But it was clear from the start that every team competing want to win. That is no doubt due to the huge prize money available to the winners. The total prize pot is worth £3.72 million while the winners will take home £1.9 million, with a percentage of the money going directly to players. 'For any team who wins it, it would do a lot,' Marc Skinner, the United coach, said of the prize pot. 'If we then get to the point where we can win the prize money, then of course that can be huge for us as well. But more importantly, the players have to enjoy it and that's exactly why we were here.' Speaking after his side won their second game on penalties, Nick Cushing, the interim City manager, said: 'Because it's new, there's no real jeopardy. If we lost today, we would be disappointed, but it's not like you've been knocked out of the Champions League. 'As the tournament starts to go on, you get closer to the prize money and you get closer to being the first winner, the jeopardy starts to come in and the tactics start to change.' Fun, flair and vibes The seven-a-side format means players are not bound by the strict tactics and principles we often see in the Women's Super League. The whole point of the World Sevens is for games to be entertaining and there was no hint of a low block or a bore draw. In fact, draws are not allowed – with matches having five minutes 'over-time' and penalties if teams are level after 30 minutes. 'I think this format really speaks to the next generation, it's football fun again,' said former United States player Tobin Heath, who is one of the former pros on the player advisory council. Living in the moment 🤣 #MUWomen || #WorldSevensFootball — Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) May 22, 2025 'Football has become so professionalised, so prescribed. We're missing the fun, the feel of what football is, what I fell in love with. I don't see it enough anymore. I think it's being coached out too young, too soon. And even speaking to the players, it's been fantastic.' There was a moment in Bayern Munich's game against Benfica when Tuva Hansen took her shirt off after scoring and was booked by referee Minka Vekkeli. But organisers decided to rescind the yellow card, with the pair then taking part in a light-hearted video. At World Sevens Football, we celebrate joy! @FCBayernEN — World Sevens Football (@worldsevens_) May 22, 2025 Most players seemed to embrace the format and, in truth, when else do they really get to let loose and just enjoy themselves? At the start of each game, the starting seven players are announced on the speaker before they run out onto the pitch. It was clear several found it amusing but many embraced it, with United's starting team all doing cartwheels for their second game. Players clearly enjoyed the opportunity to have fun. City forward Kerolin said it felt like she was back playing in Brazil while United's Gabby George said players have been able to relax after a tough domestic campaign. In addition to Hansen, Bayern Munich appeared to be having a team competition for the best goal celebration. 🎣 Bayern ready to reel in another spectacular win 😜 📺 Watch it all LIVE & FREE on DAZN 🗓️ May 22 🔗 Link in bio #DAZNxW7F #WorldSevensFootball — DAZN Women's Football (@DAZNWFootball) May 22, 2025 🍎Bayern moving into the semis like... 📺 Watch it all LIVE & FREE on DAZN 🔗 #DAZNxW7F #WorldSevensFootball — DAZN Women's Football (@DAZNWFootball) May 22, 2025 'It's enjoyable for the fans, but also enjoyable for us,' George said. 'We've just had a long, gruelling season, we put ourselves under immense stress and pressure because we want to win things. But here we've just been able to let our hair down and show our flair.' NBA-style atmosphere and the fan experience At the start of the tournament, the in-house DJ would play music when players went to take corners as well as when goals went in. The highlight was undoubtedly the Jaws theme tune being played before Ajax midfielder Lily Yohannes took and scored a penalty against City's Khiara Keating. 🎯 Johannes gives Ajax comeback hope from the penalty spot! 📺 Watch it all LIVE & FREE on DAZN 🗓️ May 22 🔗 #DAZNxW7F #WorldSevensFootball — DAZN Women's Football (@DAZNWFootball) May 22, 2025 'I don't know if you're familiar with going to any basketball games, but music is such a part of that culture and we're really trying to bring the culture into the experience of the game,' Heath said. Music during Women's Super League games is something traditionalists would turn their nose up at, and rightly so, but in this format it works. The crowds taking in games were not huge but given the location that is not a surprise – Portugal is hardly a hotbed for women's football. Many of the teams taking part were not announced until a couple of weeks before and more fans may have travelled over had they been given more notice. That is something that organisers will hope to navigate in the future. There did appear to be a sizeable engagement with the tournament, which was broadcast for free on DAZN, on social media. Is the tournament here to stay? The obvious question is: can the World Sevens become a regular part of the women's football calendar? It has certainly been a hit with players. The involvement of Heath, and other former pros such as Anita Asante and Caroline Segers, has been key. Competing teams were impressed by the arrangements made for them and how organisers catered to their specific needs. A lot of the build-up to this tournament centred on injury concerns ahead of this summer's European Championship, and whether players are overloaded. But United's Grace Clinton countered that players would only have been doing the same type of games in training had they not been at the tournament. 'I've heard from a lot of players who are thankful that they have a space to continue to play, to continue to have their fitness, to get their confidence,' Heath said. 'I understand being overloaded, but I can tell you that's like maximum 10 per cent, five per cent, of the footballing population. And I can tell you most of the footballing population, they're being under-loaded. There's so many players that are just craving for minutes.' World Sevens Football is funded by the United States-based philanthropist Jennifer Mackesy, co-owner of National Women's Soccer League club Gotham FC. It is understood there is a commitment to invest as much as $100 million (£75 million) in W7F over the next five years, with further events planned. A second tournament will take place on another continent between November and December, with different teams competing. So, the tournament is here to stay in the short term. It will be intriguing to see whether the interest and excitement can be maintained in the long term, but the early signs show there is definitely an appetite among players for the tournament to continue.
