In a continent not so far away next year, we will have their women’s euros… here are the guests that have been invited to the party
Women UEFA EURO 2025 will be sent in the home of chocolate and neutrality… Switzerland.
These countries have qualified automatically through group stages or play-offs and what they bring to the tournament.
Denmark, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain qualified through the League A group stages. At the same time, Belgium, Finland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and Wales all came through the play-off games after either coming third in the League A groups or first in the League B groups.
England
Your current holders of this tournament, who have been to a World Cup final, won the final. Their recent performance has been less than desirable, losing to Germany, who they beat in the Euros final to become champions. We got a draw over the USA, though two US games were ruled out. We also had a 2-1 result against South Africa and a less desirable win over the 2025 Euros host Switzerland.
They face top opponents to prepare for those big games, but they are poorly defensive. They are injury-ridden, but they do not look as strong as in the last two tournaments.
The Welsh Dragons have come roaring into this tournament, beating the Republic 3-2 on aggregate in the playoffs to make it to their first-ever tournament for the women’s team. Do I need to say, though, that they are not here to make up numbers, that is for sure? Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland did not make the playoffs, and we will not see them in Switzerland.
Switzerland is the host, so they receive an automatic qualification. However, their hosting has been met with outrage due to the parliament's decision to cut the funding, which has been labelled a “catastrophe.” The original plan reported that they would invest 13.5 million pounds, which has been slashed to 3.6 million pounds. SP National Councilor Matthias Aebischer, President of the parliamentary sports group, said this is the wrong message for young girls looking to get into the sport. Due to the lack of funding and resources, this tournament will likely not run smoothly, and they will likely beat other capable countries with a joint bid from Scandinavia, for example.
Spain
The Spanish women’s national team has come with its controversy and advertisements over the last few years, from kissing at the World Cup in 2023 to the male aggression of their manager. They participated in their first Olympics in Paris 2024; however, they placed fourth after being beaten for bronze by Germany. They will face the Lionesses in a rematch of that World Cup final at the beginning of next year. In their most recent friendly, Spain smashed it out of the park with a 5-0 victory against South Korea and a 4-2 victory over France. Spain was one of three teams, with Switzerland and Germany scoring the highest at 15.
Germany avenged the English with a 4-3 victory at Wembley in an international friendly. They have had a great year with an Olympic bronze medal, taking the top points in Euro qualification. Though their captain, Popp, and other key players have retired from international football, this has not affected their football. They smashed the EUROS host Switzerland 6-0 at the end of last month; however, they were beaten by Australia 2-1 on home soil back in October.
Sweden
They came third in their group, which was a complex group with the likes of England and France, who took the automatic places, which took the Swedes to the playoffs, but they did not let them deter them. They came third in the Australia World Cup in 2023 and won a penalty shoot-out to the USA, then trophy holders. In the playoffs, they had to go up against Luxembourg and play out with a 12-0 on aggregate and then face Serbia with an 8-0 victory to put them on the plane for the Euros. They won the Euros in 1984 but have not won a trophy since then.
France pulled a shock when they beat England at home 2-1 at Wembley. Though they automatically qualified for the Olympics as host country, they did not perform to a high standard. Because they won against England, the central revival was in their qualification group; however, England beat France 2-1. They recently lost to the World Cup holder Spain 4-2 in an international friendly after losing them back in 2023 in the final of the Nations League
The 2017 Euros holders are the Netherlands, who came joint second in their group, drawing with Italy on nine points. They scored four goals to four goals conceded, winning two games, three draws, and one loss. The highest goal scorer is Vivianne Miedema, who is returning from injury. Their tournament's best performance in the Euros was Danielle van de Donk.
Norway
Norway, though placed third in their group stage, was a shoo-in for the next round. They beat Albania 14-0 and then Northern Ireland 7-0. They were in an incredibly hard qualification group, with Italy and the Netherlands getting automatic places. For Norway to fight the play-off, it was more of a walk in the park for the Norwegians.
Belgium
Belgium had to go through the play-offs to make it through, beating Ukraine 4-1 over the two games and Greece 5-0 after both fixtures. In October 2023, they gave England quite a shock with a 3-2 victory, directly impacting the Lionesses' inability to qualify for the Olympics. They scored 14 goals; however, they conceded 19 goals. In Euros 2022, the Red Flames (their nickname) reached the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time.
Finland
Unfortunately, Finland did not have the best time in their group stage, with only a win against Italy. They could qualify as a playoff team because they were in League A. The third and fourth places in League A face the first place in the League B groups. They shocked the Scottish in the second fixture with a 2-0 victory, ending the Scots’ chance to appear in the tournament.
Poland
Poland lost all their League A group matches but joined the playoffs to make it through. They played Romania first and beat them 6-2; next up, they faced Austria, which was closer with a 2-0 result. They have won the last four games in European games. "Over the last few years, there has been a huge lead forward in women's football in Poland. We are happy to be a part of this and contribute to this project. Broadcasts of women's national team matches on TVP channels have enjoyed growing interest during the previous cycle. This agreement will allow us to gain more regular fans of women's football. This national team has already proved that it is worth supporting," said Zbigniew Boniek, President of the Polish Football Association.
Portugal
Portugal won their League B group like Wales and, therefore, would have to face third or fourth place in League A. In their promotion journey, they faced Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic. The first semi-final against Azerbaijan was 8-1, and the final against the Czech Republic was a thrilling 3-2.
Denmark
Denmark made it through League A as second fiddle to Spain, with Belgium in third place also making it through the play-offs.
Iceland
Iceland has not had a great international break the last two times out, with three losses and one draw. However, they played incredibly well in their group qualification in League A, coming second after Germany. They only lost to the Olympic bronze medalist and a draw against Austria to make it out of the group with 13 points, only two behind the group leader, Germany.
Italy
Italy have been a shock of the qualification and recent performance they beat Germany 2-1 while they also drew with the world cup holders of Spain.Italy Women, who played their first-ever match on 23 February 1968 in Viareggio (against Czechoslovakia). The Azzurre have taken part in eleven European Championships, coming second in 1993 and 1997.
The draw for the groups for the tournament next summer will occur on Monday 16th at 5pm GMT.
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