2025 Women's Euros: Who will taste success in Switzerland?
Sixteen teams will compete in the 2025 UEFA Women's Championships in Switzerland. Current European Champions England are looking to defend the title they won at Wembley four years ago.
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00:00The Women's European Championships is just around the corner, with 16 of Europe's best teams fighting it out for continental glory over 25 days in Switzerland.
00:11So who will lift the UEFA Women's Euros for 2025?
00:20Hello and welcome to Football Now.
00:23The UEFA Women's European Championships is just about to kick off, with England the defending champions.
00:31Yes, their thrilling extra-time win against Germany in the last edition still lives long in the memory.
00:38We asked former England striker Natasha Dowie if the Lionesses can go back-to-back.
00:44I think England, you'll have to say, are probably the favourites.
00:48Being the holders, they've got a few players out missing at the moment, which they would be desperate to get back.
00:53The likes of Lauren Hemp, I think, is a huge miss.
00:55I think Alex Greenwood needs to be back-fit if she can.
00:59But then, they've been there and done it.
01:00And I think that's probably the best thing about this England team at the moment.
01:04When I play for England, you go into games against your USA, your Germany, France, the top teams.
01:10And you'd always believe, but because you had never achieved it, it was so hard to then get over the line.
01:16But now, you know, they're holders.
01:17They make the World Cup final.
01:19You know, they're playing in big games.
01:21And it's the norm now for them.
01:23And I think that puts them in really good stead coming into this tournament.
01:27So, let's take a look now at how the 16 teams competing have been split into groups.
01:34Group A contains the host Switzerland with three Nordic opponents in Norway, Iceland and Finland.
01:41With no team inside the top 10 on FIFA's world rankings, any team can qualify from this group.
01:47Norway's Ada Hergerberg will make her first appearance at the Euros for eight years after the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner boycotted the competition, protesting the Norwegian Federation's lack of investment in women's football.
02:01Group B sees the 2023 World Cup winners Spain take on Portugal, Belgium and Italy.
02:07Yes, since lifting that World Cup trophy two years ago, Spanish teams have completely dominated the women's game at both club and international level.
02:19So, can they continue that run of success at this tournament?
02:23I would be shocked if there is anyone who can come close to Spain in taking out the women's Euros this year.
02:30Barcelona and Real Madrid have been producing and investing in these players for the last couple of years.
02:35They're now turning out players, especially youth players, and are moving the game to a new level.
02:41That World Cup win, yes, they won it.
02:42But they won it under really difficult and really complicated circumstances.
02:47And it took a lot of the shine off of the success of the players themselves.
02:51So, I think this Euros competition for them is going to be a second chance to really have their moment in the sun.
02:57And they will have deserved it because these players are incredible.
03:01And the system that has produced them is also incredible and deserves to have that kind of attention and celebration for them as well.
03:07I hope it's Spain because I love watching them.
03:10The way that they have been playing, coming off the back of their win in the Women's World Cup,
03:14it would be a real surprise if they don't go back-to-back in these major tournaments and take out the women's Euros as well.
03:20Group C is by far the toughest in the tournaments, with Germany, Sweden and Denmark all ranked in the top 12 in the world on FIFA's official rankings.
03:29And finally, Group D sees defending champions England also face top opposition in 2022 semi-finalist France and 2019 Women's World Cup runners-up the Netherlands.
03:42And when you look at England's group, you know, almost like the group of death with France, the Netherlands and Wales.
03:48I mean, what a tough group, you know, for them to be drawn into.
03:51France is so strong, always that team that has such talented players but never seems to be able to come major tournament, get it over the line.
03:58Whether or not this would change this year.
04:01The Netherlands, again, so strong, you know, got some brilliant players within their ranks and a team that will definitely, you know, be there towards the end of the tournament, I'm sure.
04:10But then you look at the likes of Sweden as well.
04:12There's so many nations that are just always in the knockout stages.
04:16Every major tournament, they seem to be there or thereabouts.
04:20Yes, England and Spain are the two standout teams at this tournament.
04:24So perhaps it's no surprise that clubs from these nations, Arsenal and Barcelona, also contested the UEFA Women's Champions League final earlier in the year.
04:35So how has the balance of power in the women's game shifted so dramatically towards these two countries?
04:42We've seen different nations rise and fall throughout the women's game.
04:47In the 90s, it was Asia, particularly China and the United States.
04:51Then throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Europe started to come to the table as club football became more prominent.
04:57Club football is now the main driver of the women's game.
05:01Historically, it's been national teams that have been the main platform for women to develop in football.
05:06It's been the place where they get paid the most money, they get the most opportunities.
05:10But now club football, it really has become the centre of this universe.
05:14And so it's potentially no coincidence that we're starting to see nations whose domestic league clubs are really coming to the table and investing in their women's programs.
05:24Those are the nations that are now benefiting on the international stage.
05:27We want all of these nations to be competing in a healthy fashion against each other.
05:32So I hope it's a great tournament.
05:33It promises to be the biggest women's Euros ever, but who will be taking home the trophy?
05:40Will it be England, Spain, or will another surprise team be the winners?
05:45Let us know who you think it's going to be using the hashtag FootballNowWomenSEuros2025.
05:51That's all we've got time for, though, here from the Albay Stadium in Qatar.
