World Cup champion Spain aims to secure a full set of major women’s soccer titles at the 2025 European Championship after being drawn into a group with Italy, Belgium, and Portugal on Monday.
A European title would complete the trophy collection for Spain’s women’s team, which recently claimed the inaugural UEFA Nations League under coach Montse Tomé. Tomé took the helm during a tumultuous period for the team and the federation following their World Cup victory in Sydney in 2023. Notably, she is the only female coach in Spain’s Euro 2025 group.
The tournament, hosted by Switzerland, will kick off on July 2 in Basel, where the host nation will face Norway. The group stage also features Iceland and Finland.
Defending champions England and 2017 winners the Netherlands find themselves in a challenging group alongside top-seeded France and Wales. France and England will meet again on July 5 in Zurich, having previously exchanged victories in their qualifying group, with France finishing atop the standings. “We had some beautiful matches in May and June. It’s a very good challenge,” remarked France coach Laurent Bonadei.
Germany, the record eight-time European champion, has been drawn with Denmark, Poland, and Sweden, the inaugural tournament winner in 1984. The final will take place at Basel’s St. Jakob Park stadium on July 27.
More than 700,000 tickets will be available to the public for the 31 matches held across eight Swiss cities.
Switzerland is tasked with maintaining the momentum in European women’s soccer following three successful major tournaments. France hosted the 2019 Women’s World Cup, won by the United States, while England triumphed in the Euro 2022 final against Germany in front of over 87,000 fans at Wembley Stadium. Spain and England also faced off for the 2023 World Cup title at the first 32-team tournament, hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
“It’s the perfect moment for this tournament to come here,” said retired Swiss star Lara Dickenmann, a two-time Champions League winner with Lyon. “It will be a game-changer for us. It’s going to be really important for the Swiss population and for Swiss media and politics at all levels involved in football.”
Switzerland will begin its campaign against Norway, which lost its opening match of the 2023 World Cup to New Zealand. This matchup will occur just one month before the teams meet again in a Nations League group that also includes Iceland.
Switzerland coach Pia Sundhage expressed her intention to field her best team in what will serve as a final competitive warm-up for Euro 2025. “Confidence can take any team anywhere,” said Sundhage, the Swedish veteran who led the U.S. to consecutive Olympic titles in 2008 and 2012.
England coach Sarina Wiegman, who has won the last two Euros titles after guiding her native Netherlands to the 2017 championship, suggested that the tournament in Switzerland will be unpredictable and exciting. “It’s not just three or four countries who can win,” Wiegman noted. “You can’t predict anymore.”
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