In some quarters there were misgivings when Switzerland was chosen as host nation for the Women’s Euro 2025. The Swiss track record in women’s football was nothing to write home about. The stadiums would be of a modest size, unable to offer the grandeur and sense of occasion that accompanied games at Wembley or Old Trafford in Euro 2022. Would it all be a bit of a comedown after that heady summer’s day three years ago, when England beat Germany to end 56 years of hurt in front of almost 90,000 people?
As the Lionesses prepare to defend their title this weekend against the competition favourites, Spain, such fears have long been put to bed. Sunday’s final in Basel, pitting English athleticism against subtle Spanish passing rhythms, promises a worthy denouement to a tournament that has delivered further progress for the women’s game.
From the group stages onwards, record numbers of fans have packed out grounds from Lucerne to Zurich, while in Britain ITV’s coverage has attracted its highest viewing figures of the year. The Swiss fell in love with their underdog team, which battled courageously through to the quarter-finals. (“This is just the beginning,” read one supporter’s banner.) Sweden sparkled and then self-combusted in an unbearably tense penalty shootout against England. Four thousand fans dressed in red and green accompanied Wales’s women to their first ever major tournament. Only four years ago, Wales played a World Cup qualifier in Slovenia in front of a handful of spectators.
As for England, where to start? Online racist abuse directed at the defender Jess Carter cast a long, unhappy shadow off the field. As the women’s game continues to grow, the Football Association must be proactive in seeking to protect players suddenly exposed to some of society’s darkest undercurrents.
On the pitch, it was thrilling stuff. The Lionesses’ madcap progress to the final has been arguably the most gripping spectacle of the sporting year. Dead and buried against the Swedes, down and out against Italy in the semi-final, veterans such as Lucy Bronze and Chloe Kelly somehow found a way to win. The joy of those comebacks will for ever be savoured by girls who have grown up with these players as idols and role models. Michelle Agyemang, the 19-year-old former Wembley ballgirl whose remarkable last-gasp goals twice saved England, announced herself as a star for the next generation.
Such stories – and such drama – will become part of the sport’s folklore, as women’s football writes its own vivid 21st-century history. The game has its challenges to address, particularly at club level, where a gulf in resources has emerged between elite clubs and the rest. But successful international tournaments are crucial to sustaining momentum, or as Bronze put it before England’s match against Sweden, “exploding” the game in Europe and beyond. In that respect, Euro 2025 has more than done its job.
Sunday’s final is a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final in Australia, which Spain deservedly won. The form book, and the quality of players such as two-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, points to another Spanish victory. On the other hand, there is an old football saying often applied to teams that ride their luck and reach a cup final without truly playing well. Could it be that England’s “name is on the trophy”? Here’s to one more tale of the unexpected.
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