The UEFA Women's Euro 2025 is set to kick off in Switzerland on July 2 and will run until July 27. This will be the 14th edition of the tournament, held every four years, and organized by UEFA for the women's national teams of Europe. Switzerland was selected as the host nation on April 4, 2023, beating out bids from Poland, France, and a joint Nordic proposal.
Sixteen teams will compete across eight host cities: Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Sion, and Thun. The tournament will begin with group stage matches, where the top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the knockout phase. England is the defending champion, having won the 2022 tournament.
The opening match will feature Iceland against Finland in Thun. Host nation Switzerland will then face Norway in Basel. Other opening-day matches include Denmark vs Sweden and France vs England.
The tournament is expected to draw record crowds, with more than 570,000 tickets already sold. An additional 32,000 tickets have been reserved for the knockout stages. The Women's Euro 2022 in England drew 574,865 spectators and was hailed as a breakthrough moment for the sport, and organizers are aiming to surpass that figure.
The final will be held in Basel at St. Jakob-Park, the largest stadium in Switzerland.
The tournament format consists of a group stage, where the 16 teams are divided into four groups. The top two teams from each group will then proceed to a knockout stage, consisting of quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final.
Several teams have already qualified for the tournament, including Switzerland as the host nation, England, Wales, Belgium, Finland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden. Notably, Wales will be making their first appearance in a major tournament.
The matches will be held in eight venues across Switzerland. These include St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, Stade de Geneve in Geneva, Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Arena St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Allmend Stadion Luzern in Lucerne, Stade de Tourbillon in Sion, and Arena Thun in Thun.
The UEFA has significantly increased the tournament's prize pool, with the total distribution fund rising by 156 percent compared to 2022. The total prize money stands at 41 million euros (48 million dollars), with the winner set to earn 5.1 million euros (6 million dollars).
With the tournament kicking off, concerns have been raised regarding player safety due to the extreme heat in Switzerland. UEFA has relaxed security measures to allow fans to bring water bottles into the stadiums. There have also been requests to extend half-time from 15 to 20 minutes to help lower players' core temperatures.
The Women's Euro 2025 promises to be a thrilling tournament, showcasing the best of women's football in Europe.
