Women's European Championship 2025 – What you need to know: All roads lead to Basel

This year's European Women's Championship will take place in Switzerland. The ball will roll in eight cities: Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Thun, and Sion. The tournament opens on July 2 in Basel's St. Jakob Park, where hosts Switzerland will face Norway. Three and a half weeks later, on July 27, the question of who is the best team on the continent will be answered in the final at the same venue. Conveniently, there is a direct ICE connection from Berlin to Basel. The other host cities are also easily accessible by train in 8-10 hours. However, if you don't have tickets yet, you'd better hurry: many games are already sold out, including all three group matches for the German Women's National Team. Those who want to watch from home can follow all the games on ARD and ZDF.

Sixteen national teams will compete for the title in Switzerland. Only two countries are newcomers: the national teams of Wales and Poland, who have qualified for a European Championship for the first time in the association's history.

These groups were drawn at the draw in Lausanne in December 2024:

Group A: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Finland

Group B: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy

Group C: Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden

Group D: France, England, Wales, Netherlands

Group D is considered the "group of death": France, England, and the Netherlands, among the favorites, will be eliminated in the group stage. Therefore, the debutants from Wales have little hope of advancing.

There are hardly any surprising names in this group. The reigning world champions from Spain are aiming for the first European Championship title in the association's history. They face competition from the defending champions from England, but the German women's national team will also be in contention for the trophy. Similar to recent major tournaments, the Netherlands, France, and Sweden are also expected to be among the contenders.

Click here for the detailed team portraits.

Sydney Schertenleib

The 19-year-old striker is the youngest member of the Swiss national team. She travels to the European Championship after her first season at FC Barcelona, ​​where she has steadily improved over the past few months. Schertenleib trained at FC Zurich. Her German coach, Inka Grings, wanted to use the then 15-year-old in the 2022 Champions League, but UEFA regulations prevented this.

Sofia Cantore

The 25-year-old was the top scorer for the Italian national team in 2024 and most recently won the national championship with Juventus Turin. After the European Championship, she will join Washington Spirit in the USA.

Telma Encarnation

Two years ago, she scored Portugal's historic first goal at a World Cup. At just 23, she will be playing her third international tournament for Portugal. As a huge fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, she didn't have to think twice when a transfer offer from Sporting Lisbon came along in the summer of 2024. Since then, she has won the Portuguese Super Cup, finished runner-up in the league, and gained her first experience in Champions League qualifiers. Last season, her brace against city rivals Benfica was particularly memorable.

Michelle Agyemang

Michelle Agyemang needed exactly 41 seconds to score her first goal in her first international match for the England senior team. The European Championship will be the 19-year-old striker's first major international tournament. In the spring of 2025, she was still playing for the U19 national team, but shortly before the European Championship, she made the squad.

Ilse van der Zanden

At 29, Ilse van der Zanden made her debut for the Dutch national team in 2024. The former superstar had actually already hung up her football boots in 2017 after struggling with persistent hip problems. But she couldn't say goodbye to football completely – and after a break at the amateur level, she returned. She stayed with amateur club DTS Ede for six years – until her coach moved her to FC Utrecht in the first division. There, she was able to assert herself again and also developed into a national player.

After the coaching change and the initial difficulties under Christian Wück, the German team appears to have stabilized. The final dress rehearsals before the European Championship were successful, and videos from Herzogenrauch also suggest that the DFB women's team is on a good personal level. The squad features a good mix of highly experienced players like Kathy Hendrich, a national team player since 2014, and young talents like Cora Zicai, who joined the team only last year.

A more detailed description of the German team can be found here.

Last Dance for Adidas

The European Championship will be the last tournament the German women's national team will compete in Adidas jerseys. Nike will supply the national team's uniform for the next major tournament. Until then, they'll be wearing the retro anniversary jersey and the bright away kit developed for the European Championship in Switzerland.

football retirees

Retirees living at the Tertianum Residence in St. Jakob Park in Basel don't have to worry about accidentally missing any of the ongoing European Championship. They can watch all Basel matches directly from their windows – because they practically live in the stadium. On one of the upper floors is the retirement home's restaurant, where residents can also meet for public viewings.

To get ready for their first major tournament, the Welsh national team has come up with something special: National coach Rhian Wilkinson announced her squad for the European Championship at a press conference on Yr Wyddfa, the highest mountain in Wales. The peak is 1,085 meters high and has personal significance for the coach: Even as a child, she spent a lot of time there with her family. And the group stage will likely be an uphill battle for her team.