The Euros begin in Switzerland on Wednesday, before the Lionesses’ campaign gets under way on Saturday. Retaining their title requires them to first get over a significant hurdle; they are in the tournament’s toughest group, with France, the Netherlands and Wales as their opponents.
Without home advantage and with other nations – including Spain, who beat England in the 2023 World Cup final – arguably being in better form, will the Lionesses have what it takes to lift the title once again?
Switzerland
Lia Walti will captain Switzerland at Euro 2025 (Photo: Getty)They are arguably the strongest team in their group, yet they were unable to beat Norway or Iceland in the Nations League. Striker Ramona Bachmann, who has been sidelined with a serious knee injury, will be a big miss but they are strong nevertheless and performed well in qualifying.
Norway
With Englishwoman Gemma Grainger now in charge, they will want to put their past behind them and recent results augur well, with them having beaten Switzerland twice in the Nations League, drawn twice with Iceland and only narrowly lost two games to France. They seem favourites to win Group A.
Player to watch: Barcelona winger Caroline Graham Hansen is one of the world’s best forwards. She was the Ballon d’Or runner-up last year and has enjoyed a career filled with silverware. In a partnership with Hegerberg up top, she should be a significant danger for defences.
Iceland drew all three of their games at Euro 2022 and were defensively solid, but they struggled to find a way to win games. They have never reached a knockout stage before.
Player to watch: Forward Sveindis Jane Jonsdottir provides Iceland’s best chance of finding match-winning goals. The former Wolfsburg striker has just joined American side Angel City and is definitely talented. Make sure to keep an eye out for her long throws.
Marko Saloranta is taking charge of his first major tournament as Finland boss and will be hoping his side can set aside some of their recent hit-and-miss form in Switzerland.
Player to watch: Leicester striker Jutta Rantala has recovered from injury and if she finds form then she could be Finland’s greatest asset up top. In a side otherwise lacking attacking strength she could be crucial.
Group B
Aitana Bonmati won the Ballon d’Or in 2023 and 2024 (Photo: Getty)
Spain are among the favourites to win the Euros and it is no surprise. They won the 2023 World Cup and have some of the world’s best players at their disposal.
Boasting the likes of Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, Salma Paralluelo, Irene Paredes and Mariona Caldentey and many more in their squad, Spain are a frightening prospect.
Portugal
They were excellent when they held England to a 1-1 draw back in February but have since suffered a 6-0 defeat by the Lionesses and a 7-1 drubbing by Spain. At the back, they look notably shaky.
Belgium
They finished third – behind Spain and England – in their Nations League group and recorded an impressive win at home to the Lionesses, albeit they lost the reverse fixture 5-1.
Player to watch: Captain Tessa Wullaert is her country’s best attacking option and if the 32-year-old finds form then Belgium can be tough to deal with. Also keep an eye out for the threat Justine Vanhaevermaet’s height poses from set pieces.
The Azzurre have a habit of being tipped as dark horses before underperforming at tournaments.
Player to watch: Italy’s midfield is their greatest strength and Roma’s Manuela Giugliano will provide a substantial amount of their creative talent.
Lea Schuller is a constant threat for Germany (Photo: Getty)
The Euro 2022 runners-up suffered a shock group-stage exit at the 2023 World Cup and will be looking to show that their disappointing display in Australia was just a blip.
Manager Christian Wuck, who took over in 2024, does not have midfielder Lena Oberdorf at her disposal with her being ruled out with a knee injury but their talent should be enough to be one of the teams to beat.
Poland
They lost all of their qualifying matches and are now in the second tier of the Nations League so have not played many fixtures against top-class opposition, but they achieved a spot at the Euros through the play-offs.
Denmark
The Danes did not make it out of the group stage at Euro 2022 and lost to Australia in the last-16 at the 2023 World Cup. They have performed well at some previous tournaments but recent form has been far from perfect.
Sweden
However, they do not seem to be as strong as they once were and drew twice with Wales in the Nations League and were also held to a stalemate by Italy.
Player to watch: Barcelona’s Fridolina Rolfo is usually a left-back for her club plays in a more advanced role for her country, being used as a winger who can create and threaten in front of goal. Chelsea’s Johanna Rytting Kaneryd will also be an important part of their attacking line.
Group D
All eyes will be on Lionesses No 1 Hannah Hampton (Photo: Getty)
Envisage the ideal preparation for defending a tournament and it probably doesn’t look anything like how the past few months have played out for the Lionesses.
Sarina Wiegman will hope England can defend their 2022 Euros crown and she will need to draw on her major tournament experience to make the difference. The Lionesses have found a way to click when things haven’t worked in the past and it must happen again.
Wales
Finding a way out of it seems incredibly unlikely and they would need to cause upsets to do so. Their recent draws with Sweden have shown they can cause trouble against top opposition but they will need to do even better to reach the knockouts.
Player to watch: Wales will face a tough group stage but captain Jess Fishlock will be up for the task. She is integral for her country, being their top scorer and record appearance maker. Even at the age of 38, the striker still has the ability to provide up top and has a clear sense of determination.
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France have a squad brimming with talented players who have proved their worth for their club, they can trouble any opposition on their day and will be feared at the Euros.
France are without former captain Wendie Renard and all-time top scorer Eugenie Le Sommer but are still heavyweights. In a tough group, though, they won’t be able to afford any mishaps if they want to make it to the knockouts.
Netherlands
Their last Nations League matches did not provide the ideal preparation, with them being held to a 1-1 draw by Scotland and receiving a 4-0 thrashing by Germany.
Player to watch: It is hard to look past Manchester City’s Vivianne Miedema. While her role for her club and recent injuries have meant she has not been as potent as in previous years, she remains one of the best forwards in the world. The Netherlands will want to be able to call on her talent in tough games against England and France.
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