Women's Euro 2025: Can England win the title again?
by Thobelani Moyo | by Thobelani Moyo
Squad Dynamics: Experience and Youth blend
Head coach Sarina Wiegman's resume in the UEFA Women's Euro has been very impressive. She has coached two different nations in this tournament, having led the Netherlands to its first trophy in 2017.
The Dutch manager would then take charge of England in 2021 and wasted no time winning her second UEFA Women's Euro trophy a year later with the team. She now has her sights set on another third European championship title.
However, there are concerns surrounding that achievement, especially in this year's tournament. Wiegman will have to travel to Switzerland without some of her best-performing players who were involved in England being crowned European Champions three years ago.
Three key players from that era have taken a back seat from international duties. This includes Millie Bright, who was not selected (defender), Mary Earps (goalkeeper), and Fran Kirby. It's not that much of a great number, but if you put experience and leadership in the criteria, then it's a very big miss.
Despite these absences, there are some names in the squad that still can be considered promising talent and seasoned campaigners. From the squad that emerged victorious three years ago, 13 of them are set to participate in this year's tournament.
With the veteran goalkeeper Mary Hearps, who made 53 appearances for the senior women's national football team, now out of the equation. All eyes are on the Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.
The 24-year-old has made just 16 appearances and is expected to be the first-choice goalkeeper. There are no available options to choose from with Anna Moorhouse and Khiara Keating yet to stamp their mark for the national team.
Group D: Not an easy group, but success is still guaranteed
It is safe to say that the group in 2022 is not the same as the current one. In the UEFA Women's Euro 2022, England was placed in Group A. It was one of the easiest groups they could ask for. To sum up their performance in one word, we could say, dominant. They secured the top spot with a 100% record.
In that group, they scored 14 goals and conceded none in the process. Their opponents included the likes of Austria, Norway, and Northern Ireland.
As we can see, they were free-flowing in that group at the time. However, this time around, they find themselves in Group D. Their opponents in this group include two top-tier nations that could pose a threat to their title defense, France and the Netherlands. The last and weakest opponent in this group is Wales, which is making its first-ever appearance in this tournament.
Contenders: Spain and Germany are serious threats
Spain: Spain has not been that successful in this competition, with just one crown to their name in the UEFA Women's Euro. However, if there is one team that is expected to conquer this tournament, their name pops up first on the radar. La Roja are backed because of their triumph in the 2023 World Cup and their success in the UEFA Nations League. In the World Cup final two years ago, they beat England 1-0 to lift their first-ever trophy.
Germany: Germany may not have the same backing that people have placed in Spain and England to win the UEFA Women's Euro. However, let's not forget who the most successful club in this competition is, and yes, you couldn't have guessed it any better, because out of the 16 teams, the lug nut indicator points to Christian Wuck's charges. So far, they have won a record eight titles. However, their last triumph in this tournament was 12 years ago.
England's success: Tough but not impossible
In the previous edition of the UEFA Women's Euro, in front of their home crowd, Sarina Wiegman's side managed to defy the odds and win the tournament. Now the Lionesses are tasked with achieving the same feat this year. The problem is that the energy is no longer the same as when they won the title.
Three key players have been ruled out of this competition, with two handing in their retirement papers, while one was not included in the squad, and mind you, these are all veteran players who played a very important role during that time. Some think that the exclusion of these players while blending experience with youth may be the doom of their downfall.
However, head coach Sarina Wiegman has plenty of experience in the UEFA Women's Euro. Having overseen 12 games in this competition, she has won all of them, which sees her boasting a 100% win rate. This goes to show her winning mentality in big competitions. That alone should be enough to give her side the much-needed boost to perform at the highest level.
