Record numbers of fans turned out to witness a gripping tournament that will help consolidate the female game’s remarkable progress
I
n 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.
