July 14 – After 24 matches and 3.7 goals on average per game, eight teams remains, all with a chance and a dream of conquering Euro 2025.
As in any tournament, the host nation’s progress is of importance to the national engagement in the tournament. Under Pia Sundhage, the Swiss huffed and puffed in their group, losing their opening match and flirted with disaster against Finland. But in stoppage time, Riola Xhemaili delivered glory against Finland.
It’s the first time Switzerland have reached the knockout stages. In that sense it’s mission accomplished for the host nation.
The Swiss fans rallied behind a team that struggled at times to deal with the pressure, from the moment they fell behind to Norway to those heart-in-mouth dying minutes against the Finnish. But in football, the journey can be as important as the result.
The Swiss embraced the tournament from the first kick of the ball in Sion, filling stadiums around the country and breaking attendance records in the group stages. The Nati’s opening match was the largest attendance for a women’s football match in the country (34,063), while 600,000 tickets had been sold before kick-off, beating the numbers from Euro 2022.
Aided by the good weather, supporters from all over Europe have taken advantage of the free transport on match days to explore Switzerland amid an organisation that’s been spotless. The feel-good, summer tournament has served as an antidote to the 2025 Club World Cup, a tournament mired in controversy.
On Sunday, MetLife Stadium provided the backdrop to the Trumpification of FIFA. Across the Atlantic, in balmy Basel, on the last night of the group stages, Delphine Cascarino slalomed her way past the Dutch in a great demonstration of skill and athleticism to propel France to a convincing 5-2 win against the Netherlands. One embodied what football is all about, the other the danger of what it is becoming.
The tournament has seen some big score lines, but all teams, with the exception of Wales, were competitive. The Welsh celebrated their goal against France with the joy that such a moment merits, but they fell well short in Group D, losing all of their games and conceding 13 times. In Group C, Poland, the tournament’s other debutants, fared much better. They won their first finals match, defeating Denmark 3-2 to bow out in style.
They had also asked questions of Germany. Christian Wuck and his side have been blowing hot and cold, failing to convince and justify their tag as tournament favourites. They might soon be on a train home with a quarter-final against France looming large. Laurent Bonadei’s French team have perhaps been the most impressive so far, sweeping England aside and destroying the Netherlands. They have talent across the pitch and on the bench, with the manager rotating his side.
England and Spain are the other big dogs in the last eight. The European champions got their act together against the Netherlands with Ella Toone coming into the starting XI and Lauren James moving to the frontline. The piece in the puzzle fell into place and a crisis was averted. Against Wales they saw the return of Beth Mead from injury and six goals from six difference players suggest they could be coming together at the right time.
Defeat against Sweden however could reignite the debate about Wiegman’s pedigree to lead a team in its second cycle.
Scandinavia might have fallen behind, but with Sweden and Norway the region has two representatives in the knockout stages. The Norwegians have often looked like the turgid side of their 2023 Women’s World Cup debacle, but they wrestled their way through group A to take three wins from three. Laden with strikers, the team still feels a little unbalanced, but with a quarter-final against Italy, the Norwegians are dreaming of reaching the last four. There, they could cross paths with Sweden.
Still, it’s hard to look past Spain. The world champions stormed their way through the group stages with superlative football and a flood of goals. On an individual level, Alexia Putellas (pictured) has perhaps been the standout player of the group stages.
There are other contenders: Switzerland’s Geraldine Reuteler and France’s Delphine Cascarino, but the two-time Ballon d’Or winner is in imperious form. With three goals and four assists at Euro 2025, she is back to her best. Stats alone do not reflect how good she has been. The deft touch to finish against Belgium and the backheel assist against Italy illustrated how she marshals Spain’s attack.
Putellas and co are in search of their first European crown and Switzerland are up next. It might well be the end for the host nation, but that shouldn’t dampen spirits. The Swiss know how to party.
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