Euro 2025: How have England evolved? What are Wales' chances?

BBC News

5 days ago

There is just one week to go until the start of the Women's Euros.Defending champions England head to Switzerland as one of the tournament favourites despite a chaotic build-up, while Wales make their debut at a major women's tournament.We asked women's football fans on Reddit for their questions, external for BBC Sport women's football news reporter Emma Sanders about the tournament.Here is a selection of the best ones:
How do you think England's squad has evolved since the last major tournament, and who do you see as the key player this time around? Reddit user: Moyesy1982It's interesting because I don't think there's as much depth but I think the talent has got stronger with some incredibly gifted youngsters breaking through. Grace Clinton, Jess Park and Aggie Beever-Jones are great examples of that. But I think they are light in midfield and they don't have as much pace in the backline. I don't think those issues were quite as glaring in 2022. The key player for me is Alessia Russo. She has had a great season and they need her goalscoring form to continue in the Euros. Although Lauren Hemp and Lauren James, when fully fit, can be serial match-winners.
I'm a Wales fan - what do you make of our chances? hairiestlemonWales are in such a tough group and it's their first Euros. Unfortunately, I think they will struggle to reach the knockout stage but I'm intrigued to see how they do against England in that final group match if there's still something to play for. Both sets of players will know each other well.
Are there any teams or players that you feel could 'break out' and rise to a higher level this summer? VolotorI'm really excited to see how Salma Paralluelo gets on. She's a big name in Barcelona and Spain because she was part of the squads that won back-to-back Champions League trophies, before playing a key role at the 2023 World Cup. I don't think she's spoken about enough globally, despite winning the young player of the tournament in Australia. She's such a threat up front and has two-time Ballon d'Or winners Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati playing alongside her to create opportunities. They naturally take the limelight so I hope Paralluelo can stand out again in Switzerland.
A player you wish was playing but isn't because of injury, not being called up etc? NewAccountNowI would have loved to have seen Portugal's attacking star Kika Nazareth. I think she is a key player for them and will be missing because of a serious ankle injury she picked up while playing with Barcelona towards the end of the season. Despite only being 22, she has made almost 50 international appearances, scoring 10 goals. She was part of the 2023 World Cup squad, a year before her Portuguese record 500,000 euros move to Barcelona from Benfica, which underlines the potential she has.
How do you think the Lionesses will deal with the expectations from both inside and outside the camp? Do you think there's added pressure from the UK media to retain the trophy, or are they being realistic? CosmicPenguin31Certainly from my perspective, I think the general consensus among the media is that Spain are tournament favourites. With England's tough group, and the chaotic build-up for the squad with player withdrawals, I think expectations externally are lower. But internally they are always very high and I know players like Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood will be demanding high standards in training. If England progress well, the pressure and scrutiny will increase but manager Sarina Wiegman keeps them in a pretty tight bubble so they are used to that.
What's it like covering a tournament on the ground? Do you have any favourite behind-the-scenes moments from the past Euros or World Cups? And do reporters tend to form a kind of travelling community over the course of a month-long tournament? HakunaMateta25It's so much fun but very intense too. You do spend a lot of time with the other journalists and I'm lucky that there are some incredible people working in women's football who I consider close friends. We share travel itineraries, give each other restaurant recommendations and tips for local transport. We often have various WhatsApp groups for things like social activities, travel and reporting (the dreaded embargo agreement chats). We usually get a clear day off and night in between the group stage and knockout rounds which we use to switch off and meet up for a big social night, usually going out for dinner.We also play friendly football matches against media packs from other countries. We usually get thrashed because they have loads of ex-pros!
Who do you think will be victorious? I think it's Spain's to lose but would love to hear your thoughts! AwayDays365I agree, Spain are heavy favourites. I personally think Germany will win. I just have a feeling that having missed out three years ago, they are up to it this time. They scored lots of goals in their Women's Nations League campaign coming into the tournament and have a nice blend of experienced players and exciting youngsters in the squad. They will fancy themselves to top Group C and get off to a strong start in the tournament.
How do you think England will do at the Euros? Especially with everything that has gone on recently. kjcross1997It's definitely not been ideal preparation. I'm worried about their inconsistent form and think they could find the group stage really tough. My prediction is for them to reach the quarter-finals. I hope I'm wrong and they go further!
Who is your underdog pick to make it out of the group stage at the Euros? ejst21A left-field tip is Iceland. They are in a kind group. A lot will look at Norway as favourites to progress from Group A but they have often struggled at major tournaments. Hosts Switzerland will have lots of pressure on them, but also support from a home crowd. I think Iceland could go under the radar and potentially sneak second spot having drawn with both those teams in the Nations League this season.