Soccer-Swiss hope hosting Euro 2025 sees girls and women flock to the game
About a dozen people watched a band perform at the city's Euro Fan Zone, but looked more like shoppers keen to escape the heat under the picnic table umbrellas than football fans.
Euro 2025 hosts Switzerland kick off their tournament on Wednesday against Norway in Basel, a city better known as the country's unofficial cultural capital with its scores of museums.
While the sweltering heat and sold-out stadiums are early themes, the Swiss hosts are hoping the legacy of the tournament -- played out across eight cities over the next month -- will bolster female football in the country as Euro 2022 did for England.
"It's incredible, it's something when I started my national team career, I was never picturing," Switzerland captain Lia Walti said on Tuesday.
"I never thought we were going to be able to host a tournament and sitting here right now in Basel, just one day before a first game of a European Championship -- it's extremely special for all of us.
"Women's football is growing worldwide, extremely fast as well in Switzerland, but we do still have a lot of steps to go here and we want to use the tournament and be positive role models, inspire the nation -- and make sure that we can also be really successful in Switzerland in the future."
England's Football Association reported a 140% jump in participation levels among girls and women in the season after Euro 2022, amounting to 2.3 million more players.
"Especially since that tournament, you're a lot more recognised when you're walking down the street, when you're doing your shopping," said England midfielder Ella Toone, who was part of the squad that won Euro 2022.
"It's still a bit of a pinch me-moment that someone's recognised me buying eggs from Aldi, you know what I mean?
"We wanted it to grow, and that's what comes along with it. You've got to embrace it."
BAR RAISED
If Euro 2022 was considered a watershed moment for women's football, this year's tournament is raising the bar.
UEFA, the governing body for European soccer, announced a record 600,000 tickets have been sold for the tournament, already beating the previous event before a ball has been kicked, with 22 of the 31 games sold out.
"And that's without an opening match at Old Trafford or a final at Wembley," said Nadine Kessler, UEFA's director for women's football, referring to Euro 2022.
"One of our key goals was to sell out the event. I remember how people laughed when we set this goal, but it's now turning into a reality."
Norway captain Ada Hegerberg said players embrace the idea of leaving a legacy.
"Being a women's footballer today, it's a cliché but it's the truth -- you play for the whole next generation," she said at Tuesday's pre-game press conference.
"And as much as it can be tiring, it's also a big role and a task for us, and it should inspire us to be at our best at all times."
This year's tournament also boasts a record prize pot for a Women's Euros, with a 156% jump from 2022 to 41 million euros ($48.30 million). Club benefits doubled to nine million euros, while players get a guaranteed percentage for the first time.
A heatwave that has sent temperatures in Switzerland above 30 degrees Celsius (86°F) is expected to continue on Wednesday, when Iceland and Finland play in the tournament's opening game in Thun.
"For me, water is really important," Walti said. "Shading, putting your feet up before the game, but still going out once a day to get used to the temperature, because otherwise it almost hits you. It's something you can't influence, (but) we are already preparing for playing at these temperatures."
Basel will also host the tournament final on July 27 at St. Jakob-Park, the largest football stadium in Switzerland.
($1 = 0.8488 euros)
(Reporting by Lori Ewing, additional reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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