logo
Germany names squad for Women's Euros – DW – 06/12/2025

Germany names squad for Women's Euros – DW – 06/12/2025

DW13-06-2025

There were no major surprises as Germany women's coach Christian Wück nominated his final squad for this summer's Euro 2025 in Switzerland. Germany are looking to go one better than the last tournament.
Entering his first major tournament since taking over as Germany coach last summer, Christian Wück has gone with a good deal of experience in his 23-player squad for the July 2-27 European Championship in Switzerland.
Captain Giulia Gwinn and Bayern Munich teammate Lea Schüller, as well as Sara Däbritz and Kathrin Hendrich are among 11 players who were part of the Germany team that made the final in England in 2022 – where they finished second after being defeated 2-1 by the hosts.
Also included in the squad is Freiburg's 20-year-old attacking talent Cora Zicai.
'Joy, enthusiasm and conviction'
In a statement on the website of the German Football Association (DFB), Wück described the squad as "good and balanced," and designed to be able to "find the right solutions for the challenges" of the month-long tournament.
"We want to play with a mixture of joy, enthusiasm, will and conviction – that's what this squad stands for. If we manage to do that, we can go very far," he said.
Wück added that in light of Germany's last few matches in the Nations League, they were approaching the tournament with a "boost" in self-confidence, but he declined to state a specific goal for his team.
Germany have won their last five Nations League games with little trouble, their most recent being a 6-0 victory over Austria earlier this month.
Giulia Gwinn is entering her first major tournament as Germany captain Image: Karsten Lauer/foto2press/picture alliance
Rauch and Anyomi left out, Oberdorf remains injured
As expected, defender Felicitas Rauch and Eintracht Frankfurt striker Nicole Anyomi were not included in the 23-player roster. The two recently had recently caused a bit of controversy by criticizing the national team coach over what they said was a lack of communication with omitted players.
Also absent is Bayern Munich star Lena Oberdorf who is still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury suffered last July.
Germany, winners of the tournament a record eight times, are up against Poland, Denmark and Sweden in Group C. Their opening match is against Poland in St. Gallen on July 4.
Edited by: Mathias Brück

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Women's Euro 2025: Five things to know  – DW – 06/27/2025
Women's Euro 2025: Five things to know  – DW – 06/27/2025

DW

time2 days ago

  • DW

Women's Euro 2025: Five things to know – DW – 06/27/2025

Sixteen of Europe's premier women's national teams are set to compete for continental supremacy. DW has you covered on the key facts as the tournament opens in Switzerland. Euro 2025 is being hosted by Switzerland from July 2 to July 27 and the matches will be played at eight stadiums: in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Thun and Sion. Iceland and Finland open the tournament in Thun on July 2, while hosts Switzerland kick off their campaign three hours later in Basel's St. Jakob-Park stadium – where the final is to be played on July 27. Germany open their campaign against Poland in St. Gallen on July 4. By today's standards this is a relatively small tournament, with just 16 teams, divided into four groups. Each team plays the other three in their group once, with the top two from each advancing to the quarterfinals. Should matches in the knockout stage remain drawn after 90 minutes, two 15-minute periods of extra time are played. If necessary, matches will be decided in penalty shootouts. World Cup champions Spain disappointed by finishing out of the medals at last summer's Paris Olympics, still they top this list as the continent's highest FIFA-ranked women's team (No. 2). By now they should have put the controversy over the unwanted kiss by former FA President Luis Rubiales after the 2023 World Cup final behind them. Normally one of the first teams you would name would be the defending champions, however England have had a list of absences and injuries to deal with in recent months. Key central defender Millie Bright ruled herself our, saying she was at her "mental and physical limit" while fellow Euro 2022 winners Fran Kirby and goalkeeper Mary Earps retired on the eve of the squad announcement. Bayern Munich star Georgia Stanway as well as Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood of Manchester City, each missed the bulk of the season after undergoing knee surgery but all make the squad, as does the mercurial Chelsea forward Lauren James, who is nursing a hamstring injury. Germany, finalists in 2022, are just behind Spain in the FIFA rankings but are a lesser-known quantity than they were three years ago. They've gone through a coaching change after the disappointing 2023 World Cup and captain Alexandra Popp retired. New coach Christian Wück is optimistic about his squad, which he hopes will play with a mixture of "joy, enthusiasm, will and conviction." France have established themselves as regular quarterfinalists in recent Euros, making it to the semifinals in 2022 – and the Nations League Final in 2024. They had recently fallen off a bit but climbed back into the top 10 in FIFA's latest women's rankings. Following the retirement of Alexandra Popp, Giulia Gwinn has big boots to fill as Germany's new captain, but is a proven winner with Bayern Munich. She was also a member of the that fell at the last hurdle in England three years ago. Spain boast two recent Ballon d'Or winners in midfielders Aitana Bonmati (2023, 2024) and Alexia Putellas (2021, 2022) – two good reasons for making Spain one of the favorites. Both were members of Spain's World Cup-winning side in 2023 and semifinalists at the Paris Olympics. A teammate of Putellas and Bonmati at Barcelona, Ewa Pajor is making her debut at a major tournament with her national team, as this is the first time that Poland have managed to qualify for either the World Cup or the Euros. They will need the striker to be at the top of her game if they are to come out of a group with Germany, Denmark and Sweden. One of her opponents will be Pernille Harder, a veteran of more than 160 matches for Denmark at 32, she is still going strong for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. For the defending champions, Alessia Russo has graduated from Euro 2022 supersub to England's first choice striker. The Arsenal forward was joint top scorer in the domestic Women's Super League (WSL) and won the Champions League with her club. She will be the focal point for a side who have plenty of attacking midfield threats. UEFA announced late last year that it had earmarked a total of €41 million ($47 million) in prize money for the 2025 Women's Euros, representing a 156% increase on the figure from the previous tournament in 2022. In a statement, European football's governing body said the increase in funds reflected "UEFA's on-going commitment to growing women's football across Europe." Still, the women continue to trail far behind the men in this department, with the total prize money for Euro 2024 coming in at €331 million – or about eight times what the women are playing for this summer.

The 50+1 rule in German football: What you need to know  – DW – 06/18/2025
The 50+1 rule in German football: What you need to know  – DW – 06/18/2025

DW

time18-06-2025

  • DW

The 50+1 rule in German football: What you need to know – DW – 06/18/2025

In Germany, the 50+1 rule protects professional football clubs from complete control by investors – a unique feature in the sport. It has many supporters internationally, but also attracts criticism. What is the 50+1 rule? The 50+1 rule is a central pillar of German professional football, which is intended to ensure that the club members retain control over the professional part of a football club. The rule, in place since 1999, stipulates that the parent club, for example Bayern Munich, must hold at least 50 percent plus one vote in its spun-off professional football company—in this case, FC Bayern München Fußball AG. This ensures that the majority of voting rights always lie with the club and its members. Compliance with the rule in German professional football is primarily monitored by the German Football League (DFL). The DFL is the league association responsible for the organization and regulation of the Bundesliga and the second tier, Bundesliga 2. The Federal Cartel Office, Germany's central competition authority, also plays an important role. Since 2018, the office has been reviewing the 50+1 rule for possible violations of competition law. What is the purpose of the rule? The rule prevents external investors from taking complete control of a club and managing it solely on financial grounds—potentially disregarding the interests of the fans. 50+1 also ensures a certain level of equality, as it is not possible for a club to invest disproportionately more money than other clubs thanks to its powerful investor with a controlling stake. Fan culture, which is very strong in Germany, is also a key component that is protected. Fans in Germany are not just paying spectators, but active club members who can, for example, have a say in important club decisions at the annual general meeting. The vast majority of organized fans in Germany oppose the commercialization of football. The 50+1 rule is therefore of great importance to them. Fans protest against the entry of investors at the DLF Image: Frank Hoermann/Sven Simon/IMAGO Are there exceptions to the rule? A special rule allows investors to acquire a majority stake in a professional football division after 20 years of investment. Bundesliga clubs Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg are currently allowed to be controlled by companies because they have received continuous and significant support from them for over 20 years. Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH is wholly owned by the chemical company Bayer AG , and VfL Wolfsburg-Fußball GmbH is wholly owned by the Volkswagen Group. Until 2023, the exemption also applied to TSG Hoffenheim, which was financially supported by patron Dietmar Hopp, one of the co-founders of the software company SAP. Hopp held the majority of the voting rights. However, in June 2023, Hopp waived his majority rights and returned the voting rights to the parent club. This means that TSG is once again a normal 50+1 club. RB Leipzig is a special case. Although the club formally adheres to the rule, it is criticized because it has only 23 voting members, most of whom have close ties to sponsor Red Bull. Critics therefore accuse the club of circumventing the rule without breaking it. The Federal Cartel Office is currently calling for improvements and more open access to membership for Leipzig. With regard to Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, after checking recent changes to the sports antitrust law from the European Court of Justice (ECJ), they recommend amending the exemptions that apply to the pair. Is there any criticism of the rule? Critics argue that the 50+1 system puts German football clubs at a financial disadvantage compared to other countries. While teams in England, France, or Saudi Arabia can access enormous sums of money thanks to their investors, German clubs are restricted in raising capital by the rule. Potential investors are discouraged because they invest (a lot of) money but do not gain control over the club in return. Newcastle were bought by Saudi Arabia's wealth fund in 2021 Image: Owen Humphreys/dpa/picture alliance Another point of criticism is that the rule can be circumvented in practice (RB Leipzig, for example), making it ineffective. Others who want more investor involvement generally see it as an obstacle to structural reforms in football and entrepreneurial flexibility. Do fans from other countries also want a 50+1 rule? Many fans from other countries would like to see a model like the 50+1 rule —especially in response to controversial investor takeovers and the growing influence of big investors and nation states. Some voices were raised in England after the Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF took over Premier League club Newcastle United in 2021 though not with the same conviction as fans in Germany. The briefly mooted creation of a Super League in 2021, in which six English clubs originally wanted to participate, also fueled the discussions. In France, criticism is growing of the dominance of investor-owned clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, which is controlled by the Qatari sovereign wealth fund. Nice, Olympique Lyon, Olympique Marseille, Monaco, and Toulouse are also majority-owned by foreign investors. Many fans want more say and a stronger connection between clubs and their membership base. Meanwhile traditional Italian clubs like AC Milan and Inter have changed ownership several times in recent years – usually with little consideration for the interests of the fans. Calls for regulations that limit the influence of investors and protect the identity of the clubs are therefore growing louder. Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain remain member-owned, but some smaller clubs are owned by foreign investors. Here, too, there are movements pushing for a return to a member-led structure. And in Brazil, where the football market was only opened to investors in 2021, concerns about clubs losing their identity are growing. Therefore, there are initiatives there, too, from fans as well as sports economists, lawyers, and politicians, advocating for the introduction of legal protection mechanisms based on the German model. This article was originally written in German.

Germany updates: Court rules on Syrian 'torture' doctor – DW – 06/16/2025
Germany updates: Court rules on Syrian 'torture' doctor – DW – 06/16/2025

DW

time16-06-2025

  • DW

Germany updates: Court rules on Syrian 'torture' doctor – DW – 06/16/2025

06/16/2025 June 16, 2025 Club World Cup: Bayern Munich hit Auckland City for ten amid FIFA criticism Bayern Munich got their Club World Cup campaign underway with a thumping 10-0 win over Auckland City in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Sunday. The game between the German champions and the semi-professional outfit from New Zealand quickly proved to be a mismatch as Bayern flew into a 6-0 half-time lead, before adding four more after the break. "It's difficult to accept too much praise for such a game," admitted head coach Vincent Kompany after Jamal Musiala scored a hat-trick and Thomas Müller, Michael Olise and Kingsley Coman all scored twice. "The most important thing for me was that the players took it seriously," continued Kompany. "There will be tougher challenges to come." Bayern next face Argentinian giants Boca Juniors in Miami on Friday before playing Portuguese side Benfica. Kingsley Coman and Thomas Müller both scored twice for Bayern Munich Image: Jeff Dean/AP/dpa/picture alliance During the game, some of the traveling Bayern supporters expressed criticism of world football's governing body and tournament organizers FIFA. "Ten years [on from] Baur au Lac, world football is more poorly governed than [ever] before!" read a banner unfurled behind the goal, referring to the luxury Swiss hotel in which several high-ranking FIFA executives were arrested on corruption charges in May 2015. The political circumstances surrounding FIFA's newly expanded Club World Cup, including its Qatari sponsorship, Saudi-funded broadcasting arrangements and FIFA President Gianni Infantino's proximity to US President Donald Trump, have kept the organization firmly in the sights of critics. Back on the pitch, Borussia Dortmund begin their campaign on Tuesday when they face Brazilian giants Fluminense.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store