Euro 2025 build-up: Switzerland ready for opener as tournament begins
Date: 13:10 BST
Title: What sort of host will Switzerland be?
Content: Ellie ThomasonBBC Sport
This will be the first time Switzerland has hosted a women's sporting event on this scale.
It was selected as host nation by Uefa in 2023, beating Poland, France and a joint bid from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway.
Set against the backdrop of Switzerland's iconic mountainous landscape, the tournament will take place across eight cities: Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St Gallen, Sion, Lucerne and Thun.
Organisers have prioritised sustainability with free public transport offered to any ticket holders travelling to and from games within the country, while they've also planned the match schedule to reduce team travel during the group stage.
They have also created a plan intended to double the number of girls and women playing football in Switzerland from 40,000 to 80,000 by 2027.
"For the tournament, it will be absolutely amazing for the host nation to get out of the group and progress," former England forward Ellen White told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"It's going to be huge for Switzerland as a nation to get behind this team and push them over the line."
Update:
Date: 13:07 BST
Title: What are the groups for Euro 2025?
Content: Group A: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Finland.
Group B: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy.
Group C: Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden.
Group D: France, England, Wales, Netherlands.
Update:
Date: 13:04 BST
Title: Today's Euro 2025 fixtures
Content: Rather than the custom of the host country beginning the tournament, the opening fixture will be between Iceland and Finland at 17:00 BST.
Switzerland play later at St Jakob-Park - the 35,689-seater home of FC Basel - where they will face Norway (20:00 BST).
The tournament will conclude with the final at the same stadium on Sunday, 27 July.
This will be the first time Switzerland has organised a women's sporting event of this scale.
Update:
Date: 13:00 BST
Title: The waiting is nearly over...
Content: After all the build-up and intrigue, Euro 2025 is very nearly upon us.
Stand by for all the latest from Switzerland ahead of this evening's opening matches, as well as previews, predictions and - perhaps most importantly - the weather.
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Telegraph
33 minutes ago
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England face toughest possible start to Euros title defence
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Nothing in English! 'I'm excited to see how Sandy does this tournament because she's had a really good season at Chelsea. It was probably the season where people have noticed her. I already knew who she was before because she was at PSG. I used to play against her at Lyon. 'Potentially it could be a match-up in the game and if it is, it's something I'm excited for. We've trained against each other a lot at Chelsea. She's a very talented, dribbler of the ball, really good left foot, good pace, and someone that I know quite well. I'm not going to give too much away.' France manager Laurent Bonadei took over from Herve Renard in August after previously serving as his assistant and he has already stamped his authority over the team. He made the big call to drop captain Wendie Renard from the squad as well as vice-captain Eugenie Le Sommer and the experienced Kenza Dali. Bronze admitted she was shocked by Renard's omission. 'Wendie is a good friend of mine. I always tell people she's the epitome of what I would describe as a captain figure. When I was at Lyon, everything she did as a person and as a player, there was nothing you could fault. I'm sure she'd be devastated not to be part of the Euros, knowing what she's like. The manager obviously went a different way. It's a big shock and a shock to the French team, but they will move forward with the players who are here at the tournament and they're going to show their best, the same as we are.' Il y a 6 ans jour pour jour, @WRenard inscrivait un doublé dans un Parc des Princes en fusion 🇫🇷🌋 #FIFAWWC | @equipedefranceF — Coupe du Monde des Clubs de la FIFA 2025 🏆 (@fifaworldcup_fr) June 7, 2025 England and France are joined in Group D, which is the toughest pool at the tournament, by the Netherlands and Wales. 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Even Georgia Stanway picked Mateo out as a player to watch this tournament. 💥 Paris FC with an early message in the 2nd half, as Clara Mateo nets the equalizer! Watch live for free on DAZN ▶️ Available in selected territories. #ArkemaPL — DAZN Women's Football (@DAZNWFootball) April 12, 2025 Marie-Antoinette Katoto Her Euros was cruelly ended by an ACL injury in 2022 and she failed to recover in time for the World Cup. Katoto is quick and strong in the air and will be desperate to have a good tournament after missing the last two. She was PSG's top scorer last season and will join Lyon from this summer.
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Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
England star who helped end France hoodoo gunning for a repeat at Euro 2025
England begin their European Championships title defence against France on Saturday and Lucy Bronze knows full whell what it's like to beat these opponents at the Euros Fran Kirby says England squad has a 'lot of leaders' ahead of Euros Lucy Bronze is the only member of England's Euro 2025 squad who started the Lionesses famous victory over France in 2017. However, the experienced defender still goes into Saturday's game knowing the opposition can't be underestimated. That win, during Euro 2017, was the first time England had beaten France in more than 40 years. There have been two more wins since, most recently in qualifying for this year's Euros, but that recent double header - a home defeat and away victory - isn't weighing too heavily on Bronze's mind. 'I think we use the experience of knowing we can compete against them, but to be honest we haven't watched videos back from that game - it's been more from recent games,' the 33-year-old said. 'I think a lot of our players have improved a lot as well since 12 months ago. 'You think of the younger players especially, or people like Lauren James who has maybe missed a couple of games through injury. So yeah, we put that to the back of our mind, knowing that we can beat France. 'I was part of the England team that was the first team to beat France in so many years, and that was a while ago, now we just look at the team as another team we need to beat, analyse them as we would any other team whether we'd played them two weeks ago or two years ago. It's another team that, if we play at our best, we can win.' Alex Greenwood is the other survivor from that 2017 squad, though she was on the bench for the game, while the Lionesses might have expected to be able to call upon another starter from the game - Millie Bright - before the centre-back's late withdrawal. They're not the only ones without an experienced centre-back, though - France have left Wendie Renard at home, and Bronze appears sad to see her former Lyon team-mate miss out. 'For me, taking someone like that could weaken the French team. I want to play against the strongest French team,' Bronze adds. I want Wendie to be playing, defending corners and I can jump over and hit the ball. Winning a header over Wendie Renard, that's an achievement. "You don't know if it is going to make them better or worse. I have no idea. I would rather she were here just because I think it would have been good for the game and good for the French team. 'I don't know whether it makes a difference to the English team but I would have loved her to be on the pitch on Saturday and playing against her. I would have rather had that." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
