Ranking the 8 teams most likely to win the Euros

The 42

21 hours ago

8. Italy
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The Italian women's team don't have quite the same rich footballing tradition as their male counterparts. They have not gone further than the quarter-finals at the World Cup and have never won the Euros. The closest Italy came in the latter competition was a runners-up spot in 1993 and 1997. They have not fared so well recently, with group stage exits at the last two tournaments.
The Azzurri would do well to surpass that achievement this time around, with a tricky-looking group that also features Spain, Portugal and Belgium.
Their status as 13th in the Fifa rankings suggests they are one of the best sides in the competition, and they got on relatively well in qualifying, losing only once and topping a League A group that also featured Netherlands, Norway and Finland, all of whom have ultimately qualified for this tournament.
7. Denmark
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Another side who have never tested glory, with their best performance coming in 2017, when they reached the final.
The Danes are not expected to repeat that performance in 2025, but their squad still boasts some quality players. Bayern Munich attacker Pernille Harder was a Ballon d'Or runner-up in 2018 and has 78 goals from 162 international appearances, while Roma's Sanne Troelsgaard is closing in on 200 caps for her country.
6. Netherlands
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The champions at the 2017 tournament, since then, the Netherlands have not been able to eclipse that achievement, though they came close in 2019, reaching the World Cup final.
There is a sense that the team have been in slight decline thereafter, with disappointing quarter-final exits at the 2022 Euros and 2023 World Cup, although the latter defeat was a narrow extra-time loss to eventual champions Spain. That explains why they are not among the strong favourites to triumph, as well as a qualifying campaign that saw them finish second in their group behind Italy.
Their squad has plenty of experience, with Lineth Beerensteyn, Vivianne Miedema, Jackie Groenen, Daniëlle van de Donk, Sherida Spitse, Jill Roord and Dominique Janssen all having won over 100 caps. But whether they have enough quality to overcome the main contenders looks doubtful.
5. Sweden
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The champions back in 1984, Sweden, are among the best of the dark horses. Their qualifying passage was not exactly straightforward. They finished third, albeit in a very difficult group alongside France, England and Ireland.
Their playoff pathway was considerably less taxing, picking up 12-0 and 8-0 aggregate wins over Luxembourg and Serbia.
The Swedes also have several top players with vast international experience, including Linda Sembrant, Magdalena Eriksson, Jonna Andersson, Kosovare Asllani, Sofia Jakobsson, Fridolina Rolfö, Amanda Ilestedt, Stina Blackstenius and Lina Hurtig. The latter trio were all part of Arsenal's matchday squad for their recent Champions League final 1-0 triumph against Barcelona, with Blackstenius scoring the winning goal.
4. Germany
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No team has a more impressive Euros history than Germany. They have won the competition eight times, and only two sides (Italy and Norway) have made more appearances in the competition. Norway are the only other team to have been champions on multiple occasions (twice, in 1987 and 1993).
However, the Germans are not the dominant force of old. Although they made it to the final in 2022, before losing after extra-time against England, they flopped at the last World Cup, failing to emerge from a group that included Colombia, Morocco and South Korea. It won't be easy to surpass that feat this time, as they have been paired with Poland, Denmark and Sweden.
Yet the two-time world champions came through qualifying with relative ease, winning five out of six games and topping their group ahead of Iceland, Austria and Poland.
Managed by Christian Wück since last year, they also have a couple of players who are considered among the absolute elite of the game. Bayern Munich pair Giulia Gwinn and Lea Schüller, as well as Chelsea's Sjoeke Nüsken, all made the top 30 in the voting for the 2024 Ballon d'Or Féminin.
3. France
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Despite losing to Ireland at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, France marginally topped a very difficult qualifying group ahead of England, Sweden and the then-Eileen Gleeson-managed team. Getting out of their group at the Euros proper won't be easy either, as they have been drawn again with England, along with the Netherlands and Ireland's playoff conquerors, Wales.
Any team that can escape that group has to be considered among the favourites, and France are well placed to lay claim to that status.
In striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto and midfielder Grace Geyoro, both of whom represent PSG, they boast unquestionably two of the world's best players.
Yet their record in the competition is less than spectacular. In eight appearances, their best performance was reaching the semi-finals in 2022, when they were knocked out by Germany.
Managed by Laurent Bonadei (a former assistant coach of the Saudi Arabia national team under Hervé Renard), they have also exited at the quarter-finals in the last three successive World Cups, and their current Fifa ranking of 10th indicates they may again have to settle for a knockout stages exit, though a victory away to England in qualifying illustrates they are capable of competing with the very best on their day.
2. England
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The holders and fancied by many pundits to retain their trophy. The fact that English football has the reigning European champions in club football, Arsenal, bodes well for the national team's hopes, and the Gunners only finishing second in the Women's Super League, 12 points adrift of Chelsea, is a testament to the rude health of the country's domestic competition.
Manager Sarina Wiegman is one of the most acclaimed coaches in the world. They also boast top-class talent such as Lauren James, Lucy Bronze, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo, who was recently nominated for the PFA Player of the Year and could be a Ballon d'Or contender, particularly if England emerge as winners, after already helping inspire Arsenal's Champions League success.
The Three Lions weren't entirely convincing in qualifying, dropping points in three of their six games, but they should get out of a group featuring France, Netherlands and Wales, and they will at least hope to continue their impressive recent record — they have made the final of the last two major tournaments and are aiming for a sixth successive semi-final appearance.
1. Spain
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The reigning world champions are the team to beat, and on paper at least, most people would agree they have the most talented squad of all the sides at the tournament.
Qualifying was a relative breeze as they topped their group and won five out of six matches.
Five of their players occupied the top 11 spots of the 2024 Ballon d'Or voting, including Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí, who claimed the top prize.
Still, they are far from a sure thing. They have never won the Euros before or even made the final — their most impressive performance saw the team reach the semi-finals nearly 30 years ago, in 1997.
La Roja have also been beset by off-field problems in recent times, most notably the unwanted kiss involving player Jenni Hermoso and former football chief, Luis Rubiales, in the aftermath of the World Cup final win.
The controversial coach Jorge Vilda, who fell out with several Spanish players, has departed and is now in charge of Morocco. His former assistant, the ex-Barcelona player Montserrat Tomé, has taken over as national team manager.
Regardless of the past issues, if this golden generation of Spanish players can perform to their full potential, it is difficult to conceive of anyone stopping them.