At the end of a season which has been dominated by talk of attendances in the Women’s Super League, there could not be a better time for the boost of a home European Championship.
If the buzz of the 2019 World Cup has begun to wear off, England have at least been invigorated by Sarina Wiegman’s arrival as they bid for a first major tournament triumph.
Still unbeaten since Wiegman’s arrival in September 2021 and fresh from beating Germany to the Arnold Clark Cup, England are well-poised to at least reach the final for the first time since 2009, when they lost 6-2 to Germany.
Northern Ireland have also qualified and have been placed in Group A, along with England, Austria and Norway, though Kenny Shiels’ side lost 4-0 when they met the Lionesses in October and are the lowest-ranked team (46th in the Fifa reckonings) in the tournament.
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The tournament begins with England hosting Austria at Old Trafford and lasts just over three weeks. The final will be held at Wembley on 31 July.
England fixtures
By her own admission, the excitement around Wiegman’s start since taking over from interim boss Hege Riise has been tempered by a lack of competition in the World Cup qualifiers.
England have learned little from beating Latvia 20-0 and 10-0 or from hitting North Macedonia and Luxembourg for eights and 10s respectively. What was instructive, however, was their Arnold Clark campaign, holding Olympic champions Canada and summer favourites Spain to draws before beating Germany in the final.
There was a lot to be optimistic about for this rejuvenated England side, from Ellen White’s goals to Fran Kirby’s international resurgence, but there are still question marks over defending from set pieces and Steph Houghton remains a major doubt having missed most of Manchester City’s WSL season.
England’s confirmed fixtures
- England vs Austria – 6 July, 8pm (Old Trafford)
- England vs Norway – 11 July, 8pm (The Amex)
- Northern Ireland vs England – 15 July, 8pm (St Mary’s)
Groups
- Group A: England (hosts), Austria, Norway, Northern Ireland
- Group B: Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland
- Group C: Netherlands (holders), Sweden, Switzerland*
- Group D: France, Italy, Belgium, Iceland
*The fourth participant in Group C is yet to be announced, following Russia’s expulsion from Fifa competition
Players to watch
Amaiur Sarriegi (Spain)
Spain are favourites in part because of Real Madrid and Barcelona’s host of world-class attackers going forward, including Esther Gonzalez, Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas and record goalscorer Jennifer Hermoso. Sarriegi is just 21 but she looks set to continue that lineage, the Real Sociedad captain scoring 12 times in her first 10 international caps, with three in her last two games against Scotland and the Faroe Islands.
Ella Toone (England)
Toone has been one of the stars of Manchester United’s top-three push this season, having returned to the club under Casey Stoney. Now 22, Toone made her England debut in a 6-0 win over Northern Ireland last year and scored a hat-trick against Latvia in October.
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Germany are only classed as outsiders to go the whole way, but Brand is one of their biggest threats playing on the wing or as a full-back. The teenager has broken into the senior team at Hoffenheim and has made the transition to international football seamlessly, registering a goal and assist on her Germany debut.
Lieke Martens (Netherlands)
It’s hard to pinpoint a single talent to watch in the Netherlands’ attack, but while Vivianne Miedema will be more familiar to WSL fans and Romee Leuchter could be one to watch, winger and 2017 Fifa and Uefa Player of the Year Lieke Martens is another long-standing asset on the wing.
Lina Hurtig (Sweden)
Hurtig has shone for Juventus since moving to Turin in 2020 and aside from making the step up to playing Champions League football, she has also become a mother for the first time. The 26-year-old has already had a taste of success at international level, part of the Sweden side that won the U19 European Championship.
Odds
- Spain 5-2
- Netherlands 7-2
- England 5-1
- France 11-2
- Sweden 6-1
- Germany 9-1
Odds via Paddy Power and correct on 28 March, 2022
What about Russia?
Russia initially qualified but are now unable to compete following Fifa’s decision to ban the country playing in its competitions due to its invasion of Ukraine.
That means, as it stands, there are only 15 teams in a 16-team tournament. Who replaces Russia? We don’t know, but it will likely be one of Portugal – who Russia knocked out of qualifying – or Ukraine or Switzerland, the other teams who fell at the final play-off hurdle.
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Hosts
- The Amex (Brighton & Hove Albion)
- Brentford Community Stadium (Brentford)
- Bramall Lane (Sheffield United)
- St Mary’s (Southampton)
- Old Trafford (Manchester United)
- Manchester City Academy Stadium (Manchester City Women)
- stadium:mk (MK Dons)
- New York Stadium (Rotherham United)
- Leigh Sports Village (Manchester United Women)
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Euro 2022 has already broken the record for number of tickets sold. The 2017 tournament in the Netherlands sold 240,045, but Uefa have confirmed they have already surpassed 300,000.
There are around 700,000 tickets available over the duration of the competition. The final has already sold out, with Uefa set to confirm whether any more tickets will now be made available due to high demand. After the ignominy of Wembley’s last Euro final, marred by “thuggery, hooliganism and racism,” England as the host nation will be under scrutiny to deliver a showpiece that is remembered for the right reasons.
Wembley sold out within an hour, but tickets for other group stage and knockout matches are still available via Uefa’s official website.
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