England will begin the defence of their Women’s European Championship title when they head to Switzerland this summer.
The Lionesses secured the country’s first major trophy since 1966 at the 2022 Euros, beating Germany in the final after extra time.
This year’s tournament takes place from 2 to 27 July and kicks off with Iceland playing Finland, before hosts Switzerland face Norway the same evening. It will feature 16 teams competing across eight cities and returns to its usual four-year cycle after the previous tournament was delayed to 2022 due to Covid.
England start with a massive game against France on 5 July in Zurich. They then go on to play the Netherlands on 9 July and Wales on 13 July, hoping to secure a spot in the quarter-finals and beyond.
Dutch head coach Sarina Wiegman, who led England to their historic win in 2022, recently named the 23 Lionesses who will make up her squad this time around – including 13 players who became champions in 2022.
Chelsea star Lauren James has been named despite not making an appearance since suffering a hamstring injury during England’s 5-0 Nations League win over Belgium in April.
However, they will be without Mary Earps and Fran Kirby, who have retired from international football, while Millie Bright has made herself unavailable.
England’s Euro 2025 fixtures
Group stage
- 5 July: France vs England (8pm, Zurich)
- 9 July: England vs Netherlands (5pm, Zurich)
- 13 July: England vs Wales (8pm, St Gallen)
How to watch Euro 2025
- Dates: 2-27 July
- TV Channel: England’s matches against France and Wales will both be shown on ITV, with the BBC having rights for the game against the Netherlands. Every Women’s Euro 2025 match will be broadcast free-to-air in the UK, with coverage split between BBC and ITV.
- Livestream: Streaming will be available on BBC iPlayer and ITVX.
The 16 competing teams were split into four groups of four during the final tournament draw in Lausanne on December 16, 2024. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals.
Euro 2025 groups
- Group A: Switzerland (hosts), Norway, Iceland, Finland
- Group B: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy
- Group C: Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden
- Group D: France, England (holders), Wales, Netherlands
England’s path to the final
Should England progress out of Group D, they will play either the winners or runners-up of Group C, depending on where the Lionesses finish in their group. Next, that could pit them against Germany or Sweden, who will be the favourites to qualify from that group.
The total available prize money for this year’s tournament stands at €41m (£34m) – a significant increase from the 2022 prize pot worth €16 million (£13.7m).
All competing sides receive a €1.8m (£1.5m) participation fee, with the remaining sum of money going to the quarter-finalists, semi-finalists, runners-up and winners.
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