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Euro 2025: Fixtures, where to watch and England’s path to the final
England are defending their UEFA Women’s Euro trophy as they seek back-to-back successes on the continent this summer.
The Lionesses have travelled to Switzerland in a bid to retain their crown, won in front of nearly 90,000 at Wembley Stadium in 2022 after a 2-1 extra-time triumph over Germany.
Since then, the squad has changed, with record goalscorer Ellen White no longer part of the fold, though the likes of Lauren James have since emerged on the international stage to renew England’s hope of remaining the queens of Europe.
However, the group stage draw wasn’t exactly kind to Sarina Wiegman’s side, with France, the Netherlands and neighbours Wales lying in wait before they can even think of the quarter-finals.
So with the tournament about to get underway, here is a guide on the important dates, key players and the TV schedule for what is set to be another record-breaking competition.
UEFA Women’s Euro history
Despite international tournaments in Europe taking place decades before (predating the men’s first European Championship in 1960, it wasn’t until 1984 that UEFA staged its first official women’s competition.
Sweden were the inaugural winners, winning a penalty shootout against England at Luton Town’s Kenilworth Road after the sides were level after two legs. Current Switzerland boss Pia Sundhage was top scorer at the tournament.
Then held every two years from 1987, only four teams made the final tournament until the 1997 edition, where eight teams made the finals in Norway and Sweden. This marked the start of tournaments taking place every four years.
This increased to 12 teams in 2009, before the 2017 Women’s Euro was the first to feature 16 teams.
To date, there have only been five different winners since 1984, with Germany winning eight of the past 13 editions (once as West Germany), including six in a row between 1995 and 2013.
Norway are the only other nation to win more than once, though their last triumph came in 1993.
England previously hosted in 2005 and made the final in 2009, before making history by going all the way in 2022.
The most recent Women’s Euro marked the second time on the trot that the host nation won the tournament, with Sarina Wiegman steering her native Netherlands to the trophy in 2017.
As she attempts for a historic third European title in a row, we are set for a far more competitive tournament compared to its formative years.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1984 | Sweden |
| 1987 | Norway |
| 1989 | West Germany |
| 1991 | Germany |
| 1993 | Norway |
| 1995 | Germany |
| 1997 | Germany |
| 2001 | Germany |
| 2005 | Germany |
| 2009 | Germany |
| 2013 | Germany |
| 2017 | Netherlands |
| 2022 | England |
England’s history at the Women’s Euro
Euro 2025 marks England’s 10th appearance at the tournament, with the reigning champions aiming for a third successive major final after finishing as runners-up at the 2023 World Cup.
In fact, they have reached at least the semi-finals of every major tournament since the 2015 World Cup.
The Lionesses were in the inaugural Women’s Euro in 1984, losing the two-legged final on penalties to Sweden.
They finished fourth in 1987, but would not qualify again until 1995, where they fell at the semi-final stage after a heavy aggregate loss to Germany.
England failed to qualify for the first group stage edition in 1997, but have qualified for every tournament since 2001, though they were unable to make it out of in their first two attempts, including while as hosts in 2005, finishing last in a tight group.
Fortunes improved as they made the 2009 final in Helsinki, but a star-studded team including the likes of Alex Scott, Fara Williams and Kelly Smith were beaten 6-2 by Germany.
2013 marked the Lionesses’ last ‘poor’ result, finishing bottom of their group after defeats to Spain and France.
They redeemed themselves somewhat four years later by beating those sides on the way to the semis in 2017, but Wiegman’s Netherlands were too good for England in the last four, running out 3-0 winners.
The 2022 tournament marked a watershed moment not only for the team, but women’s football in the country. Inspiring the nation on the way to a first major triumph of any description since 1966, the heroes of 2022 helped herald a new era of women’s football, with the tournament breaking attendance and revenue records.
England wowed in the group stages, particularly against Norway, who shipped eight goals during a rampant display.
Things almost came to an abrupt end in the quarter-finals when Spain were minutes away from progressing, but a late Ella Toone strike and Georgia Stanway’s screamer set up a far more comfortable semi-final with Sweden.
The final pitted England against 2009 foes Germany, with Chloe Kelly’s iconic winner (and celebration) handing Sarina Wiegman a historic Euros double.
The legacy of their triumph continues today, with Euro 2025 smashing records for prize money, while it could yet break the tournament attendance record.
| Year | Stage reached |
|---|---|
| 1984 | Runners-up |
| 1987 | Fourth place |
| 1989 | Failed to qualify |
| 1991 | Failed to qualify |
| 1993 | Failed to qualify |
| 1995 | Semi-finals |
| 1997 | Failed to qualify |
| 2001 | Group stage |
| 2005 | Group stage |
| 2009 | Runners-up |
| 2013 | Group stage |
| 2017 | Semi-finals |
| 2022 | Winners |
England Euro 2025 squad
Sarina Wiegman named her Euro 2025 squad on 5th June, with her selection coming after a number of high-profile dropouts and international retirements.
Mary Earps and Fran Kirby – both Euro 2022 champions – called time on their international careers. Earps had lost her place as No 1 to Hannah Hampton but was by no means past it, making her decision to retire a surprise.
Kirby, 32, announced she would retire after being informed she was not going to be in Wiegman’s squad this time around.
The headline inclusion were Lauren James, who hadn’t played since early April before marking her comeback in England’s 7-0 warmup win against Jamaica three days before the start of the tournament.
| Player | Club |
|---|---|
| Hannah Hampton | Chelsea |
| Khiara Keating | Man City |
| Anna Moorhouse | Orlando Pride |
| Lucy Bronze | Chelsea |
| Jess Carter | Gotham FC |
| Niamh Charles | Chelsea |
| Alex Greenwood | Man City |
| Maya Le Tissier | Man Utd |
| Esme Morgan | Washington Spirit |
| Leah Williamson | Arsenal |
| Lotte Wubben-Moy | Arsenal |
| Grace Clinton | Man Utd |
| Jess Park | Man City |
| Georgia Stanway | Bayern Munich |
| Ella Toone | Man Utd |
| Keira Walsh | Chelsea |
| Michelle Agyemang | Brighton |
| Aggie Beever-Jones | Chelsea |
| Lauren Hemp | Man City |
| Lauren James | Chelsea |
| Chloe Kelly | Arsenal |
| Beth Mead | Arsenal |
| Alessia Russo | Arsenal |
England fixtures at Euro 2025
England have been drawn in Group D at this summer’s tournament, with France, the Netherlands and Wales competing alongside them for the two spots in the last eight.
The Lionesses’ campaign gets underway against France in Zurich on Saturday 5th July, which is also the venue for their second match against the Netherlands on 9th July.
England’s group campaign concludes against Wales on 13th July in St Gallen, by which point, they may already know their fate, one way or the other.
| Date | Match | Kick-off time (UK) | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 5th July | France v England | 8pm | ITV1 |
| Wed 9th July | England v Netherlands | 5pm | BBC One |
| Sun 13th July | England v Wales | 8pm | ITV1 |
Should they make it through to the quarter-finals, they will face one of the top two teams in Group C, which features Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Poland.
A team from the other side of the draw will await in the last four, meaning that England will be on a collision course with Spain in the semi-finals if both sides win their groups, while the final could end up being a rematch from the group stage.
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | Spain | Germany | France |
| Iceland | Italy | Denmark | England |
| Norway | Belgium | Sweden | Netherlands |
| Finland | Portugal | Poland | Wales |
Where to watch Euro 2025 matches on UK TV
All Euro 2025 matches will be made available on free-to-air TV in the UK, with BBC and ITV sharing broadcasting rights.
ITV will show England’s opening group game against France and their potential decider against Wales, with the BBC showing the Lionesses’ clash against the Netherlands.
Broadcast picks for the later rounds will be announced after the conclusion of the group stage.
Both channels will show the final, which is being played at Basel’s St Jakob Park on Sunday 27th July.
| Date | Match | Kick-off time (UK) | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 2nd July | Iceland v Finland | 5pm | ITV1 |
| Wed 2nd July | Switzerland v Norway | 8pm | BBC One |
| Thu 3rd July | Belgium v Italy | 5pm | BBC Two |
| Thu 3rd July | Spain v Portugal | 8pm | ITV1 |
| Fri 4th July | Denmark v Sweden | 5pm | ITV1 |
| Fri 4th July | Germany v Poland | 8pm | ITV1 |
| Sat 5th July | Wales v Netherlands | 5pm | BBC One |
| Sat 5th July | France v England | 8pm | ITV1 |
| Sun 6th July | Norway v Finland | 5pm | BBC Two |
| Sun 6th July | Switzerland v Iceland | 8pm | ITV1 |
| Mon 7th July | Spain v Belgium | 5pm | ITV1 |
| Mon 7th July | Portugal v Italy | 8pm | ITV1 |
| Tue 8th July | Germany v Denmark | 5pm | BBC Two |
| Tue 8th July | Poland v Sweden | 8pm | BBC One |
| Wed 9th July | England v Netherlands | 5pm | BBC One |
| Wed 9th July | France v Wales | 8pm | ITV1 |
| Thu 10th July | Finland v Switzerland | 8pm | BBC One |
| Thu 10th July | Norway v Iceland | 8pm | BBC iPlayer |
| Fri 11th July | Italy v Spain | 8pm | BBC One |
| Fri 11th July | Portugal v Belgium | 8pm | BBC iPlayer |
| Sat 12th July | Sweden v Germany | 8pm | ITV1 |
| Sat 12th July | Poland v Denmark | 8pm | ITV4 |
| Sun 13th July | England v Wales | 8pm | ITV1 |
| Sun 13th July | Netherlands v France | 8pm | ITV4 |
| Wed 16th July (QF1) | Winner Group A v Runner-up Group B | 8pm | TBC |
| Thu 17th July (QF2) | Winner Group C v Runner-up Group D | 8pm | TBC |
| Fri 18th July (QF3) | Winner Group B v Runner-up Group A | 8pm | TBC |
| Sat 19th July (QF4) | Winner Group D v Runner-up Group C | 8pm | TBC |
| Tue 22nd July (SF1) | Winner QF2 v Winner QF1 | 8pm | TBC |
| Wed 23rd July (SF2) | Winner QF4 v Winner QF3 | 8pm | TBC |
| Sun 27th July | Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 | 8pm | BBC One & ITV1 |
