Spain handed kind Women’s Euro 2025 draw, holders England in tough group
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The trophy on display at the Women's Euro 2025 final draw, in Lausanne, Switzerland.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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LAUSANNE – World Cup winners Spain will play Italy, Belgium and Portugal at Women’s Euro 2025, while England face a tough path to defending their title at the tournament in Switzerland.
Reigning European champions and 2023 World Cup runners-up England were drawn alongside France, the Netherlands and debutantes Wales in a challenging Group D at the tournament, which runs from July 2 to 27.
The Netherlands won the tournament on home soil in 2017 under current England boss Sarina Wiegman.
Wiegman will take on her native country on July 9, before England conclude their group-stage campaign against Wales.
“We’re neighbours, so there’s a rivalry on the pitch, which is good,” Wiegman told the BBC on her team’s clash with Wales, who are making their bow at a major international tournament.
“I expect them to get everything out of themselves that they have in them and fight for every yard in the game and enjoy it.”
France, beaten semi-finalists in the last edition of the Euro and quarter-finalists at the 2023 World Cup, have never won a major women’s tournament.
“I think the other teams must be dreading being in the same group as France,” said coach Laurent Bonadei, who took over after Herve Renard returned to Saudi Arabia.
“At this level, all the groups are tough, like Germany’s, and even Spain’s is an equal group,” he added, looking at the rest of the draw.
Germany, who have won eight of the previous 13 editions, meet 1984 winners Sweden, Denmark and newcomers Poland in Group C.
The Germans won six successive titles between 1995 and 2013 but lost to England after extra time in the final two years ago at Wembley.
Hosts Switzerland kick off the tournament against Norway in Group A, which includes Iceland and Finland.
Spain have reached the quarter-finals of the last three European Championships. They made the last four on their debut in 1997.
Spain coach Montserrat Tome told Teledeporte that she was “very happy” with the draw, as the favourites avoided their bigger continental rivals.
However, she said Spain “have to be humble”, adding that “at international level, every match is a problem”.
Uefa announced ahead of the Dec 16 draw that it would award €41 million (S$58.1 million) in prize money for the tournament, more than doubling the amount from 2022.
Winners of the final in Basel could receive up to €5.1 million – England pocketed €2.085 million as champions in 2022 – with each of the 16 participating teams receiving €1.8 million.
In line with the development of women’s football, the funding for the continental tournament has increased five-fold since Euro 2017, and by 156 per cent since Euro 2022 in England, when it amounted to €16 million.
Some 70 per cent of the total will be distributed to the teams involved, who will have to pay “between 30 and 40 per cent” of their allocation to their players, European governing body Uefa said.
Teams will receive €50,000 for a draw and €100,000 for a win during the group stage, then respectively €550,000, €700,000 and €850,000 if they reach the quarter-finals, semi-finals or the final.
Uefa announced in October its intention to invest €1 billion in women’s football by 2030, targeting grassroots levels and further increasing professional standards at the top end and stadium attendance. AFP
Women’s Euro 2025:
Group A: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Finland
Group B: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy
Group C: Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden
Group D: France, England, Wales, Netherlands
