Spain UEFA Girls’s Euro 2025 preview

World champions Spain are bidding so as to add recent silverware to their assortment when the UEFA Girls’s Euro 2025 kicks off in Switzerland in July.

Blessed with essentially the most proficient squad within the event, on many ranges it was no shock to see Spain win the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Nevertheless, given every part that went on throughout a tumultuous buildup to the occasion, it was nonetheless a really spectacular feat as Spain discovered a solution to win, regardless of the deep issues and divides that remained behind the scenes.

The actions of RFEF president Luis Rubiales on ultimate day in Sydney added to the sense of a bittersweet triumph. Two years on, Rubiales and coach Jorge Vilda are gone from the set-up, and it’s Vilda’s former assistant Montse Tome who’s confronted with the duty of making an attempt to united the group and cause them to victory in Switzerland.

How did Spain qualify for the Euros?

As world champions, Spain unsurprisingly certified for this event with minimal fuss, successful 5 of their six group video games in a marketing campaign that began with a thumping 7-0 victory over Belgium.

There have been a couple of cracks although in a few of their different performances which dipped beneath the very excessive requirements they set down beneath in 2023. That included a shock 2-1 defeat in opposition to the Czech Republic, the underside aspect within the group.

Spain additionally gained 5 out of six of their Nations League group earlier this yr, with their ultimate fixture in opposition to fellow World Cup finalists England leading to a 2-1 victory on the RCDE Stadium in early June.

They subsequently take good type right into a event that they’re the clear favourites to win.

Spain on the Girls’s Euros historical past

1984-1995	Did not qualify
Euro 1997	Semi-finals
2001-2009	Did not qualify
Euro 2013	Quarter-finals
Euro 2017	Quarter-finals
Euro 2022	Quarter-finals

Regardless of their dominant file in worldwide soccer lately, Spain would not have a very good file on this competitors. They didn’t even qualify for 9 of the primary 10 tournaments, however did attain the semi-finals on debut in 1997.

La Roja wouldn’t return to the occasion till 2013 after they have been quarter-finalists in Sweden. There have been two extra last-eight exits since then, most not too long ago in England in 2022 after they have been overwhelmed in extra-time by the hosts and eventual winners in Brighton.

Spain have by no means gained a knockout match on the Girls’s Euros, one thing they’ll be decided to place proper this summer time.

Group stage opponents

Portugal

Tome’s aspect are in Group B at Euro 2025 and so they’ll start with an Iberian derby in opposition to Portugal. Given Spain recorded 4-2 and 7-1 victories over the Portuguese within the Nations League as not too long ago as April, this ought to be a comparatively light introduction into the event for La Roja in opposition to a Portuguese aspect that options Barcelona midfielders Tatiana Pinto and Francisca Nazareth.

Belgium

The robust expectation is that Spain could have six factors on the board after their second recreation in opposition to Belgium, one of many event outsiders. The groups can be comparatively acquainted with each other given they’ve met 4 instances because the 2023 World Cup, with Spain successful on every event, though they did want stoppage-time objectives from Lucia Garcia and Cristina Martin-Prieto to keep away from a shock defeat within the Nations League in Valencia in February.

Italy

On paper, Spain’s hardest group opponent can be Italy. Le Azzurre haven’t made it previous the group stage at a significant event because the 2019 World Cup, however they’re at the moment ranked because the Thirteenth-best group on the earth. Of their first main competitors beneath the steering of Andrea Soncin, they’ll nonetheless depend upon 35-year-old ahead Cristiana Girelli to supply an actual aim menace up high and so they drew 1-1 in opposition to Spain in a pleasant final yr.

Spain Euro 2025 fixtures

Group stage

Matchday	Date	Opponent	Venue
1	July third 2025	Portugal	Stadion Wankdorf, Bern
2	July seventh 2025	Belgium	Enviornment Thun, Thun
3	July eleventh 2025	Italy	Stadion Wankdorf, Bern

Spain’s coaching base is in Lausanne, a spectacularly-set metropolis on Lake Geneva. It’ll take them solely just a little over an hour by highway to succeed in the Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, the setting for his or her first and third group video games.

In between these matches, they’ll head solely barely additional to the Enviornment Thun to tackle Belgium, so there can be comparatively little travelling concerned within the group stage of this event for Spain.

Potential knockout path

	1st in Group B	2nd in Group B
Quarter-final	July 18th in Bern	July sixteenth in Geneva
Semi-final	July twenty third in Zurich	July twenty second in Geneva
Closing	July twenty seventh in Basel	July twenty seventh in Basel

Spain are the clear favourites to win Group B, so their most definitely path would see them play their third match in Bern within the quarter-final stage. Nevertheless, the drawback of that route could be an extended semi-final journey to the opposite aspect of Switzerland to play in Zurich, the nation’s largest metropolis, assuming they progressed that far.

Had been they to complete as runners-up, then each the quarter-final and potential semi-final could be within the metropolis of Geneva, solely round 60 km from their coaching base.

All issues thought of, Spain’s possibilities of reaching the final 4 look extraordinarily good. They’ve landed on a lot the weaker aspect of the draw, and can face opposition from Group A within the quarter-finals ought to they progress. That group doesn’t characteristic any actual heavyweights, with hosts Switzerland joined by a aggressive Norwegian aspect, in addition to outsiders Iceland and Finland.

They can’t face any of their fundamental rivals, anticipated to be France, Germany and England, earlier than the semi-final stage.

Who’s in Montse Tome’s squad?

Spain’s squad is exceptionally robust and options two-time Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, with the latter totally match for this event which wasn’t the case in 2023 when she was solely simply recovering from an ACL damage.

There’s additionally loads extra high quality within the form of the likes of Mariona Caldentey, Patri Guijarro, Laia Aleixandri, Irene Paredes and Esther Gonzalez.

They’re lacking Tere Abelleira and Laia Codina to accidents nevertheless, whereas Jenni Hermoso and Ivana Andres, who each featured within the 2023 World Cup ultimate, haven’t been chosen.

Goalkeepers: Adriana Naclares (Athletic Membership), Cata Coll (Barcelona), Esther Sullastres (Sevilla)

Defenders: Laia Aleixandri (Manchester Metropolis), Ona Battle (Barcelona), Olga Carmona (Actual Madrid), Jana Fernandez (Barcelona), Maria Mendez (Actual Madrid), Leila Ouahabi (Manchester Metropolis), Irene Paredes (Barcelona)

Midfielders: Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona), Athenea del Castillo (Actual Madrid), Patri Guijarro (Barcelona), Vicky Lopez (Barcelona), Alexia Putellas (Barcelona), Maite Zubieta (Athletic Membership)

Forwards: Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal), Lucia Garcia (Monterrey), Esther Gonzalez (Gotham FC), Cristina Martin-Prieto (Benfica), Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona) Claudia Pina (Barcelona), Alba Redondo (Actual Madrid)