Euro 2022 kicks off today with the tournament set to bring in record-breaking crowds. Some 500,000 tickets have already been sold — more than double the number of attendees from Euro 2017 — and England’s opening game against Austria at Old Trafford should be the best attended Women’s Euros game ever.
The last time England hosted the Women’s Euros was in 2005 and they failed to get out of the group stage. But predictions are a bit more optimistic this year, with many seeing England as favourites to win the whole thing. Matches are taking place across the country with host cities including Brighton, Sheffield and Manchester, before it all wraps up at Wembley on July 31.
England will be hoping to reach their first final since 2009. The BBC will be showing all the games with tickets still available to a number of matches. You will struggle to find one for an England game, though — all their games sold out earlier in the year.
Our Lionesses
Euro 2022 marks the start of a new era for the Lionesses as manager Sarina Wiegman leads them into their first tournament under her. Wiegman is actually the current holder of the Euros, having won it with her home nation, The Netherlands, back in 2017 at a Euros that was hosted in her country. You can see why the FA thought she would be a good hire. Wiegman has been an entertaining addition to the England set up, bringing a very Dutch straightforwardness to her press conferences while always having a glint in her eye.
The biggest decision Wiegman has made so far in the role has been to axe Steph Houghton, first as captain and then from the squad. Houghton had been captain of England since 2014, leading them to semi-finals in all three of their previous major tournaments, but she missed almost the entirety of this season through injury.
In her place, Wiegman has selected 25-year-old Leah Williamson. It has been some rise to the top for Williamson, who only played nine minutes of the 2019 World Cup for England. The Arsenal defender is a popular and well-respected figure within the England camp, although she did raise some eyebrows when she said she had not spoken to Houghton since she had been left out of the squad.
Despite Houghton not being around for this competition, there are still plenty of familiar faces in this England side. The ever-dependable centre-back Millie Bright will be vice-captain, while Lucy Bronze and Ellen White are both likely to start. Jill Scott is the only player of the 2009 squad to still be in the team. Her goal against Switzerland in a pre-tournament friendly meant that she has now scored for England in three separate decades.
However, it is some of the newer faces who are particularly worth getting excited about. Lauren Hemp, 21, is widely tipped to go on to be one of the very best players in the world. The left-winger is a nightmare for defenders, always looking to dribble past them when she gets on the ball. On the opposite side of the pitch, 24-year-old Chloe Kelly is similarly problematic. The Manchester United duo of Alessia Russo and Ella Toone have also impressed leading into the tournament.
England will face Northern Ireland, Austria and Norway in the group stage, knowing all three of these teams very well. They have beaten both Northern Ireland and Austria recently in World Cup Qualifying, and they have knocked Norway out of the last two World Cups. Progression to the quarter-finals feels like a no-brainer but once there they will likely have to meet either Germany or Spain. England will need all their wits about them to make it into the latter stages, but there is certainly no reason why they should not.
Meet the rivals
The hosts of any tournament always have a target on their back, and there are plenty of other teams at Euro 2022 who will feel like they have a good chance of spoiling England’s party.
Germany have won the Euros more times than any other side, including a run of six consecutive trophies between 1995 and 2013. They were finally usurped in 2017 by The Netherlands but will be keen to show that they are still one of the dominant forces in Europe. In the group stages though they will have to face Spain, probably the most technically gifted side in the competition. A total of 10 of their squad are from the Barcelona side who destroyed Chelsea 4-0 in last season’s Women’s Champions League final — and that includes Ballon d’Or-winner Alexia Putellas.
Sweden are the European side with the most recent international success having won silver at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. They were unlucky not to win gold, losing to Canada on penalties despite having been the better team throughout the tournament.
Top team
The BBC has assembled a fantastic team to host coverage of the tournament led by Gabby Logan and former England international Alex Scott. England’s all-time most-capped player Fara Williams will be offering analysis as will Arsenal Women’s manager Jonas Eidevall who will bring some Swedish perspective to proceedings. One of women’s football’s most ardent supporters, Ian Wright, will also be on hand. You will have to look across the pond, though, if you want the insight of Chelsea boss Emma Hayes — she has been snapped up by ESPN for their coverage.
Bluffers United
If you are looking for drama at this tournament, look no further than France. Carrying on a strong tradition within French football of being engulfed in controversy during a major tournament, manager Corinne Diacre publicly fell out with two of her biggest players — Amandine Henry and Eugénie Le Sommer — before promptly leaving them out of her squad.
Northern Ireland are the lowest-ranked tournament at the competition, having upset the odds to make Euro 2022. In fact, many of their players are still only semi-professional so they have been running a special camp since January to allow them to train full-time.
The Icelandic side could be a surprise package in Group D. They have five mothers in their squad and Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir, Dagný Brynjarsdóttir, Sif Atladóttir, Sandra Sigurðardóttir and Elísa Viðarsdóttir will all be showing that it is possible to compete and excel at a professional level after giving birth.
Spare a thought for Portugal who were only added to the tournament in May after UEFA excluded Russia from the competition. Their lateness meant that they didn’t make it into the Panini sticker album — you have to order them separately.
If you see a set of women walking around England looking particularly well dressed, that will likely be the Italian squad. Their pre-match suits have been designed by Giorgio Armani. A bit of a different stylistic choice to England’s pre-match training top which is bright blue and pink.
