This summer sees the Women’s European Championship take place in Switzerland. England won it last time round, but can they handle the expectations from both inside and outside the camp?
The Lionesses have a strikingly challenging group – faced with France, the Netherlands and newcomers (and neighbours) Wales – but head coach Sarina Weigman is confident that they are up to the task: “We are aware that our group is really, really tough,” she tells Sky News, “… but we’re going to do everything to get out of that group stage and do really well in the tournament again.”
England are looking to repeat their success in the home Euros in 2022. They are second favourites to Spain, who defeated them in the World Cup Final in 2023.
The Lionesses showcased their ability in a thumping 7-0 win against Jamaica on Sunday, with goals from 6 different goal scorers. Lauren James made a highly anticipated return after a hamstring injury, and sent in a curling assist minutes after coming off the bench. Other players to watch this summer are WSL top scorer Alessia Russo (whose brother is also trying to score in the Love Island Villa across channels on ITV 2), and 21-year-old Chelsea striker Aggie Beaver-Jones, who is making her tournament debut.
Some star names are missing, however, with goalkeeper Mary Earps and striker Fran Kirby announcing their retirements from international football just weeks before the start of the tournament. Millie Bright, a starter for both Chelsea and England, has also made herself unavailable due to concerns about her mental and physical health.
These shock absences have drawn attention to the competition within the squad. Lucy Bronze remarked that, “As players, you just have to take what’s in front of you,” but England is also bolstered by a strength in depth, as new young talent comes in.
This summer’s Euros is set to have the highest attendances in women’s football’s history, with over 500,000 tickets already sold. All matches will be broadcast live on ITV1 and the BBC.
“Lauren James Eng Women 0 Czech Rep 0 11 10 2022-488 (52426864234) (cropped – James)” by James Boyes from UK is licensed under CC BY 2.0.