04 April 2023 , 16:12
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The road to UEFA Women's Euro 2025 is about to begin as Switzerland has beaten France, Poland and a joint bid from Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden to host the competition in two years time.
The 2021 tournament, which took place last summer, was hosted by eventual winners England at stadiums across the country including Old Trafford, Brighton's Amex Stadium and Wembley. The Lionesses will hope to retain their title in 2025 and the host country has now been announced following a UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Lisbon on Tuesday.
In September last year, the Swiss Football Association confirmed their bid to host the tournament with Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lucerne, Lausanne, Zurich, Thun, St. Gallen and Sion named as candidate cities. This will be the first ever UEFA Women's Euro to be hosted in the country.
Switzerland hosted the men's EURO in 2008 alongside Austria, the tournament was won by Spain who clinched their second title. Stadium's included in the Swiss bid for 2025 include Basel's St. Jakob-Park, the Stade de Geneve and Zurich's Stadion Letzigrund.
The 2025 tournament will see 16 teams play 31 games over the course of three weeks. Previous hosts in recent years include England in 2022, the Netherlands in 2017, Sweden in 2013 and Finland in 2009.
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The bids for 2025 were initially put forward by five associations, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced them to withdraw and Denmark shifted their focus from a solo bid to a joint bid with three other Nordic countries. Poland announced their bid in 2021, while France, who hosted the Women's World Cup in 2019, also put themselves forward in February last year.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 31: Mary Earps, Keira Walsh and Leah Williamson of England celebrate with the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Trophy following victory in the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 final match between England and Germany at Wembley Stadium on July 31, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Lynne Cameron - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)However, for the Lionesses, attention will remain firmly on this summer's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. After losing out to the United States at the semi-final stage in 2019, England will hope to go a step further this year and continue their incredible form under Sarina Wiegman.
The England manager's current deal runs until 2025, despite reports in October suggesting she'd signed a new deal to extend her tenure until 2027. Wiegman has been in charge since September 2021 and the Lionesses are yet to lose a game under the Dutch coach.
Qualification for the tournament will get underway in February 2024 and Switzerland are now the only team guaranteed a spot as hosts.