Philipp Kresnik / SheKicks / SPP
After 30 games, and no small amount of on-field chaos, the final for UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 is set. It will finish just as the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand did: with England and Spain fighting it out for the title.
While consensus says these are Europe’s finest, neither has enjoyed a straightforward ride. Indeed, this Euros knockout stage has arguably been the most hotly contested ever. Four of this year’s six knockout games so far have gone to extra time, more than any of the previous editions since quarter-finals were introduced in 2009. And just one knockout game (Spain’s 2-0 win over Switzerland) has seen a winning margin of at least two goalstwo goals, compared to two games in 2022 and 2013, and three games in 2017 and 2009.
There is no longer a dominant force in the mold of Germany in the 1990s and 2000s, with their six consecutive championships. Rather, there is a loose contingent of five or six contenders, with England and Spain having just enough in them to scrap their way to the final. The latter looked more convincing, though they also enjoyed a simpler group and quarter-final opposition. It all makes for an intriguing final.
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