Switzerland to host Women’s Euro 2025

UEFA, football’s European governing body, has announced today (Tuesday) that Switzerland will host the Women’s Euro 2025.

Switzerland has been selected ahead of a joint bid from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, as well as separate proposals from France and Poland.

The Switzerland, Poland and Nordic bids received four votes each in the first round, with the France bid receiving one. A ballot between the three tied bids was carried out to determine which two bidders should proceed to the second round, which led to Switzerland receiving six votes, the Nordic bid receiving four and Poland receiving three.

The Switzerland and Nordic bids therefore progressed to the second round of voting, which saw Switzerland receive nine votes and the Nordic bid receive four votes.

It will mark the second time the country has staged a major UEFA national team tournament after it co-hosted the men’s European Championship alongside Austria in 2008.

The 16-team tournament will be held over four weeks in June and July at stadiums in Basel (pictured), Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St. Gallen, Sion, Lucerne and Thun. The Swiss Football Association (SFV) said it will use existing venues, with only the pitches in Thun and Bern to require modification.

Dominique Blanc, president of the SFV said: “This is a historic day for Switzerland, the SFV and women’s football. This big step will shape the development of women’s football at all levels. I would like to thank everyone involved who made this project possible, especially those responsible at the federal government, the cantons and the host cities, who have supported us from the start.”

Marion Daube, director of women’s football at the SFV and project manager for Switzerland’s bid, added: “The SFV has made the promotion of women’s football an important part of its strategy for the future and is extremely pleased that we are supporting our strategy to hold a tournament with high visibility in our country. 

“We are proud that our application was successful and we want to show that football is accessible to everyone. Our tournament should be a four-week festival for the whole of Switzerland and, due to our location in the heart of Europe, also for the surrounding countries.”

Daube and her team will now be responsible for implementing the candidacy dossier submitted by the SFV on October 12 last year. The first workshops and visits to Euro 2025 venues are scheduled for April and May, after which point a concrete action plan will be finalised.

The most recent Women’s Euro was held last year in England, with the host nation winning the tournament after defeating Germany 2-1 in the final at Wembley. The event had been due to take place in 2021 but was pushed back by 12 months after the men’s Euro 2020 tournament was delayed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.