Women's Euros preview: Key players for all 16 teams

A return to Substack, and it's a big one to kick off a sizzling Swiss summer showdown...

Jun 26, 2025

The 2025 Women’s European Championships are fast approaching. Expect soaring temperatures, England-mania (remember: it’s already come home), and tournament hopefuls battling it out against the stunning mountainous backdrop of the Alps. In preparation, I’ve examined each team’s key players, along with a general overview and honourable mentions. First up is…

Group A

Finland: Emma Koivisto

Position: Central midfielder

There’s a handful of names that could impress this summer - Jutta Rantala, Linda Sällström, Eveliina Summanen. But consider Emma Koivisto. When it comes to defending the midfield motte, AC Milan’s right-back-turned-midfielder has often acted as Summanen’s partner-in-crime. This season in the Serie A, she ranked in the 98th percentile for pass completion and averaged 6.48 progressive passes per 90 minutes. I expect Koivisto to be crucial to Marko Saloranta’s fluid style of play (5-4-1, 5-3-2, and 4-3-3).

Iceland: Glódís Viggósdóttir

Position: Central defender

All eyes are on Glódís Viggósdóttir, and for good reason. The former Ballon d’Or nominee has earned more than 130 caps for her country and is poised to be a seismic figure in the Icelandic defence. (If you’re looking for a more unconventional choice, then Karólína Vilhjálmsdóttir might be worth a gander. Look past the paltry passing metrics, and you’ll notice her Expected Assisted Goals (xAG) and Shot-Creating Actions (SCA) are through the roof).

Norway: Caroline Graham Hansen

Position: Winger/midfielder

Gemma Grainger has an embarrassment of forward riches to splurge on this July, but the big-money play has been and is Caroline Graham Hansen. I believe the words that came out of my mouth as I was scrolling through FBref were “fucking hell”. 0.68 Expected Assisted Goals (xAG) per 90, 97th percentile for successful take-ons leading to a SCA, and in the 90’s for all the passing metrics this season in Liga F is worth the expletive. Since Norway tend to prioritise width-play in a ruthless 4-3-3 counter-attack, you can expect the Barcelona midfielder to have a hand in all the big moments.

Switzerland: Lia Wälti

Position: Central midfielder

Pia Sundhage has the mammoth task of uniting a disjointed Swiss team, deflecting concerns about her questionable tactics (3-5-2 or the highway?), all the while playing the role of the cool hosts who make the best artisanal chocolates. It’s no easy feat, but having a few noteworthy superstars on your side helps. Enter stage-right, captain Lia Wälti. Arsenal fans will know all about the skipper who led them to Champions League glory over Barca this May; very few will argue her position as the team’s irreplaceable leader. The only critique worth entertaining is Wälti’s fitness in regards to surgery she had last year to remove an abscess.

Group B

Belgium: Tessa Wullaert

Position: Forward

Hannah Eurlings, Mariam Toloba and Jill Janssens have shone for Belgium these past few months, but if you’re attack-minded, then Tessa Wullaert is your gal.

This season, the Inter forward ranked in the 95th percentile for goal-per-shot ratio, with a Non-Penalty Expected Goals (npxG) metric of 0.30 per 90. The impressive thing about her is that she can drop deeper into midfield if central avenues are cut off to supply others (0.24 Expected Assists (xA) per 90. With 12 goals already netted in the qualifying period, Wullaert is going to be vital to the Red Devils’ cause.

Italy: Sofia Cantore

Position: Forward

Cristiana Girelli has been the head honcho for so long, but now there’s a new mandriana in town: Sofia Cantore. For Juventus last season, the 25-year-old averaged 0.59 goals per 90 and ranked in the 73rd percentile for Non-Penalty Expected Goals (npxG). Sure, Manuela Giugliano is an exciting pick - creative, wily, and the first Italian BD’O nominee to grace the homeland. But Cantore embodies Andrea Soncin’s forward-thinking ambitions.

Portugal: Jessica Silva

Position: Winger/forward

This Portugal side are seasoned with veterans and led by one too in Francisco Neto. Unfortunately, the one long-timer they rely on the most will likely sit out this summer’s games due to an ankle injury that required surgery in March: Francisca “Kika” Nazareth. In Liberty Simon’s analysis for Her Football Club, Kika was described as the kind of player who seamlessly fit into Barca’s quick-tempo passing and mesmeric out-of-possession press. In the 22-year-old’s absence, Gotham FC’s Jessica Silva will need to take over striker duties and enamour her dazzling two-season spell at Benfica.

Spain: Esther González

Position: Forward

Yeah, ok, Aitana Bonmatí exists, as does four-time Champions League winner Mariona Caldentey. But before you draw any conclusions about my thought processes, let’s wade through Esther González’ data. The Gotham striker has aged like fine wine, having netted 10 goals in 13 games during the current campaign. Add to that a willingness to dribble in tightly-marked areas (97th percentile for successful take-ons), and you have a player capable of turning defensive kinks into widening cracks.

Honourable mentions go to 23-year-old Clàudia Pina, whose recent brace against holders, England, was enough to cause chaos in the Lioness’s internal spheres.

Group C

Denmark: Pernille Harder

Position: Forward/midfielder

Fans of Chelsea’s women’s team will understand why we should all appreciate what a fit and healthy Pernille Harder can produce. Fit, healthy, and in a rich vein of form feels like the kind of greed the Bible talks about, especially for a player who has a track record of unlucky setbacks. In Andrée Jeglertz’s fast and furious 4-3-3, she often links up with Signe Bruun and is hardwired to keep opposing defenders guessing. 14 goals in 22 games for Bayern Munich in the Frauen Bundesliga feels worth punting on.

Germany: Giulia Gwinn

Position: Right-back/midfielder

Giulia Gwinn was the best young player at the 2019 Women’s World Cup. Six years on, she’ll be replacing Alexandra Popp and Lena Oberdorf as a ‘senior’ figure of another relatively young Germany side. The Bayern midfielder has been in chief maestro mode this season, sitting in the 86th percentile for pass completion. She’s also impressed on the front foot with 0.15 xAG per 90. Alongside her, Klara Bühl will be equally vital to the cause. Last season’s “Queen of the Assists” is ripe for instigating defensive headaches in Switzerland. If she can emulate previous metrics - second in the league for successful carries into the penalty box and 0.43 xA per 90 - then Die Nationalelf will be on track for a successful summer.

Poland: Ewa Pajor

Position: Forward

Ewa Pajor is largely recognised as the greatest female footballer Poland has ever produced. This season, the 28-year-old has proven exactly why, with 25 goals in 29 Liga F games for Barca and a 94th-minute winner against Austria that secured her country’s qualification to the Euros. If you think that’s impressive, you’re going to love Paris Saint-Germain captain Paulina Dudek. Undefeated in challenges in the Première Ligue, you can expect an impenetrable defence if she’s involved.

Sweden: Kosovare Asllani

Position: Forward

What’s the saying? “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride?”. That’s exactly what this Swedish side feel like. Between Magdalena Erikkson, Fridolina Rolfö, and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, you’d expect more silverware on the international scene. Perhaps Kosovare Asllani will be their saviour. The London City Lionesses forward has played for some of the world’s best teams, including Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester City, and AC Milan. She could be the big-game player the Swedes need to push them further than a third-place finish in yet another major tournament. If not Asllani, then maybe Rolfö? Deployed in a more central position for her country, the 31-year-old has notched Graham-Hansen-level numbers:

Group D

England: The youngsters

Position: *combos*

The holders who brought football home last time around look weathered, and I’m sure it has nothing to do with the heat (I’m sweating just typing this). Indeed, failing to win any of your away games in the UEFA Nations League and losing Fran Kirby, Millie Bright, and Mary Earps on the eve of a major tournament is quite the body blow. If I was going to suggest a solution to who might revitalise this jaded group, I’d look at players who have been tearing it up in the league and Europe (Chloe Kelly, Aggie Beaver-Jones, Grace Clinton). England need something new, something surprising, something fresher than this country’s failure to make air-conditioning a requirement for underground trains. The kids could be it. Will Sarina Wiegman stick or twist?

France: Marie-Antoinette Katoto

Position: Forward

Marie-Antoinette Katoto, right? Given her record of 0.79 goals per game in the Première League this season, that should be the whole paragraph. But I will squeeze in a line about Kadidiatou Diani. With former captain Wendie Renard and all-time leading goal scorer Eugénie Le Sommer not in the squad, Diani is the most experienced player left and will likely be instrumental on and off the pitch.

Netherlands: Vivianne Miedema

Position: Forward

The Dutch will need to turn back the clocks - and keep turning them back - to 2017 when they knocked out Sweden and England en route to becoming European champions. This time around, they face the current holders, England, and tournament favourites France, as early as the group stage. Topping Group D might be a tall order, but if anyone can orchestrate it for Les Oranje, it’s Vivianne Miedema. The Man City forward is gradually returning to peak form after tearing her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in 2022, and it’s starting to show. Averaging 0.89 goals and 4.99 shots on target per 90 are enticing metrics for a team also featuring Khadija “Bunny” Shaw. On the international scene, she’ll have Daniëlle van de Donk, Jill Roord, and the returning Victoria Pelova as back-up.

Wales: Jess Fishlock

Position: Midfielder

Jess Fishlock is a Welsh legend, and if anyone can create magic in the Swiss Alps, it’s her. The 38-year-old striker heads into the tournament as Wales’ top-scorer (47) and record-appearance holder (162). Sure, being in the same group as France, England, and the Netherlands might dampen some of the awe-inspiring goals the Seattle Reign FC forward has rocketed off. But, she’ll have ample support around her to further cement her place in Y wal goch.