Knockout Stages Beckon for Eight Remaining Sides at Euro 2025

The group stages are done and now we approach the crucial knockout stages of Euro 2025. The likes of Spain, France and England progressed comfortably, while dark horses Sweden and Italy impressed.

Germany laboured through, while hosts Switzerland scored a stoppage time equaliser to earn their first quarter-final appearance at a European Championship. The knockout stage line-up is completed by Norway, who were perhaps the most comfortable of all eight sides in strolling through their group.

Norway vs Italy

Preview

Two time European Champions Norway are enjoying their best run at this tournament since losing the final to Germany back in 2013.

They finished top of Group A with three wins from three games, scoring eight goals.

Meanwhile Italy finished second in Group B behind World Champions Spain. Le Azzure made it to the quarter-finals with four points from three games despite only scoring once in each game.

Norway however do have the joint worst defensive record of the teams still remaining at the European Championships, alongside Germany, having conceded five goals in three matches. Although Italy’s is only one better, they did concede three of their four to free-scoring Spain.

Head to Head

These two have met only three times previously, the last occasions being during Euro qualifying in 2024 where both matches finished level.

The last time both sides faced off at the Euros was in 2005, when Norway came out 5-3 winners in the final set of Group B matches that saw the Norwegians qualify for the quarter finals.

Norway have won their last two quarter-final ties at the Women’s Euros, recording a 3-1 victory over Sweden in 2009 before replicating that result in their last-eight clash with Spain in 2013.

Italy have lost their previous two Women's Euros quarter-finals in 2009 and 2019.

Team News

Full back Marit Lund will be suspended for the quarter-final after being sent off at the end of Norway’s 4-3 win over Iceland. However after heavily rotating for that final group game having already qualified, the Group A winners will go back to a full strength 11 meaning their attacking firepower of Guro Reiten, Ada Hegerberg and Caroline Graham Hansen will be fresh and ready.

Norway predicted lineup vs Italy (4-2-3-1): Fiskerstand; Bjelde, Mjelde, Harviken, Hansen; Boe Risa, Maanum, Engen; Graham Hansen, Reiten, Hegerberg

For Italy, the expected change would be that Cristiana Girelli comes back into the team having been left out of the side that lost 3-1 to Spain.

Italy predicted lineup vs Norway (4-4-2): Giuliani; Oliviero, Lenzini, Linari, Boattin; Cantore, Giugliano, Caruso, Bonansea; Piemonte, Girelli

Sweden vs England

Preview

Sweden have been the surprise package of the tournament so far, having topped Group C ahead of one of the favourites in Germany.

Sweden put out a statement win over Germany in their final group game which saw them finish top, beating them 4-1.

This is their eighth successive tournament in which they have made it to the final eight, with their best finish being two final defeats in both 1995 and 2001.

Meanwhile for England, it’s been a little bit shaky for the reigning champions but now it seems they are starting to get into their groove. They finished runners up in Group D behind France but two statements win over the Netherlands (4-0) and then against Wales (6-1) has given the Lionesses a chance to feel more confident ahead of the knockouts.

Though England did score eleven goals across the groups, the 2-1 defeat to France in the opening matchday highlighted the defensive worries of the side.

However boss Sarina Wiegmann said how the defeat to the French gave her side some sort of “urgency.”

"That really brought us together and everyone really wanted to perform and be successful," she said.

"In the Netherlands game, we really created urgency and momentum by playing really well and to our strengths.

“With that loss, the urgency came and I think the team really responded well. Now hopefully we can show that again against Sweden."

With Chelsea's Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Arsenal's Stina Blackstenius and former Barcelona forward Fridolina Rolfo - who recently left the Spanish Champions - among Sweden's ranks, England know they face a strong counter-attacking team.

Head to Head

This fixture is a repeat of the Euro 2022 semi final in Sheffield where the Lionesses blew Sweden away with a 4-0 en route to lifting the trophy.

Since then both sides have played each other in Euro qualifying with two draws.

The last time Sweden beat England was in 2019 when a 2-1 win secured them a Bronze Medal at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Match stats

● Sweden have lost only one of their last five games against England at the UEFA Women’s EURO (W3 D1), though that was a 4-0 defeat in the most recent meeting in the semi-finals of EURO 2022 – the Swedes are one of two teams to eliminate England from the knockout stages of the competition twice, alongside Germany (1984 final, 1987 semi-final).

● England have won just one of their last six meetings with Sweden across all competitions (D3 L2), with the most recent two ending in draws in qualification for UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 (1-1 home, 0-0 away).

● Sweden and England are two of three nations to have reached the quarter-final stage in all five major tournaments (World Cup/EURO) since EURO 2017, alongside France; Blågult have progressed from each of their last three last-eight ties, since they were eliminated from EURO 2017 by the Netherlands.

● England have progressed from each of their five quarter-final ties at major tournaments (World Cup/EURO) since the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, already the longest ever run by a European nation; meanwhile the Lionesses have a perfect three from three record in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s EURO, beating Finland in 2009, France in 2017 and Spain in 2022.

● Sweden have won all three of their games at UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, but have never won four in a row in the competition before. They have actually won six of their last seven games in the competition, with the exception of their 4-0 loss to England in the semi-finals of EURO 2022.

● In the group stage of UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, no team recorded a higher expected goals figure than both England and Sweden (both 9.34 xG), while only Spain (14) scored more goals than England (eleven – level with France). Eight different players netted for the Lionesses in the group stage, only having more players net in a single major tournament (World Cup/EURO) at EURO 2022 (9).

● 65% of Sweden’s chances created from open play at UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 have come down their right-hand side, the highest proportion of any nation; the Swedes recorded the most open play crosses during the group stage (61), with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd completing twice as many as any other player overall (eight).

Only Ellen White (ten) has scored more major tournament goals (World Cup/EURO) for England than Alessia Russo (eight – level with Fara Williams), who has netted three goals in her last six knockout stage appearances at those tournaments, including a goal against Sweden in the EURO 2022 semi-final.

● Kosovare Asllani scored (one) or assisted (three) half of Sweden’s goals in the group stage of this year’s UEFA Women’s EURO (4/8). Since Opta have assist data available for major tournaments (World Cup/EURO from 2011), only Lotta Schelin at UEFA Women’s EURO 2013 (7) and Asllani herself at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup (five) have recorded more goal involvements at a single edition of such a competition for Sweden.

● England’s Ella Toone has been directly involved in seven goals at the UEFA Women’s EURO, despite starting just two games (four goals, three assists) – the 25 year old has scored four goals in her last three international starts, as many as across her 26 prior for the Lionesses.

Team news

There’s been criticism for Wiegman over her starting 11, particularly in the defeat to France where she started Lauren James in a number 10 role.

Bringing back Ella Toone to play in that role and moving James out wide worked in the two group wins but whether that changes for this quarter final will remain to be seen.

England Predicted XI: Hampton; Bronze, Williamson, Carter, Greenwood; Toone, Walsh, Stanway; James, Russo, Hemp

Sweden Predicted XI: Falk; Holmberg, Björn, Eriksson, Andersson; Angeldahl, Asllani, Zigiotti Olme; Rytting Kaneryd, Blackstenius, Rolfö

Spain vs Switzerland

Preview

The World Champions eased through Group B with nine points and fourteen goals scored across the groups, the most of anyone in the tournament up to this point.

Meanwhile hosts Switzerland made it through to the knockouts with a 92nd minute equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Finland which saw them finish 2nd in Group A on goal difference.

Realistically, anything but a comfortable Spain win here will be considered a big shock. They have racked up 24 goals and assists between 11 players in just three games which just shows how much firepower they have.

Alexia Putellas has been the standout of the tournament so far with 7 G/A and will be hoping to continue that in the knockouts. You also have to factor in that Aitana Bonmati is now just starting to come back to full fitness after she had a disrupted group stage due to suffering from meningitis.

Maybe a glimmer of hope for Switzerland is that both sides have conceded three goals in three games.

Switzerland stats

● Switzerland are aiming to become the third successive hosts to win the tournament after Netherlands in 2017 and England in 2022.

● This is Switzerland's third successive finals appearance. Both previous entries have ended in the group stage, their sole win before 2025 a 2-1 victory over Iceland on debut in 2017.

● Switzerland finished third in Group C at the 2022 finals; they drew their opener with Portugal (2-2) but lost to both Sweden (1-2) and Netherlands (1-4).

● Their 2023 Women's World Cup participation ended with a 1-5 defeat to eventual champions Spain in the round of 16.

● Head coach Pia Sundhage was top scorer in the first-ever tournament in 1984. Then known as the European Competition for Women's Football, Sundhage converted Sweden's winning penalty in the final shoot-out against England.

Spain stats

● Spain followed their 5-0 victory against Portugal in Group B with a 6-2 defeat of Belgium. There were seven different scorers in the latter match, a competition record, while Spain equalled the single-team record of five scorers. Putellas had a hand in four goals – two goals and two assists – as captain Irene Paredes, Esther González, Mariona Caldentey and Clàudia Pina also found the net for the world champions in Thun.

● Athenea, Patri Guijarro and González all scored on Matchday 3 in Bern as La Roja came from behind to beat Italy 3-1 and clinch first place in Group B.

● González's goal against Italy made her the first Spain player to score in four successive Women's EURO final tournament appearances. Only Germany's Alexandra Popp has scored in five successive finals matches.

● The 5-0 victory against Portugal on Matchday 1 is Spain's biggest EURO victory.

● Spain are bidding to win their first Women's EURO quarter-final after bowing out at this stage in the past three tournaments, against Norway in 2013 (1-3), Austria in 2017 (0-0, 3-5 pens) and winners England in 2022 (1-2 aet).

● This is their fifth appearance at Women's EURO, a run to the semi-finals on debut in 1997 their best showing to date.

● Spain won five of their six qualifying games in Group A2 (L1), scoring 18 goals and conceding five in finishing ahead of Denmark, Belgium and Czechia.

● Jenni Hermoso and Salma Paralluelo both scored three goals in qualifying as Spain averaged three per game.

● Spain won their first-ever senior major international women's tournament thanks to Olga Carmona's first-half strike against England in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup final in Sydney.

● Less than a year later, goals from Bonmatí (32) and Caldentey (53) gave La Roja victory against France in the 2023/24 Women's Nations League final in Seville.

● Current head coach Montse Tomé, who had served as an assistant to Jorge Vila at the 2023 World Cup, guided Spain to that Women's Nations League title and then fourth place at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Team news

Spain Predicted XI: Coll; Batlle, Paredes, Aleixandri, Olga; Bonmatí, Patri, Alexia; Caldentey, Pina, Esther González

Switzerland Predicted XI: Peng; Beney, Calligaris, Stierli, Maritz, Riesen; Reuteler, Wälti, Vallotto; Schertenleib, Fölmli

France vs Germany

Preview

On paper this has the look to be an extremely tasty encounter between two of the world’s best teams.

France finished top of Group A with three wins, the pick of them being that victory over England. Their attack was firing in the groups with Cascarino, Katoto and Diani getting 9 G/A between them (Cascarino getting the most with 4 G/A, Katoto 3 G/A and Diani 2 G/A).

France have never won a major tournament and their head coach Laurent Bonadei brought much attention when he dropped captain Wendie Renard and all-time top scorer Eugenie Le Sommer before the tournament to try and find some“different results.”

Head to Head

An Alexandra Popp double helped Germany beat France 2-1 in Milton Keynes in the semi-finals of the 2022 competition – their third meeting at Women's EURO – an own goal from goalkeeper Merle Frohms having levelled at 1-1.

The previous two matches were also won by Germany, in the group stage in 2005 (3-0) and 2009 (5-1). They went on to lift the title on both occasions.

Germany came out on top in two FIFA Women's World Cup encounters between the nations, 4-2 in the group stage when they hosted in 2011 and 5-4 on penalties in Canada 2015 after their quarter-final had ended 1-1 following extra time.

Lea Schüller scored the only goal of the game as Germany defeated France 1-0 in a friendly in Laval on 28 February 2019.

France won their most recent encounter however, prevailing 2-1 in the 2023/24 UEFA Women’s Nations League semi-final in Décines to turn round their defeat by the same scoreline in the Women's EURO 2022 last four. First-half strikes from Kadidiatou Diani and Sakina Karchaoui – her first international goal – proved enough despite Giulia Gwinn's late penalty halving the deficit.

Facts

• France have won their last 11 international games - all in 2025 - but have never won four straight games at a European Championship.

• Germany have scored a record 107 goals in Women's EURO final tournaments. They are the only team to have reached a century.

• This is Germany's 50th game at Women's EURO – they are the first team to reach the landmark.

• Eight-time champions Germany are aiming to reach a record extending 11th semi-final.

Team news

Germany Predicted XI: Berger; Linder, Minge, Knaak, Kett; Senss, Nüsken; Brand, Dallmann, Bühl; Schüller

France Predicted XI: Peyraud-Magnin; De Almeida, Lakrar, Mbock Bathy, Bacha; Geyoro, Jean-Francois, Karcahoui; Cascarino, Katoto, Baltimore