Spain’s EURO 2025 Mission - La Roja looking to add Euro to World Cup title
- Theo Tarling
- Jul 2
- 5 min read
As they head to Switzerland this week ahead of Euro 2025, Spain are favourites for the upcoming tournament. Since winning their first major honour at the 2023 World Cup in Australia & New Zealand, La Roja have grown even stronger.
So how has the squad changed since that 1 - 0 win over England in Sydney and who are the key players looking to drive their country to European glory?
Bold players are those who are in the 2025 squad but were not in the 2023 squad.
Key Players to Watch
Alexia Putellas (Barcelona) - Attacking Midfielder
For the two time Ballon d'or winner, this tournament feels like a sense of redemption for the disappointment of missing out at Euro 2022 in England. A day before the tournament was due to begin, Putellas suffered an ACL injury that kept her out of the majority of the 22/23 season, returning just before the 2023 World Cup. She was also part of the 2023/2024 Nations League winning squad, despite not playing in the final against France.
She finished the club season with 38 combined goals and assists in just 39 games, just three shy of her career best in 2021/2022. She played a key part in Barcelona winning a treble, winning a sixth straight Liga F title, a fifth consecutive Copa de la Reina and a fifth Supercopa Femenia on the spin.
Last season they completed the first ever quadruple in the club's history, but were denied a third-straight Champions League title by Arsenal.
Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona) - Central Midfielder
Spain's chances of European glory hinge heavily on their midfield, not only because of Putellas, but also because of her Barcelona teammate Aitana Bonmati. The reigning back-to-back Ballon d'or winner will be hoping to win the tournament as she bids to become the first woman ever to win three straight Ballon d'or titles.
Bonmati won the Champions League Player of the Year award for the third season running, despite Barcelona's defeat to Arsenal in the final, and registered 27 combined goals and assists in 44 games. Those are good numbers for an attacker, let alone a central midfielder.
Olga Carmona (PSG) - Left-back
Olga Carmona wrote herself into Spanish football folklore by netting the winner in the 2023 World Cup Final. The goal secured her side's first major women's title and made her country Champions of the World. It's needless to say then that she will be key to the Spanish challenge.
After five years at Real Madrid, the full-back has left her home country to sign for PSG, joining the goalkeeper she scored the World Cup winner past in Mary Earps in the French capital.
QUALIFYING RECORD
Spain were ruthless in qualifying. Their six-game group was safely navigated after just four matches, in which they scored 15 goals. Despite a defeat to Czechia in their fifth game, their heavily rotated team calmed any nerves by beat Belgium 2 - 0 four days later.
05/04/24 - Belgium 0 - 7 Spain
09/04/24 - Spain 3 - 1 Czechia
31/05/24 - Denmark 0 - 2 Spain
04/06/24 - Spain 3 - 2 Denmark
12/07/24 - Czechia 2 - 1 Spain
16/07/24 - Spain 2 - 0 Belgium
Group B
03/07/25 - Portugal (Bern)
07/07/25 - Belgium (Thun)
11/07/25 - Italy (Bern)
Like Spain, Italy topped their League A qualifying group to reach Euro 2025 automatically. While the Netherlands had been favourites to win the group, the Azzurri finished above the 2017 winners on goal difference.
Portugal had a slightly more complicated route despite topping their group because they were in League B. This meant that topping their group with 16 out of 18 points was only good enough for a play-off spot, but victories over Azerbaijan (8 - 1 aggregate) and Czechia (3 - 2 aggregate) saw them reach the tournament.
Belgium also had to navigate the play-offs having finished third behind Spain and Denmark in League A. They beat Ukraine 4 - 1 on aggregate in the second round after demolishing Greece in the first round (5 - 0 aggregate).
For Spain, the route to the semi-finals is fairly kind if they can win Group B. The draw brackets means that they will face the runners-up of Group A which, because it includes Switzerland, doesn't include a side in the top 13 in the world rankings.
Of course with a tournament which includes so many elite teams, the final four will likely bring a far tougher test, with the likes of France, Germany and England favourites to reach that semi-final.
Issues with low blocks
Like many top teams, Spain often find themselves facing a low block. Their quick-fire possession football has, at times, struggled to penetrate low blocks, especially against elite teams.
In every one of their defeats since the start of 2024, Spain have had over 50% of possession, and in all aside from one, they had at least 65%.
Czechia 2 - 1 Spain - Spain had 76% possession
Spain 2 - 4 Brazil - Spain had 76% possession
Spain 0 - 1 Germany - Spain had 68% possession
England 1 - 0 Spain - Spain had 57% possession
It's worth noting that this isn't some kind of smoking gun of how to beat Spain, because they also had 72% possession in a 7 - 0 win over Belgium in April last year.
With pressure growing on manager Montse Tome after a disappointing Olympics, it feels like a tournament Spain are expecting to win, for better or for worse.
But the likes of England, France and Germany will provide stern challenges to the World Champions, favourites or not.
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