Women's Euro 2017 preview
- July 12th, 2017
- Camilla Chapman
The UEFA Women's European Championship are just around the corner, starting on the 16th of July, with the Netherlands hosting. The tournament for the first time has been expanded from 12 teams to 16 and promises plenty of exciting action from the Europe's top footballers! Who will reach the final in Enschede on the 6th of August? We take a look at who are favourites, who could be the underdog and who the newcomers are with this preview.
The Favourites
It's hard to look past the holders Germany as the red hot favourites, who won the European crown four years ago, beating Norway 1-0 in the final. In fact, Germany have won the European Championship for the past 6 years! It'll be a tall order for any of the remaining teams to knock Germany off top spot, but England will be confident of doing so, after beating the Germans at the World Cup in 2015 to clinch 3rd place.
The Lionesses will be looking to add European Championships to their accolades, having reached the final back in 2009, with what would be their first major title. France are also strong competitors, having reached the quarterfinals of the 2015 World Cup, ultimately falling to Germany on penalties. With plenty of exciting talent in the French ranks, they could provide a big challenge for the crown.
The Newbies
With the tournament being expanded to 16 teams, five teams will be making their debut at the European Championships; Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Scotland and Portugal. The new additions will add lots of great football and exciting matches, such as Scotland opening their campaign against England, as the Home Nations do battle! Keep an eye out for some talented stars from these nations.
The Underdogs
Keep a beady eye out for Norway - who reached the final in 2013 and have also won the tournament twice before - who will be looking to improve on their performances at the 2015 World Cup. The Norwegians have made it to at least the semi-finals of the competition since 2001 and have plenty of international accolades to their record, having won the World Cup and Olympic gold in the past. They will be buoyed by a good preparation to the tournament, having registered friendly wins over newcomers Portugal and Switzerland. This is the team to watch in these Euros, with Norway looking for a way back to their glory days.
Get ready for a terrific three weeks of Womens football and vote in the poll below on who you think will be crowned European Champions!