Women's Euros

FIFPro, the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), Nike, and Leeds Beckett University have joined forces to launch a research project aimed at reducing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women’s football. An ACL injury is a tear or sprain of the anterior cruciate ligament — one of the strong bands of tissue that help connect your thigh bone to your shinbone. ACL injuries — which often lead to many months out injured — are more common in women’s football than men’s, with statistics showing that women are two to six times more likely to suffer from such...

Aston Villa and England striker Rachel Daly has announced her retirement from international football. The 32-year-old was part of the England squad that won the European Championship in 2022 and reached the 2023 World Cup final in consecutive summers. Daly won 84 senior caps for the Lionesses and scored 16 goals in an international career spanning eight years. Her final appearance for her country came from the bench during Tuesday’s 2-0 Euro 2025 qualifier win over the Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium. “I would love nothing more than to play for England forever, but the time...

Leah Williamson will make her first start for England in nearly a year when they face the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday. The 27-year-old has not featured for the Lionesses since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in April 2023, which forced her to miss last summer’s World Cup. She was included in Sarina Wiegman’s squad for England’s European Championship 2025 qualifiers this month and was an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw against Sweden last Friday.  Wiegman confirmed in her press conference on Monday that Williamson would start in their upcoming fixture. ...

Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum is in a stable condition after appearing to collapse during Sunday’s Continental Cup final against Chelsea. The Norway international appeared to go down off the ball in second-half stoppage time at Molineux before medical staff entered the field of play to treat her. Play was stopped for seven minutes while the 24-year-old was attended to before she left the field on a stretcher while receiving oxygen. Arsenal confirmed a short time later that Maanum was “conscious, talking and in a stable condition”. The club also confirmed that she would...

European champions England have been drawn alongside France, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland in the Euro 2025 qualifying group. Sarina Wiegman’s side begin the defence of their title in April and will have to navigate a group that features Nations League runners up France and World Cup semi-finalists Sweden. Both teams reached the semi-finals of Euro 2022 and are ranked third and fifth in the world respectively. Last summer’s World Cup debutants the Republic of Ireland complete the group. The top two teams will qualify automatically for Euro 2025 and the bottom two progress to...

Spain have won the first Women’s Nations League after defeating France 2-0 in the final. Goals from Aitana Bonmati and Mariona Caldentey secured a memorable victory for Montse Tome’s side. Spain took the lead in the first half through Ballon d’Or holder Bonmati. The 26-year-old found the net from close range following an excellent cross from Olga Carmona. Shortly after the restart, the lead was extended from a similar position, as Ona Batlle’s cutback found Caldentey. With ample space in the France box, the Barcelona forward confidently found the bottom corner of the...

The 20-year-old has made a big impression in England's two recent friendlies, both on the ball and out of possession

The Women’s Super League (WSL) recorded the biggest growth worldwide in internet search for global sports leagues and competitions in 2023, research has revealed. The WSL registered a 258 per cent increase in search in 2023, according to Redtorch’s SportOnSearch report, which measured people’s search for sporting leagues. Major League Soccer (MLS) recorded the second-biggest increase with 87 per cent, while the UEFA Women’s Champions League was the fifth fastest growing search team, registering a 70 per cent increase. The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) also...

Spain will play at the Olympic Games for the first time after securing qualification on Friday night. The 3-0 win over the Netherlands in the semi-finals of the women’s Nations League in Seville was enough to secure the reigning world champions their place in Paris. Goals from Jenni Hermoso, Aitana Bonmati and Ona Batlle earned Montse Tome’s side a comfortable victory in front of a record 21,856 crowd at the Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla. “I took charge in a difficult moment that nobody wanted and we took a step forward,” said Tome, who took over in September following the Luis...

The prospect of the best women’s club sides on the planet meeting in a competitive tournament has taken a big step forward with FIFA aiming for an inaugural Women’s Club World Cup in 2026. Advocates of the women’s game have been talking about a global competition for over a decade and FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he wanted to stage one “as soon as possible” as far back as 2019. But the next significant milestone came in December 2022, when a FIFA Council meeting in Qatar approved the launch of women’s versions of the Futsal World Cup and Club World Cup. Speaking to...

Leah Williamson has warned the “unsustainable” football calendar will stunt the growth of the women’s game due to the volume of long-term injuries it contributes to. The Arsenal and England defender missed the 2023 World Cup after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, one of four Arsenal first-team players to suffer such an injury last season, alongside Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and Laura Wienroither. Five of the 20 nominees for the 2022 Ballon d’Or Feminin sustained an ACL injury in 2022, while Australia and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr became the ninth...

England Women head coach Sarina Wiegman has extended her contract until the end of the 2027 World Cup. Wiegman’s assistant coach Arjan Veurink has also extended his deal, meaning the pair will be in charge for England’s next two major tournaments — including the 2025 Euros in Switzerland. Wiegman, 54, was appointed England coach in September 2021, signing a four-year contract to replace Phil Neville and become the nation’s first non-British manager. England won Wiegman’s first international tournament in charge, as they were crowned European champions on home soil in the summer...

Alexia Putellas is considering what could be a final contract offer from Barcelona. The two-time Ballon d’Or winner, who joined the club back in 2012, is out of contract in June. Both sides are eager to come to an agreement with the club earlier this week tabling an offer that would make her the highest-paid player in the squad and double her current salary with the Champions League winners. Putellas, 29, is considering the proposal — understood to be for two more years — with the club’s choice of successor for manager Jonatan Giraldez, who has announced he will leave at the...

One in five players at the Women’s World Cup were targeted with “discriminatory, abusive or threatening messaging” during the tournament, a new report has revealed. FIFA and FIFPRO released a new report on online abuse and hate speech directed at players during the 2023 tournament in Australia and New Zealand on Monday, while also outlining their attempts to reduce harm to players via their social media protection service. Players, coaches, officials and teams can use FIFA’s monitoring or moderation services during the World Cup, and over 2,000 accounts were monitored...

European women’s football is set for major changes, with the Champions League switching to the ‘Swiss model’ format and the launch of a second-tier competition. Both changes will come into effect at the start of the 2025-26 season, with the existing media and sponsorship rights agreements lasting until the end of the 2024-25 campaign. The decisions were agreed at UEFA’s Executive Committee meeting in Hamburg on Saturday, ahead of the group-stage draw for next summer’s men’s European Championship. The men’s Champions League will use the Swiss model format from next season,...