Arsenal will have 12 players at Euro 2025, which kicks off later today in Thun with Iceland v Finland (5pm UK), before hosts Switzerland, captained by Arsenal’s Lia Walti, take on Frida Maanum’s Norway at 8pm in Basel. A full rundown of Arsenal involvement in the group stages is available here.
For the un or semi initiated who want to watch the tournament, or else who find themselves drifting towards it, I have put together some context on the 12 Arsenal players, their situations and the prospects for their respective nations.
England– as holders, they will be among the favourites. They have a tough group with France, Netherlands and Wales. There has been a suggestion of some turmoil in the camp, with Mary Earps suddenly retiring from international football on the eve of the tournament after being told she would be second choice goalkeeper. First choice centre-half Millie Bright pulled out citing her physical and mental health (though she has subsequently had surgery on her knee). Fran Kirby also retired after being told she would be on the reserve list and not involved in the squad. But coach Sarina Wiegman has won the last two Euros (Netherlands in 2017 and England in 2022) and has been a runner up in the last two World Cups (2019 with Netherlands and 2023 with England).
22.Lotte WUBBEN-MOY
The 26-year-old Stoke Newington native signed a new deal with Arsenal at the end of last season- the club she has supported since childhood. At international level, Lotte has found her path to the England starting line-up very blocked by first choice centre-halves Leah Williamson, Millie Bright (Chelsea) and Alex Grenwood (Manchester City). Sarina Wiegman has typically preferred Millie Turner (Manchester United) and Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit) ahead of Lotte too. Wubben-Moy was a member of the Lionesses squad that won Euro 2022 and got to the 2023 World Cup Final but did not play a minute in either tournament. Initially, an injury in the spring looked as though it would deny Wubben-Moy a spot in the squad altogether but injuries for Bright and Turner opened the door for her. Wubben-Moy was not initially selected for the squad in April until injuries saw her called up for cover.
6.Leah WILLIAMSON
Academy graduate and, much like Lotte, childhood Arsenal fan Williamson is the first choice centre-half and has been England captain since 2021. Regarded as one of the finest ball playing centre-halves in the world, Williamson led the Lionesses to Euro 2022 glory. However, an ACL injury prevented her from taking part in the 2023 World Cup. She will play every minute of every game, fitness permitting. For England she has typically been partnered with Chelsea’s Millie Bright though that partnership has occasionally proved awkward since both players prefer the right of the centre-back partnership. Bright’s injury almost certainly means that Manchester City’s Alex Greenwood will step in. Greenwood is a fine centre-half and she is left-footed, which ought to lead to a good balance.
7.Beth MEAD
Mead was the top scorer and player of the tournament when the Lionesses won the Euros in 2022, her performance during that tournament and the preceding season saw her finish in second place in the 2022 Ballon D’Or. An ACL injury deprived her of the chance to compete at the 2023 World Cup. At the moment, Mead has retained her place on the right of the England attack with Chloe Kelly behind her. However, the return from injury of Lauren James might throw that into some doubt, James can play behind the centre-forward but sometimes coaches prefer to play her from the flank and left winger Lauren Hemp’s place is probably locked down. With James and Kelly there is a lot of competition for the starting spot but Mead will participate in every game she is fit for, one way or another.
17.Michelle AGYEMANG
Hale End graduate Agyemang’s inclusion was the biggest talking point of Wiegman’s squad. A powerful and skillful centre-forward with a nose for a poacher’s finish, Agyemang spent the second half of the 2023-24 season on loan at Watford and spent last season on loan at Brighton. She had a good season at Brighton and was included in the England squad in April with injuries elsewhere and made an immediate impression, scoring from the bench with her first touches in an England shirt in the away defeat at Belgium. That is her only England cap to date but Wiegman said of the 19-year-old’s inclusion, ‘I think she brings something different and I hope she can show that in the summer. I think we’re really strong up front. Also, we have so many different qualities with the players we’ve picked. What she showed when necessary was so much physicality. I’ve seen it in training sessions and what she did in Belgium. Of course, we all still remember her first goal for us against Belgium. I think that’s good to have in the team.’
18.Chloe KELLY
Kelly scored the winning goal in the Euro 2022 Final and has largely been the fourth attacker for England. Mead usually plays ahead of her on the right though Kelly can play off the left too and spent many seasons forming a devastating partnership with Lauren Hemp on the opposite flank at club level. Clearly, like Mead, Kelly now has a relationship with the starting centre-forward Russo at club level. Kelly will almost certainly appear in every game at the tournament, most likely from the bench but a starting spot for Chloe would barely warrant discussion. Securing her spot in this squad was the main motivator for her joining Arsenal on loan in January. At City she had been frozen out for non sporting reasons and was even omitted from England’s squad in February. But her form in North London quickly secured her route back into the squad.
23.Alessia RUSSO
Russo was a member of the England teams that won Euro 2022 and got to the World Cup Final in 2023. In 2022, she was the Plan B striker from the bench and would typically come on for Ellen White in the final half an hour. She shot to fame with her backheel goal against Sweden in the 2022 semi-finals. White retired in 2022 and Russo has since become England’s first choice number 9, a position she has secured even more firmly both with her own improvement and the retirement of Rachel Daly in 2024. With the wide delivery of Mead, Kelly and Hemp and the creativity of Lauren James around her, expect Russo to score in this tournament, on top of all the excellent off ball work she does. She is a bona fide starter for England and, if England win the tournament, expect to see her in the reckoning for the 2025 Ballon D’Or.
Spain– as the current world champions, Spain go into this tournament as favourites. They deservedly beat England in the 2023 World Cup Final, though the Lionesses knocked them out after extra time in Euro 2022. Drawn heavily from the not quite all-conquering Barcelona team (because Barcelona lost the UWCL Final this year, you see, to Arsenal), Spain are the most coherent and probably dangerous team at the tournament. For those of you into men’s football, think of the 2008 to 2012 Spain team and the similarities are very clear. Spain are in a group with Portugal, Belgium and Italy and it would be a surprise if they did not collect nine points. However, they have been dealt a late issue after 2024 Ballon D’Or winner Aitana Bonmati was hospitalised with viral meningitis last week.
8.MARIONA Caldentey
Mariona is a certified starter for Spain, she played for Barcelona as a regular starter for nine years before joining the Gunners last summer. She typically plays off the left for her country with the Barcelona trio of Patri, Bonmati and Alexia in midfield (think Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta for those three). Generally, Spain will play a more traditional winger on the other side in the shape of Lucia Garcia or Barca’s Salma Paralluelo with Mariona floating in-field. Much like Russo, if Spain win the tournament (and they beat England 2-1 in a Nations League match a few weeks ago), Mariona will certainly podium at the Ballon D’Or at a minimum. She was voted Arsenal’s Player of the Season, the Barclays WSL Player of the Season and is the favourite to land the PFA Player of the Year. Laia Codina would usually be in the squad too but she is injured.
Norway– Norway are your classic ‘all the gear, but no idea’ tournament under whelmers. They have a lot of talent with Chelsea’s Guro Reiten, Arsenal’s Frida Maanum, Barca winger Caroline Graham Hansen, legendary centre-forward Ada Hegerberg and midfielder / defender Ingrid Engen who has played for Wolfsburg, Barcelona and has now moved to Lyon. Yet they always seem to have balance issues, or issues around their coaching that see them under deliver.
Norway won the World Cup in 1995 and Scandinavia remains an absolute hotbed of talent in the women’s game (think of Netherlands or France as a men’s football comparison). But Norway were humiliated in the group stage in 2022, beaten 8-0 by England and were comfortably beaten by Japan in the Round of 16 at the 2023 World Cup having endured a shock defeat to hosts New Zealand in the group stage. Their recent limp defeat to Sweden in their final warm up match for this tournament means Norway are being widely written off despite having so much talent. (There are 12 Champions League triumphs in that squad). They are in a group with Finland, Iceland and Switzerland, they ought to qualify from that group.
18.Frida MAANUM
Frida is a safe starter for Norway and usually plays in a similar position to her Arsenal role just behind the striker. However, Norway have experimented with her out wide in some recent friendlies. Guro Reiten (Chelsea) ought to play off the left with Hansen on the right- two of the best wingers in Europe- with Hegerberg upfront. A series of bad knee injuries have restricted Hegerberg’s movement but she remains a potent penalty box threat. Hegerberg has won six Champions Leagues, is the UWCL all-time top scorer and won the Ballon D’Or in 2018 but is not the force she once was due to injuries. Frida is a powerful, high volume shooter from the 10 position with good timing on her penalty box runs. If Frida scores in the tournament don’t be surprised if it is from outside the box, but she will also look to run in beyond Hegerberg for penalty box chances. Maanum is a good presser too.
Switzerland The hosts are usually the sort of team that qualifies for tournaments via playoff and, at tournaments, they usually exit at the group stages or else go one round further. They have been grouped at the last two Euros and got to the Round of 16 at the 2023 World Cup before being thrashed 5-1 by Spain. However, as hosts they are top seeds and in a group with Norway, Iceland and Finland which they have a good chance of qualifying from. They recently appointed experienced international coach Pia Sundhage who has coached USA, Sweden and Brazil. They also have some exciting young talent emerging, there are three 18-year olds and a 19-year old in the squad, including Sydney Schertenleib who moved to Barcelona last season.
13.Lia WALTI
Walti is Switzerland’s long-term captain and the figurehead of Swiss women’s football. Her leadership will be even more important with Ramona Bachmann, who has very much been the other jewel in the Swiss women’s football crown, rupturing her ACL on the eve of the tournament. Walti anchors the Swiss midfield and has an important off pitch role with Switzerland’s emerging young talent. However, Walti is struggling with injury prior to the tournament, she has not been able to train on a sustained basis and was omitted from the final warm-up game against Czechia due to concerns over her knee. Aged 32 and having achieved the ultimate prize in club football now, this tournament really represents a career highlight which she will understandably push hard to be involved in as the captain of the host team. Walti has 125 caps for her country.
Netherlands– Winners of the Euros in 2017 and World Cup finalists in 2019, Netherlands, spearheaded by former Gunner Vivianne Miedema, have struggled to scale those heights again. However, under former Arsenal men’s academy head Andries Jonker, they remain a formidable team. They are unfortunate to have been drawn in such a strong group with England, France and Wales. The core of the squad- Miedema, Dominique Janssen (who played for Arsenal from 2015 to 2019), Sherida Spitse, Danielle van de Donk (played for Arsenal 2015 to 2021) and Jill Roord (played for Arsenal 2019 to 2021), have grown together but there is a sense their 2027 World Cup team will look different. They are probably slightly behind England and France in terms of the odds of them getting out of the group. Ordinarily, Netherlands would very much be considered a team capable of getting to a semi-final or final but it wouldn’t be a shock if they did get through the group.
1.Daphne van DOMSELAAR
Daphne shot to prominence at Euro 2022 when long-term number 1 Sari van Veenendaal (formerly of Arsenal) hurt her shoulder on match day one and the then 22 year old van Domselaar took over. van Veenendaal retired from football altogether and van Domselaar’s star hasn’t stopped rising ever since. Moving from Twente to Aston Villa in 2023, Arsenal signed her in 2024 and value her so much that she played in the middle of an ankle ligament injury in the UWCL semi-final. van Domselaar is only 25 and already has serious claim to be the best goalkeeper in Europe.
17.Victoria PELOVA
Pelova signed for Arsenal from Ajax in January 2023 and made a huge impression. Pelova was 23 when she signed for the Gunners and ordinarily would have moved to the WSL sooner (indeed Arsenal tried to sign her before 2023) but wanted to finish her degree in applied mathematics in Amsterdam. She was also a junior chess champion in the Netherlands. Pelova ruptured her ACL last summer, so missed a large chunk of this season. These games ought to see her really come back to somewhere close to her level having played largely small cameos at Arsenal since her return in March. At club level, Pelova is typically a central midfielder who is exceptional in small spaces and at driving the ball forwards. Netherlands have a lot of talent in central midfield so Pelova typically plays on the right for her country.
Sweden– Sweden have a strong history in this tournament, they won it in 1984 and were runners-up in 1987, 1995 and 2001. They got to the semi-finals of the last Euros and finished 3rd at the 2023 World Cup. Swedish players now tend to play abroad in England, Spain and Germany, pretty much all elite teams will have at least one Swedish player. It means the Damallsvenskan is more of a developmental league- a little like Ligue 1 or the Eredivisie in men’s football- but Sweden will always rank among the favourites for an international tournament. Coach Peter Gerhardsson will leave after the tournament after eight years in charge. However, one of Sweden’s top players, Barcelona’s Fridolina Rolfo, is struggling with injury and her absence would impact their chances. They are also in a group with Germany which might complicate things. There is also a feeling that this generation of players is in their late prime now.
11.Stina BLACKSTENIUS
Lest we forget that Stina scored the winning goal in this season’s Champions League Final. A stalwart and a long-term guaranteed starter for Sweden, expect Stina to do Stina things. She will run in behind, she will stretch defences, she will run them backwards and she will score big goals. Supported by London City Lionesses Kosavore Asllani in behind and with Rolfo (hopefully) and Chelsea’s Johanna Rytting Kaneryd either side of her, the supply lines are good for Stina. Sweden often switch between a 4231 and a 343 depending on their opponents. Former Gunners Lina Hurtig– who has joined Fiorentina- and Amanda Ilestedt– who will join Inter Milan- are also in the squad.