StadiumDBEuro 2025: Race to host the women’s tournament heats up
source: StadiumDB.com; author: Rafał Dadura
Four bids are currently in the competition to become the women's Euro 2025 host. Looking at the whole process, at least one trend seems to be emerging: joined bids. Similarly to the competitions to host men’s Euro 2028 or World Cup 2030, that are shaping up, potential organisers are eager to welcome big tournaments but also look for ways to keep the costs down by joining forces.
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Euro 2025 will welcome 16 teams competing for Europe’s most prized trophy in women’s football. The UEFA’s requirements for stadiums are not that demanding (especially compared with men’s competitions). In the host country or countries there has to be six to eight stadiums with capacity from at least 8,000 to 20,000 spectators, and one stadium with at least 20,000 seats. There is also a need for four “quality training facilities per stadium”.
There are five bids, although the Ukrainian one is very much in doubt, because of the Russian invasion of that country. That leaves UEFA with four options:
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Poland;
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joined bid form Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden;
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France;
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another joined bid from Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Apart from tiny Liechtenstein every one of these countries has at least co-hosted either men’s or women’s Euro in the past. It’s being speculated that the ones with biggest chances for getting Euro 2025 are Poland and Scandinavian joined bid. Let’s take a look at each of them.
© Arild Vågen (cc: by-sa)
Jointed bid from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden: All of them have already hosted women’s Euro at least once. Sweden is the country that brings the most to the table here with three stadiums with capacities of 50,000 - Friends Arena in Solna, 30,000 - Tele2 Arena in Stockholm and 18,600 - Gamla Ullevi in Gothenburg.
© Joneikifi (cc: by-sa)
Next is Denmark with venues: Telia Parken in Copenhagen (that hosted games of last men’s Euro 2020) having 38,065 seats and the smallest one in this bid EWII Park in Odense with a bit over 15,000. Finland has stepped up with a 30,000 Olympiastadion in Helsinki and 16,800 Ratina Stadium in Tampere. Last two venues completing the nine in this bid, are in Norway: Ullevål Stadion in Oslo with 28,000 capacity and Lerkendal Stadion in Trondheim with 21,000 seats.
France’s candidacy offers the biggest venues with Groupama Stadium in Lyon leading the group with nearly 60,000 seats. Legendary Parc des Princes in Paris would welcome over 48,000 fans. It’s worth mentioning that all the other stadiums in this bid have capacity of at least 20, 000 seats, which would already be enough for the main venue, according to UEFA requirements.
The two mentioned and ten following cities are hoping to be included in the final list of hosts that will be presented to UEFA by France. These are: Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens, Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, Allianz Riviera in Nice, Roazhon Park in Rennes, Stade Saint Symphorien in Metz, Stade du Hainaut, Stade Océane in Le Havre, Stade Auguste-Delaune in Reims, Stade de l’Aube in Troyes, and Stade des Alpes in Grenoble.
Switzerland and Liechtenstein have put forward a candidacy consisting of 11 locations. Ten of them are Swiss: St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Stade de Suisse in Bern, Stade de Genéve in Geneva, Letzigrund in Zürich, Kybunpark in St. Gallen, swissporarena in Lucerne, Tourbillon in Sion, Stade de la Tuilière in Lausanne, Stockhorn Arena in Thun and LIPO Park in Schaffhausen. Liechtenstein is represented here by Vaduz with the second smallest stadium of all bids, being able to accommodate only 7,584 fans.
UEFA will decide who will be the host of women’s Euro 2025 in December 2022.
© Sven Scharr (cc: by)
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