Welcome to the third edition of Women’s Sport Insider! 

I’m back at my desk after an unforgettable spell in Switzerland for UEFA Women’s EURO 2025. The sold-out stadiums, electric atmospheres and England’s dramatic run to a second successive title made it a tournament to remember. 

So, what’s next for women’s football in Europe? In this month’s newsletter, we explore exactly that, covering everything from domestic league growth to a revamped club competition format. 

And as always, we’ll celebrate the very best of what’s happening in the industry in our Top of the Table and Winning Women sections. 

Building on EURO 2025’s success: What’s next for European women’s football?

As the dust settles on EURO 2025, the statistics emerging speak for themselves – a record 657,291 spectators attended the tournament, 29 out of 31 matches sold out and a cumulative live audience of over 400 million watched on TV. On social media, it was the most viewed and engaged Women’s EURO ever.  

By every metric, EURO 2025 was a resounding success. But numbers only tell half the story. What also matters is the atmosphere on the ground, the emotions being evoked and the sense of a lasting legacy taking shape. From this perspective, the tournament achieved what no previous Women’s EURO had managed.  

While the 2022 edition opened at Old Trafford and closed at Wembley – delivering the two highest attendances in Women’s EURO history – many other fixtures at venues such as St Mary’s Stadium and Bramall Lane struggled to reach capacity unless the Lionesses were playing. EURO 2022 was a transformative event, a watershed for women’s football across Europe and the foundation upon which the 2025 edition’s overwhelming success was built. But, as at every previous tournament, it didn’t always feel like a truly continental celebration of the women’s game. 

In Switzerland, with interest in women’s football at an all-time high, tens of thousands of fans travelled from across the continent and packed out nearly every stadium. Approximately 35% of tickets were bought by international supporters, representing over 160 nationalities. Whether or not the host nation was playing, there were always enough travelling fans to ensure a sell-out. 

Another striking development was the very visible blossoming of a distinct fan culture. The Dutch pioneered the fan walk tradition some time ago, with Swedish supporters – known as the ‘Soft Hooligans’ – following suit. At EURO 2025, the practice spread to all teams. Even those who didn’t begin the tournament marching to the stadiums were soon swept up in the movement.  

This resulted in a wave of colour and noise rolling through the streets of the host city a couple of hours before kick-off, with supporters from both teams often mingling together to create a vibrant atmosphere. It’s easy to imagine fan walks now being a permanent Women's EURO feature, wherever it is held. 

In the end, more than 95,000 fans joined the pre-match fan walks, including 20,000 in Bern ahead of Switzerland's quarter-final against Spain. The fan zones across the eight host cities attracted one million visitors during the month, while the FA launched Lionesses HQ, a dedicated base for England supporters. It became a hub of celebration and connection, complete with a nightclub where fans danced long into the night after the team won their second successive European title. 

Supporting a team at EURO 2025 went far beyond simply attending the match. It was about gathering with fellow fans beforehand, truly soaking up the atmosphere and being part of the wider story of the tournament.  

As a result, EURO 2025 has strengthened the culture and community around the women’s game – but with the tournament now finished, how does this wave of momentum continue? 

Domestic league growth 

The wait for women’s football to return is short, with just a few weeks until domestic leagues are back in action. Across Europe, clubs, leagues and national associations are gearing up to turn the post-EURO buzz into lasting growth. 

For hosts Switzerland, attention will be on whether the surge in interest can translate to the Swiss Women’s Super League. 

The Swiss Football Association's “Here to Stay” legacy plan aims to at least double the league’s audience – both TV viewership and social media followers – by 2027. To get there, they will focus on raising playing standards, upgrading venues and improving visibility through a dedicated communications and marketing strategy, alongside steps to further professionalise the league. 

In England, Women’s Super League (WSL) Football, the company responsible for the top two professional divisions of the women’s game, will be aiming to replicate the boom that followed the Lionesses’ triumph in 2022, when attendances jumped by 172% and TV audiences by 33% the following season. 

To maximise momentum, WSL fixtures for the new season were released just before the EURO 2025 final, fuelling impressive ticket sales. Many clubs had already started their ticketing strategy before the start of the tournament, with Arsenal Women announcing a season ticket for the Emirates Stadium for the first time. With six weeks still to go before their opening match, the club announced they had already sold 15,000 of these tickets. 

Innovations to improve the matchday experience will also be in play. Supporters of seven WSL clubs – including Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United – will be allowed to drink alcohol in the stands during the 2025-26 season.  

This follows a successful trial at four WSL2 clubs last year, where there was no reported change in fan behaviour, but average spending and attendance both increased. In fact, the Expected Goals podcast found that games where fans could drink in their seats saw 50% higher attendances than those where they couldn’t. 

Although WSL crowds dipped slightly last season, all signs point to a strong rebound. And what’s more, this domestic growth in England and across the continent will unfold alongside a new era for European women's club competitions.  

New club competitions 

This season will see a complete overhaul of the Women's Champions League and the launch of a new second-tier competition – the Europa Cup. 

More clubs than ever before will have the chance to compete on the European stage, bringing fresh excitement, higher stakes and broader fan engagement.  

With more matches comes greater commercial potential, while the expanded access to European football gives clubs more incentive to invest in their women’s teams. 

It’s a revamp that promises to build on the buzz of EURO 2025 and push the women’s game onwards.  

And if the shake-up to European club competitions wasn’t enough, January will bring the debut of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup – a global showdown that will finally resolve whether Europe’s best is superior to the US’s finest. 

Arsenal, fresh from their Champions League triumph over Barcelona, will carry Europe’s hopes. The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)’s Gotham FC, China’s Wuhan Jiangda and New Zealand’s Auckland United will also participate in the tournament, with the representatives of South America and Africa still to be confirmed. 

The men’s version of this tournament has often struggled for relevance, but in the women’s game, fans have been calling for exactly this kind of transcontinental clash. It promises fresh storylines and new commercial opportunities – though concerns over player workload and scheduling remain prominent. 

If EURO 2025 proved anything, it’s that women’s football in Europe is constantly on the up. The challenge now is to keep that wave rolling and make the next chapter of the European game the most exciting yet. 

There may be no international women’s football tournament next summer, a gap that has often seen interest wane. But this time feels different. With domestic leagues constantly innovating, European competitions re-imagined and the world’s best clubs preparing for a global showdown, the stage is set for women’s football to hold its ground – and even grow – without the anchor of a marquee event.