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There were several questions about England’s starting line-up coming into the European Championships. With some real competition for places, it was tough to know which direction Sarina Wiegman might take in certain areas. Would it be Beth Mead or Chloe Kelly on the right of the attack? Had Ella Toone done enough to secure the No.10 role? And what about Lauren James? Was she fit to start or would she be a valuable impact sub? Regardless of the eventual decisions, it felt like each position was in a good place ahead of the tournament kicking off.
At left-back, it was a different feeling. This is a role that has presented problems for Wiegman throughout her entire tenure to date, with there no natural fits in her Lionesses’ squad. Niamh Charles starts there for Chelsea and, despite having her flaws given she’s actually a forward, it has long been her position to lose when it comes to England. However, some encouraging performances in recent outings from Jess Carter saw her usurp her former club-mate to earn the chance to start against France in England’s Euro 2025 opener. It’s fair to say it didn’t go well. Carter was run ragged by Delphine Cascarino, who excelled in Les Bleues’ 2-1 victory.
In the aftermath, many pondered whether Wiegman would address the situation or stick to her guns. It would turn out to be the former as, despite her reputation as someone who doesn’t make changes, owing to her consistent XI at Euro 2022, the Lionesses boss was under no illusions: This was a problem that needed fixing. So, just as she did at the 2023 Women’s كأس العالم, the Dutchwoman made a change that highlighted why she is the best manager in the international women’s game right now – and one that showed why Carter is an asset in England’s European title defence, not a weak link.
The UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 starts on July 2 and runs until the grand final on July 27. The Women’s Euro 2025 will take place across Switzerland, featuring stadiums in Basel, Geneva, and Bern.
If you’re looking for your chance to secure Women’s Euro 2025 tickets fret not. We’ve got all of the intel for you to get a seat at this international tournament in Switzerland.
UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, which is the 14th edition of the Women’s European Championship, is being held from Wednesday, July 2 to Sunday, July 27. Switzerland is staging the tournament for the first time, and the host nation will be hoping that playing in front of their fervent home fans will prove to be a good omen. The Netherlands were the host nation when they won the Women’s Euro 2017, and England reigned supreme on home turf at Women’s Euro 2022. Women’s Euro 2025 matches will be staged in eight Swiss cities: Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St.Gallen, Lucerne, Thun u0026amp; Sion.
Other major timelines for the events you might want to note include:
Here’s a closer look at where you can watch the Women’s Euro 2025 from where you are:
Women’s Euro 2022 was won by the tournament hosts, England. Chloe Kelly was the goalscoring heroine as she netted the winning goal in extra time against Germany. It was the first time an England senior team had won major footballing honours since the men’s side had won the FIFA World Cup in 1966. The Lionesses were led by Sarina Wiegman, who had coached the Netherlands to glory five years earlier at Women’s Euro 2017.
The 16 teams playing at Women’s Euro 2025 are split into four groups of four teams. The top two sides in each group will progress to the quarter-finals. The groups were confirmed during December’s draw in Lausanne and are as follows:
Group A: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Finland
Group B: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy
Group C: Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden
Group D: France, England, Wales, Netherlands
The latter was an opinion thrown around plenty in the wake of England’s 2-1 defeat to France. It was understandable. Carter won only two of her five ground duels and was exposed for her lack of pace by the electric Cascarino, who was described by Emma Hayes as “by far and away the best player” this season in the NWSL, the top-flight in the متحد States, while on punditry for ITV.
But many critics were unaware – or ignoring the fact – that Carter was being played out of position. Yes, she can fill in as a full-back on either side when necessary, but she is a centre-back. That’s where she plays for her club, Gotham, in the U.S, and that is where she is best.
“I don’t think you ever get used to it,” she said in an interview with Women’s Football Chronicles earlier this year, asked about playing various different positions. “I feel like I’m an out and out defender. I don’t enjoy the attacking side of the game as much, but helping the team and being on the pitch is great. I played left-back a lot and I hate it! If it’s between left-back or not playing, I’ll play left-back, but it’s not a role I enjoy.”
Tournament football is unforgiving and Wiegman had to make a change, especially with England on the brink of an early exit. Still, she deserves credit for making the right one. Instead of just swapping Charles in for Carter and hoping for the best, or opting for a more drastic formation change, she simply switched Carter with Alex Greenwood, who was playing centre-back but has history at left-back.
“That had to do with a couple of things,” Wiegman explained. “The pace that the Netherlands have, and we expected that in the centre, where they wanted a lot of runs in behind. They also had pace now with Chasity Grant on our [left-hand] side, and with Alex, her left foot, on the left side, in possession we hoped we would distribute more going forward.”
It worked perfectly. Both Carter and Greenwood were excellent and the England defence looked much more solid in general in the 4-0 win. “Me and Alex didn’t feel connected in the France game and this game felt the total opposite with her and the whole team,” Carter told BBC Sport. “Alex was phenomenal at left-back.”
Carter deserved her own praise too, though, as arguably the best of the back four. She made more clearances than any other England player, won both of her tackles and was second only to Keira Walsh for how often she won possession back, while Lucy Bronze praised her for how she “was completely covering [Greenwood] every single minute of the game”. “You put in the hard work to make sure you’re doing a job for the team and that your team-mate has got your back. Those two really embodied that and gave a lot of the rest of the team confidence.”
It felt like a performance in which Carter hit back at critics. After all, this is a player who was outstanding when England reached the World Cup final two years ago, thriving in a back three that she believes brings the best out of her. “I think the only thing I had to prove was to myself,” she countered, to BBC Sport. “I know I belong on this stage. Every single one of these players belongs on this stage.
“After the France game there was a bit of doubt. Are we good enough? After analysing the game we moved on from it. We showed what we can do. I wasn’t focusing on [the Netherlands]. I was focusing on what I could do and how I could help my team.”
Carter didn’t just silence the doubters, though, even if that wasn’t her focus. She sent a reminder that, rather than being any sort of weak link, she can be a serious asset in this England team, when used in her natural role. The 27-year-old brings an entirely different skillset to the table in the centre-back position but also to the defence as a whole, given she is exposed to a league, in the NWSL, that asks totally different things of her.
“The games are harder than any games I played in the WSL,” Carter explained to Women’s Football Chronicles. “The WSL doesn’t have forwards like [Barbra] Banda and [Temwa] Chawinga. Those teams can be more direct. We played Orlando the other day and you’re not catching Banda. But then you have Marta, who is an incredible technician, so I need different sets of skills now to compete against those players.
“The athleticism is out of this world, I don’t think I’ve come up against anything like it in Europe. I’ve always prided myself on defensive attributes, but every player I come up against here is faster than me, so I’ve had to develop a better set of defensive skills. It’s challenged me more from a defensive point of view than I ever got challenged in Europe.”
Carter exhibited that defensive growth in the win over the Netherlands. Against Wales, who England must beat on Sunday to make the quarter-finals, there will be different challenges. Having noted that she’s being asked “to be braver on the ball, which isn’t my strength” at Gotham, it’s likely to be that area of her game which she’ll showcase the most in the Lionesses’ final group stage outing, with their neighbours sure to be happier to concede possession and take their chances on the counter.
But Carter’s immense coverage of the space in behind will be vital, too. Switch off for one second and Wales will be keen to punish an England team that will be expected to win comfortably. As much as the focus will be on the Lionesses’ attack for this one, the importance of the defence cannot be overlooked – and Carter, now in a position that accentuates her strengths rather than her weaknesses, looks set to be an asset in that department.
