ZURICH — There’s no easy way to defend a title. Soccer teams have to learn and adapt to having a target on their back. They have to adjust because one tournament never looks the same as another.
For England, there also comes the added pressure of its Women’s Euro 2022 title being the country’s first since 1966. A trophy that intensified the nation’s love for women’s soccer and turned many players into household names overnight.
Three years later, England has had to overcome new challenges while under immense pressure at Women’s Euro 2025.
In 2022, as hosts, the Lionesses steamrolled the opposition, breezing through the group stage beating Austria, Norway and Northern Ireland by a combined scoreline of 14–0. In 2025, the tournament opened with a disastrous 2–1 defeat to France.
It was manager Sarina Wiegman’s first-ever defeat at a Women’s Euros, having won all of her previous 12 matches and lifted the title with both the Netherlands in 2017 and England in 2022. Before the France defeat, England had never failed to win a group stage game under Wiegman.
But impressively, England didn’t appear fazed by that setback. With an unceremonious group stage exit on the line, the Lionesses roared back with a 4–0 win over the Netherlands and then a 6–1 win over Wales, which has now set up Thursday's quarterfinal meeting with Sweden in Zurich.
England’s problem-solving at Women’s Euro 2025 has been exceptional. Tactical tweaks, like switching Jess Carter and Alex Greenwood’s positions in the defensive line, and bringing in attacker Ella Toone for Beth Mead, have helped the team get back on track.
“It makes a big difference when you're away from home”
Another major change is that England is no longer the host. For Women’s Euro 2025, the familiar surroundings of home stadiums, comforts, fans, family and friends have been replaced by a pop-up headquarters on the breathtaking hills overlooking Lake Zurich in Switzerland.
“If you go back to 2022 we were in London, it was a very different set up,” England captain Leah Williamson said from the team’s tournament headquarters at The Dolder Grand hotel.
In 2022, the players were more freely popping out with plenty of family and friends from their base at The Lensbury hotel in London. Boat trips down the Thames or walks in Bushy Park were easy ways for team bonding and space to reset.
In Zurich, some of the ways the England players have been bonding are by doing puzzles together, playing Monopoly Deal, table tennis and a darts competition.
Visits from family members and outside support are available but perhaps not as consistently as in 2022, when travel and time off work wasn’t always required. The group is very thankful for their luxury confines of The Dolder Grand hotel where they can bring loved ones into the team bubble.
“Everybody made a lot of effort to come out here. So it's been really lovely to have moments or come together like that. And it makes a big difference when you're away from home at the end of the day. We're just human beings, and we're here for a job, but we are away for a long time," Williamson said.
A hearty laugh comes from the media when Williamson jokes, “What if I told you we were ready to kill each other?” With a smile, the Arsenal defender, who describes herself as an introvert, quickly follows up with how important being present with her teammates in this bubble has been to their tournament journey.
“I want to enjoy it, and I want to spend time with my teammates,” she said. “It’s a great environment, and I love being around them all … I’m just trying to be around. I think in 2022 I slept most of the time that I wasn't on a pitch. So, yeah, a bit different this time.”
“The Finishers” await their moment to shine
England forward Chloe Kelly, who scored the winning goal in the Women’s Euro 2022 final off the bench, noted how much the traveling fans have made her feel at home in Switzerland.
“Against Wales it didn't feel like we were in a different country. To be honest, the fans were incredible on the night,” Kelly told the media Thursday. “It’s nice to connect back home, but we feel the support from the fans back home, as well as the ones over here in Switzerland.”
Of course, if one looks for continuity between the two tournaments, then perhaps it is the role of the bench players that have been such a key ingredient of England’s recent success. Kelly was an impact player off the bench at Women’s Euro 2022 and she’s relishing having the same responsibility to make more history out in Switzerland.
Since arriving in Switzerland, England’s bench players, known as “the finishers,” have started their own group chat and developed their own signature celebration. Dubbed “positive clicks,” the bench players all raise their hands above their heads and click their fingers. The players view it as a way of building morale and appreciation for all the players across the roster who are grafting to work hard for the Lionesses.
“I think everyone is ready for their moment to step onto the pitch and be able to give their all for their country,” Kelly said. “And hopefully the fans at home can see that, and the girls that start the game ready to do so as well. So I think it's the whole group of 23 players being ready for their opportunity and their chance to get the job over the line of the team.“
The crowd at Stadion Letzigrund for Thursday night’s quarterfinal against Sweden is expected to be far more bipartisan than the 87,000 that cheered on England at Wembley Stadium in 2022.
However, this will be England’s third match at that stadium in Zurich, where the federation cleverly decided to situate its base.
Both Williamson and Kelly agreed that the efforts and investment that the federation had made to make the players feel comfortable and bonded in Switzerland were an “advantage” in the tournament. Thursday may prove just how much of an edge it has given the defending champions.
