With the Women’s Euros quickly approaching, whether you are new to the women’s game or a long-time supporter, here are five of the biggest talking points to be discussed before the first whistle blows.

Will England be challenged for their title?

Going into the tournament carrying momentum and the current world champions Spain will be the sure-fire favourites to take the title from England.

With a midfield containing four Ballon D’or’s between Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas, Spain looks to have too much firepower for other teams.

Germany will enter the tournament with vengeance after their extra-time loss in the final last time out at Wembley.

They have been crowned champions eight times before, so they do know how to take down the big teams at the top.

What teams could shock people?

In many major tournaments, there are those surprise teams not many think will make it out of the group stage, so here are some teams to watch out for.

Despite Iceland being a small country and having a population of less than 400,000, their women’s football team includes players with high-level experience playing for big clubs, including Bayern Munich, Inter and Wolfsburg, making them a team to be wary of.

The home nation, Switzerland, are a team that can come up with big results, most recently beating a strong French side.

With their home crowd behind them, they could be a contender to reach the knockout stages of the tournament.

A big blow in the budget

When submitting their bid to host the tournament, the Swiss government made a promise of 15 million Swiss Francs to fund the tournament only to then cut this budget to just four million once announced as the host country.

This decision was met with outrage from fans and players , but broadcaster Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) reported the decision had been made as a result of the economic situation in the country.

The host city, Thun, even threatened to withdraw from hosting, with a councillor telling SRF her reaction was “pure disappointment” and the cuts would present “large challenges”.

As frustration grew with other host cities, they all wrote a letter to the government urging them to reconsider their decision.

Months later the National Council and Council of States voted to reverse the decision and allocate the initial 15 million Francs.

Record prize money

The UEFA Executive Committee have set a record prize pot of €41, for the whole tournament, this represents a 156% increase on the figure from 2022.

For the first time, players are to receive a guaranteed percentage of the rewards with every nation being required to allocate between 30% and 40% of the total distributions received to their players.

Winners of the tournament could receive a maximum of €5.1 million, which is over double the amount England took home last time out.

What are England’s chances to repeat their success?

England’s recent form has been underwhelming, highlighted by a loss to Belgium and a draw away against Portugal.

However, the squad will look to strengthen come June with the fitness and health of the squad improving seeing the comebacks of crucial squad players.

England’s group stage will see them face the likes of potential contenders for the tournament, France and the Netherlands.

Sarina Wiegman takes England into the tournament aiming for her third consecutive European Championship title, an achievement that will instil confidence throughout the squad.

(Featured image credit: Creative Commons)