The action never stops for football fans. We’re catching our breath following the end of some pulsating domestic campaigns across Europe and the Qatar World Cup is just five months away.
And before the 2022/23 seasons begin, there is another festival of footy to enjoy as the Women’s Euro 2022 tournament is just around the corner. And, as hosts, England have a great chance to win a trophy just 12 months after the men’s team fell at the final hurdle at Euro 2020. The Women’s Euro 2022 betting odds pitch the Lionesses as second-favourites behind Spain, but home advantage might be enough to swing it for England.
Organisers are expecting a record number of fans and a new highest attendance in England. With the final set to be played at the Wembley Stadium over 400,00 tickets have already been taken for the 31 matches, guaranteeing average crowds of over 10,000 and already beating the number of 240,000 fans who watched matches at the 2017 competition in the Netherlands.
This is the 13th edition of the UEFA Women’s Championship and the second with 16 teams playing. It was originally scheduled to be played last year, but the COVID pandemic delayed the men’s Euros to 2021, moving this tournament to 2022, and it starts on 6th July, ending on the 31st at the Wembley showcase final. And it’s the premier summer entertainment with the men’s World Cup to be played later in the year in November.
Defending champions, the Netherlands, will be a team to watch, while Spain, France, Sweden and Germany will all fancy their chances… and Northern Ireland will be participating for the very first time.
Houghton out for Lionesses
In the run up to the tournament, the biggest Women’s Euro 2022 news coming out of the England camp was the omission of the legendary Steph Houghton from the hosts’ 23-woman squad. The Manchester City defender has skippered the Lionesses for eight years and in their last three tournaments, earning 121 caps, but manager Sarina Wiegman has been ruthless in axing the 34-year-old skipper after she made the provisional squad of 28 having recently recovered from an Achilles injury.
“It was a hard decision,” said Dutch coach Wiegman. “She’s just not ready to compete. It was just a matter of time and we don’t have time.” There is a place though for Fran Kirby, though, who has been out of action since February with fatigue.
England open their campaign on 6th July with a match against Austria, before facing Norway and then Northern Ireland, and England fans will hope Wiegman has got this call right.
In other news England full-back Lucy Bronze has signed for Barcelona, the champions of the Spanish women’s La Liga. The 30-year-old has played on the continent before, for French club Lyon, before signing for Manchester City in 2020, and Bronze is delighted to be heading back to sunnier climes to play for one of Europe’s finest teams. “I’m very happy to play for a club like Barcelona,” she said. “After a couple of conversations you can’t say no to Barca.”
Bronze has won five trophies with Manchester City over two stints with the club, and she was also linked to a move to the USA or Real Madrid, but now she’s a Blaugrana.
Pick a winner
After coming so close in 2021 the England men’s team are looking out of shape at the moment, recently suffering a 4-0 drubbing to Hungary, so this is a chance for the girls to show the guys how to do it!
This is also a chance for SBOTOP football fans to watch the best women’s teams in Europe and some exciting young players. Spain are the favourites and they have a star in the making in the form of young goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez. Her string of heroic saves for Madrid in the November clash with Barcelona meant her star has been rising ever since.
2017 winners and 2019 World Cup runners up Netherlands are a team to watch and they have an abundance of riches in attack, with Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema leading the line with 92 goals in 109 games. PSG’s Lieke Martens has 55 goals and 21-year-old Ajax forward Romee Leuchter is knocking on the door. The Oranje are always worth watching. At third in the Women’s FIFA listings France are ranked higher than their three biggest rivals and no wonder, they have won all 12 of their fixtures in 2021 and 2022 including 10-0 and 11-0 wins over Greece and Estonia. Reims forward Naomie Feller is an exciting talent and, at 20 years of age, she could be a star in the making.
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