Which two teams will reach the final and who will win?
Anita Asante This is a fantastic opportunity for England to reach a European final with great support from a home crowd, but at the same time they are so deep and covered in every position. I can see France joining England in the final if they get some good form as they have similar threats in attack. Tough call, but England wins.
Karen Carney Sweden and England, Sweden wins. When you win bronze at the World Cup and silver at the Olympics, you’re on a roll. Sweden is the most complete team in all aspects, mentally strong and has an experienced team.
Jonathan Liew England defeated Denmark. The warm-up wins have convinced me that something special is happening with this team.
Sid Lowe Spain and England (if separated in the second round), Spain wins.
Mary Naze France and England won with the latter because a) Amandine Henry won’t be there and b) she’s actually coming home.
Sarah Rendell England and Spain. The former are in good form and have home advantage and the latter have star power. The Lionesses will receive the trophy.
Louise Taylor France and Sweden, with France winning. Yes, I know there are serious “creative tensions” between Corinne Diacre and her cast but France still looks really good and Sweden is a mix of talent, experience and high quality education. A warning though: I have tipped Turkey to reach the Euro 2020 final so it’s safe to say that my predictions are not my forte…
Suzanne Wrack England and Holland have won with England. If England win the group and get past the potentially tough quarter-finals the team will fly.
Who will get the Golden Boot?
AA France Marie-Antoinette Katoto.
KC Ada Hegerberg. She has service from Guro Reiten and Caroline Graham Hansen, and if you look at Norway’s group games she will hit the ground running and score some goals.
JL The Golden Boots are usually won in the group stages and Beth Mead looks good to fill her shoes quickly.
SL Ellen White. Pernille Harder is also an obvious choice. Or is it a player who takes the most theoretically profitable opening games? Katoto.
MN Alexia Putellas scored 18 goals in 26 league games in the 2021-2022 season and will be looking for revenge after losing in the Champions League final. He is the best player in the world and Spain are likely to make it to at least the quarters.
SR Putellas. He has been so consistent for Spain and the Ballon d’Or recipient will surely continue his impressive form.
LT White of England; with the quality of Sarina Wiegman’s wings, the Manchester City striker should create a deception.
SW Vivianne Miedema. If the Netherlands reach the final, and it is a big tour, it is likely that they will be overpowered there by the Arsenal forward.
Who will be the surprise team of the tournament?
AA Sweden, though that’s no surprise given the level of experience and the balance of youth in the team.
KC Germany or Norway. Germany has gone through a great transition and is still very young. They will cause some problems, of course. We will see how good Norway is when they play England, who knocked them out of the last World Cup. Maybe they have a point to prove. Definitely a side to watch.
JL For better: Well-organized Denmark. For worse: Spain, which might just buckle under the pressure of the supposed choice.
SL Norway or Denmark.
MN Sweden. They have fantastic squad depth and a squad of experienced stars from goalkeeper (Hedvig Lindahl) to defense (Magda Eriksson) and attack (Stina Blackstenius). The same is true for Norway.
SR Denmark. There is a lot of talk about England, Spain and Sweden but Denmark cannot be excluded with players like Harder in their ranks.
LT Iceland. Thorsteinn Halldorson is a top coach, making a big difference to a team that has improved a lot recently.
SW Denmark. All the talk of Group B is about Germany and Spain, but Denmark, who were runners-up in 2017, could change things with Chelsea’s Harder.
Who will be the winning player of the tournament?
AA Lauren Hemp has the ability to light up this tournament. But Selma Bacha from France is also one to watch.
KC Klara Bühl from Germany. The 21-year-old is an exciting prospect who could make an impact on the big stage.
JL There are still people who don’t know how good Lena Oberdorf is. He is twenty years old and plays in midfield for Wolfsburg and Germany.
SL Aitana Bonmatí is a possibility. However, he is not really considered a successful player. But she still feels that her level of recognition is a little lower than it could be, possibly in part because of Putellas. Hemp is young, but is it still happening?
MN Cláudia Pina of Spain: presumed heir to the throne of Putellas. He is a natural attacker and is very familiar with scoring big goals in big tournaments. Failed, Jule Brand of Germany.
SR Rachel Furness. She will be familiar to fans of the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship as she plays for Liverpool but she is yet to show her skills in a major tournament. This is Northern Ireland’s first and although 34 Furness can steal the headlines.
LT England’s Hemp will confirm his potential as a world class talent on the left side.
SW Hemp is the obvious candidate from England’s perspective. He is fearless, never fazed by even the biggest opponents.
How far will England and Northern Ireland go?
AA England are in good form and can reach the final. Northern Ireland have done well to qualify and will do well as debutants but are unlikely to get out of Group A.
KC Northern Ireland will struggle to get out of a tough group. England can reach the final and potentially win it with the quality in their squad in a home tournament
JL England winners. Northern Ireland “a great learning experience”.
SL England: the end. But that first knockout game could be huge, so they might be lost early then. Northern Ireland: group stage
MN Northern Ireland picked up the script and excelled with a team full of part-time players, including hospital and supermarket workers. They will cause more chaos, but only within the confines of the group stages. England? Think bigger. Much bigger.
SR England would reach the final and win, but Northern Ireland would bow out in the group stage.
LT England reach the semi-finals and Northern Ireland exit at the group stage – but only after causing an unexpected upset by Austria, England and Norway.
SW England’s quarter-final against, most likely, Germany, Spain or Denmark will be very tough. Turn it around and England could go all the way. However, Sweden is also dangerous. There’s no telling what it will do to their confidence if Northern Ireland even briefly take on Norway in their opening game. It can be frustrating, but not impossible.
What are you most looking forward to?
AA They watch the football tournament from the eyes of the spectators and get the electricity of the crowd. And witnessing the positive growth of the women’s game in real time.
KC As a fan they go to the games as much as possible and soak up the atmosphere.
JL Cultural authority. Women’s football on the front pages, Hemp-mania, people dissecting Wiegman’s tactics in the pub. Bring it on.
SL As always in these situations – the audience. And even more after the lockdown. On a personal note, I’m interested in seeing Bisham Abbey, where Spain trains.
MN This is the first time I report at the Women’s European Championship; I’ll probably be as excited about the hotel breakfast as I am about the games coverage.
SR In the Euro, women saw unprecedented support and coverage.
LT A full field, a great atmosphere, the entire media taking a women’s tournament (almost) as seriously as the men’s counterpart and significantly increased the WSL crowd next season.
SW The atmosphere at the England games. England can rebuild around last summer’s tournament for the men’s team. It helps that they are playing electric football at the moment.