Less than 48 hours after the Lionesses secured back-to-back European Championship victories, they received a warm welcome from 65,000 English fans along The Mall in central London. This triumph affirmed that their 2022 title was not merely a singular achievement.
The Lionesses have accomplished a feat unparalleled by any other English team: securing a major trophy on foreign soil and becoming the first English senior team to successfully defend a title. These back-to-back championships signify a period of success for women’s soccer in England, marking a historic milestone for the sport.
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Women’s soccer has historically been overshadowed by its male counterpart; however, the Lionesses have demonstrated that it should not be subject to comparison with the men’s game. It merits recognition and appreciation as its own entity, a crucial factor for the women’s game to realize its full potential. The 2025 Women’s Euros provided numerous instances illustrating why women’s soccer deserves to be regarded as an independent entity.
The tournament proved to be an immense success, with 29 of the 31 matches reaching full capacity—a record for the Women’s Euros. Approximately 35% of tickets were acquired by international fans, underscoring the event’s global appeal.
According to GlobalData, the 2025 edition of the tournament is projected to generate $44 million in sponsorship revenue, marking a 144% increase from the 2022 UEFA Women’s Euro.
This surge reflects a broader trend: brands are increasingly recognizing the marketing potential of women’s soccer, signalling a significant shift in the narrative. Women’s sports have emerged as a compelling and highly sought-after domain for storytelling and engagement.
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By GlobalDataPrior to the tournament, a significant point of discussion centred on the decision to host the event in Switzerland and the relatively smaller size of the Swiss stadiums. UEFA initially expressed reservations about staging the tournament in a smaller country, particularly following its successful execution in England.
With a population approximately one-sixth that of England’s, Switzerland presented a stark contrast to the previous host. Furthermore, the average capacity of the stadiums selected for the tournament in Switzerland was 20,000, a noticeable decrease from the 33,000-seat average of the venues used in England. These concerns raised apprehensions that the 2025 edition of the tournament might represent a regression from the advancements achieved in 2022.
Switzerland had defied sceptics by securing a victory over competing bids from Poland, France, and a collective Nordic proposal from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The Swiss bid team confidently asserted the advantage of smaller stadiums operating at 90% capacity, as opposed to larger venues filled to only 50% capacity. This strategy underscores a commitment to efficiency and the optimization of resources, which resonates well within the business community.
In 2022, England’s inaugural match of the Euros against Austria at Old Trafford and their concluding match at Wembley against Germany attracted record-breaking attendance figures, with 68,871 and 87,192 spectators, respectively. However, the match featuring Norway’s victory over Northern Ireland in Southampton saw only 9,000 of the 31,000 seats at St Mary’s Stadium occupied.
While it was a significant milestone for the Lionesses to compete in the final at Wembley, the underwhelming attendance at a stadium with a capacity of 31,000 seats does not cast women’s soccer in the most favourable light.
An average capacity of 20,000 struck the ideal balance, being neither too modest nor overly ambitious. While smaller stadiums might be viewed as a regression for women’s soccer, they, in fact, enhanced the crowd atmosphere. Furthermore, the reduced size rendered tickets highly sought-after commodities.
The tournament broke attendance records despite a smaller average stadium size compared to 2022, with 657,291 in Switzerland compared to 574,975 in England. Looking to the future, this can be a lesson learned. Women’s soccer is a far greater spectacle when stadiums are full, so the utilisation of slightly smaller stadiums is not necessarily a step backwards for women’s soccer; yet there still must be the boldness of selling out large stadiums, like Wembley.
Television audiences for the tournament shattered records, with a peak live audience of 12.2 million viewers tuning in to watch England’s successive Women’s Euro victory on Sunday, July 27, across all BBC platforms. The final became the most-watched broadcast moment of 2025 among all television broadcasters in England, signifying a landmark moment in women’s sports.
According to GlobalData, the broadcast revenue for the tournament is estimated at $99.54 million, marking a 142% increase in value from the 2022 edition of the tournament.
The last time the Lionesses won the Euros, in 2022, there was a 140% increase in participation levels, and the Women’s Super League (WSL) attendances saw an upward trend. As there was no major women’s tournament last summer, the 2024-25 season of the WSL did not see the same trend. However, with the 2025 Euros success, expect a spike in attendance to carry into the 2025-26 season.
Despite the numerous successes mentioned, in terms of attendance, viewership, and sponsorship, financially, women’s soccer is still not a stable product. The bigger the women’s game becomes, the bigger the price to pay.
UEFA’s projected expenditure rose from €57 million ($65.1 million) in 2022 to €113 million ($129.1 million). Prize money for competing nations has also increased by 156%. Despite the higher attendances and more matchday and hospitality revenue, the game still has a long way to go in achieving its sustainability objectives.
The anticipated net outcome of hosting the tournament is a projected loss of €35 million ($39.9 million), marking a substantial rise from the €14 million ($15.9 million) shortfall recorded in 2022. This indicates that, despite the evident dedication to investing in women’s soccer, the sport has yet to achieve financial viability.
The growth of the sport hinges on investment, and the Lionesses’ second European Championship victory marks a significant milestone. The Women’s Sport Taskforce is committed to spearheading a decade of transformative change leading up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2035.
Concurrently, the government is collaborating closely with the Home Nations FA’s and entrusted governments to prepare a bid for hosting the Women’s World Cup in 2035, presenting yet another opportunity to build upon the Lionesses’ legacy.
