Stats are weird. In football, they can make a mediocre player look like a world-beater or hide the fact that a defender basically carried an entire nation on her back for ninety minutes. When you look at the UEFA European Women's Championship stats from the most recent 2025 tournament in Switzerland, you see a lot of "expected" numbers, but the context is where things get interesting.
England won. Again. They took down Spain in a tense final at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, which, honestly, felt like a repeat of the 2022 drama but with more chocolate and better public transport. It finished 1-1 after extra time, and the Lionesses clinched it 3-1 on penalties. If you're a stats nerd, you’ll notice England didn't actually dominate the ball. Spain had 71% possession. Seventy-one! But soccer isn't played with a protractor. It’s played with goals, and England’s efficiency is getting kinda scary.
The 2025 Breakdown: Who Actually Ruled the Pitch?
Let’s talk about Esther González. She walked away with the Golden Boot after scoring four goals for Spain. It’s a bit of a "bittersweet" stat because, despite being the most clinical finisher in the tournament, she couldn't find the net when it mattered most in the final.
Then there’s Alexia Putellas. Even after all the injuries and the "is she past her prime?" talk, she racked up three goals and four assists. She was basically the engine room for the Spanish side. When you compare her output to someone like England’s Ella Toone, who had two goals and two assists, you see the difference in styles. Toone is about the big moments; Putellas is about the constant, suffocating pressure.
Defensive Walls and Goalkeeping Heroics
- Cata Coll (Spain): Kept 2 clean sheets but was arguably less busy than her counterparts.
- Jennifer Falk (Sweden): Also pulled off 2 clean sheets, helping Sweden reach the knockouts before they eventually fell away.
- Mary Earps and Hannah Hampton: The England keeper situation was a massive talking point. Hampton ended up with a save percentage that would make a NHL goalie jealous.
- Sjoeke Nüsken (Germany): If there was a stat for "most ground covered while looking completely unfazed," she’d win. She led the tournament in tackles with 25.
Germany is a fascinating case study. They’ve won eight titles in history. Eight! That is a level of dominance that sounds like a typo. But in 2025, they were a bit of a "what if" team. They had the most attempts on target in the group stages but struggled with a finishing rate that hovered around 8%. You can't win trophies with 8% accuracy unless you're playing against 10-year-olds.
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Attendance Records: The "Swiss Effect"
People thought Switzerland was too small for a major tournament. They were wrong. The UEFA European Women's Championship stats for attendance were absolutely smashed this year.
A total of 461,582 people showed up just for the group stages. That’s nearly 100,000 more than the 2022 record set in England. Think about that. Switzerland has a population of about 8.7 million. England has 56 million. The Swiss didn't just host; they showed up.
The game between Germany and Denmark in Basel drew 34,165 fans. That’s a record for a match not involving the host nation. It proves that women’s football isn't just a "local interest" story anymore. It’s a travelling circus in the best possible way. Fans are flying in from everywhere.
The Venue Variance
Not every stadium was a massive bowl. In Sion, at the Stade de Tourbillon, the capacity is only about 16,000. It felt like a pressure cooker. Compare that to St. Jakob-Park, which holds 34,000+. The stats show that home-field advantage actually mattered less in the smaller, more intimate venues where the crowd noise was trapped.
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Historical Context: Why Germany Still Looms Large
You can't talk about these stats without mentioning the shadow Germany casts over the entire continent. Between 1995 and 2013, they won six titles in a row. Imagine being a professional footballer for twenty years and never seeing another country lift the trophy. That was the reality.
Norway has two titles. England now has two. Sweden and the Netherlands have one each. Italy has been to two finals and lost both. Spain, despite being the "technical kings" of the modern era, still only has that one runners-up medal from 2025.
Winning is a habit. England seems to have caught it. Since Sarina Wiegman took over, their win percentage in competitive tournament games is hovering in the 90s. That’s not just good coaching; it’s a psychological shift.
The Evolution of the Game: Tactical Trends
The stats from 2025 show a massive shift in how the game is played. In 2017, the average "long ball" percentage was much higher. By 2025, the passing accuracy of the top four teams (Spain, France, England, Netherlands) was all above 82%.
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- Possession is a Trap: Spain had the most possession but lost the final.
- The Counter is King: France and England focused on verticality—getting the ball from defense to attack in under three passes.
- High Pressing: Teams like Iceland and Belgium, who don't have the same depth, relied on "balls recovered" stats. England actually led this category with 275 recoveries, mostly in the opposition half.
Leah Williamson remains the queen of the "progressive pass." She doesn't just pass sideways; she breaks lines. In the 2025 tournament, she completed more forward passes into the final third than any other defender. It’s a stat that doesn't get a trophy, but it’s why England looks so different when she's on the pitch.
What’s Next for the Numbers?
We are looking at 2029 now. Germany is hosting. They are already talking about a goal of one million tickets sold. If the current trajectory of the UEFA European Women's Championship stats holds, they might actually hit it.
The gap between the "top tier" and the rest is shrinking. Look at Finland or Poland. They aren't getting blown out 8-0 anymore. The average goal difference in group stage matches has dropped by nearly 1.5 goals per game over the last decade. It’s getting harder to score, harder to win, and much more fun to watch.
If you want to understand where the game is going, stop looking at the scoreboard and start looking at the "progressive carries" and "high-turnover" stats. That’s where the real evolution is happening. The athleticism has caught up to the technique.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts:
- Monitor the 2027 World Cup Qualifiers: Watch if Spain's possession-heavy style adjusts to be more clinical.
- Track Youth Integration: Germany's 2025 squad was one of the youngest; their peak will likely hit in 2029.
- Watch the Broadcasters: UK viewership peaked at 10.2 million for the 2025 semi-finals. If these numbers keep growing, expect even bigger prize pools and better VAR technology (hopefully).
- Compare xG (Expected Goals) to Actual Goals: This is the best way to see which strikers are "lucky" and which are truly elite finishers. In 2025, England's xG was actually lower than Spain's, yet they won. Efficiency wins championships.
- Look at the Bundesliga and WSL: Most of the top performers in the 2025 Euros play in these two leagues. Following club stats is the best predictor for the next Euro cycle.