Honestly, if you looked at the record books a decade ago, you would have thought the trophy belonged to Germany by birthright. They didn’t just win; they colonised the podium. Between 1995 and 2013, the German national team secured six consecutive titles. Think about that for a second. In a sport where a single bad bounce or a questionable VAR call can ruin a four-year cycle, they went nearly twenty years as the undisputed women’s soccer european champions.
But things feel different now.
The air in European football has shifted. We aren't in that era of "Germany and the rest" anymore. If the 2022 and 2025 tournaments taught us anything, it’s that the rest of the continent didn't just catch up—they moved the goalposts.
The Night Wembley Didn't Stop Shaking
The 2022 final was a massive cultural reset. You had 87,192 people crammed into Wembley Stadium. It was the highest attendance for any European Championship final, men’s or women's, ever.
England’s Lionesses were facing their "final boss"—Germany.
The game was gritty. It was nervous. Ella Toone scored that ridiculous chip that felt like it hung in the air for an hour before dropping into the net. Then Lina Magull equalized, and you could almost hear the collective "here we go again" from the English fans. But then Chloe Kelly happened. In the 110th minute, she poked the ball home, whipped her shirt off, and suddenly England were the women’s soccer european champions for the first time in history.
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That win did more than put a trophy in a cabinet. It basically validated the massive investment the FA had poured into the Women's Super League (WSL). It proved that the "German Model" of dominance could be dismantled with enough professional infrastructure and local support.
England Does it Again (But Make it Dramatic)
Fast forward to 2025 in Switzerland. Everyone was asking if England was a "one-hit wonder." They weren't.
The 2025 final in Basel was a different kind of beast. Facing a Spanish side that was technically superior in almost every possession metric, England had to suffer. It ended 1-1 after extra time—Spain's tiki-taka versus Sarina Wiegman’s tactical resilience.
When it went to penalties, the ghosts of England's past usually start acting up. Not this time. They won the shootout 3-1. By defending their title, England became only the second nation in history to win back-to-back Euros. They are the current, reigning kings—well, queens—of the continent.
Who actually owns the history?
While England is having their moment, the historical weight still sits in Frankfurt and Munich. Let’s look at the actual spread of titles because the "all-time" list is still hilariously lopsided:
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- Germany: 8 titles (The 1989-2013 era was basically a monopoly)
- England: 2 titles (2022, 2025)
- Norway: 2 titles (1987, 1993 - back when they were the physical giants of the game)
- Sweden: 1 title (1984 - the OG winners)
- Netherlands: 1 title (2017 - the tournament that proved "home advantage" is a real thing)
Why Germany’s Wall Finally Crumbled
You can't talk about women’s soccer european champions without asking why Germany stopped winning them. For years, Germany benefited from being "more professional" than everyone else. Their players were faster, their tactics were more drilled, and their domestic league was the only place to be.
Then the money moved.
Spain’s Liga F and England’s WSL started attracting the world’s best talent. Suddenly, the German players weren't the only ones training full-time in world-class facilities. In the 2025 tournament, Germany fell in the semi-finals to Spain. It wasn't a fluke. Spain simply moved the ball at a speed the Germans couldn't track.
There's also the "Wiegman Effect." Sarina Wiegman, the Dutch mastermind who led the Netherlands to glory in 2017 and then did the same for England, has basically cracked the code for tournament football. She doesn't panic. Her teams are built to survive the 120-minute slog.
The Swiss Success and the 2026 Reality
The 2025 Euros in Switzerland was a massive financial win, too. We’re talking about an economic boost of roughly €220 million for the host country. Media rights alone jumped over 100% compared to the previous tournament.
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Why does this matter?
Because money buys depth. It’s why we saw teams like Iceland and Portugal giving the "big" nations nightmares in the group stages. The gap between the top 5 and the top 15 is shrinking every single year.
What You Should Watch Next
If you’re trying to keep up with the next wave of women’s soccer european champions, don’t just look at the international breaks. The real stories are happening in the club game.
- Watch the WSL: This is where the core of the England squad plays. It’s arguably the most competitive league in the world right now.
- Track the 2029 Host: Germany is hosting in 2029. They are already planning their "revenge" tour. Hosting a tournament is the quickest way to revitalize a national program—just ask the Dutch or the English.
- Follow the "Finalissima": Since England won the Euros, they’ll face the South American champions. It’s a great way to see how European tactical discipline stacks up against the flair of Brazil or Colombia.
The era of one-team dominance is dead. We are now in a world where five or six different countries can realistically claim to be the best in Europe on any given Sunday. That’s not just good for the fans; it’s exactly what the sport needed to finally grow up.
To stay ahead of the game, keep a close eye on the youth developments in Spain and France. While England holds the trophy today, the technical level coming out of Barcelona’s La Masia suggests that the "Spanish Era" might be just beginning, even if they missed out on the 2025 trophy by the narrowest of margins in a shootout.