Germany have won the UEFA Women’s Euro on no less than eight occasions. Far more often than any other country.
The problem is that the last of those titles came in 2013. There are a lot of question marks surrounding the team in the 2025 edition of the tournament.
The 2-0 win over Poland did little to address those concerns. In fact, it may have added some. With the injury to team captain Gulia Gwinn, there are also now questions about the side’s team hierarchy.
The Bayern Munich Women star has suffered multiple torn ACLs in her young career, and in the Poland game, she sustained another knee injury. The results of the MRI revealed a sprained MCL, which will keep her out for multiple weeks.
The question remains how Germany will deal with their captain’s absence, however long or hopefully short it may be.
The team had the objective to go as far as possible in this tournament, a few months before it began. Later, they changed that to wanting to actually win the title in Switzerland.
There is no doubt that Germany have a good team, but for over a decade now, they have had to deal with the fact that several national teams on the European continent and indeed beyond have not only caught up to them but frankly also surpassed them.
Germany’s Main Challenges
The team had lost many players to international retirement as well recently. The biggest that comes to mind, is that of Alexandra Popp, who was the side’s former captain and undisputed leader.
Popp led Germany to the final of the last Euros in England, where they narrowly fell to the hosts in extra time at a jam-packed Wembley Stadium.
The Wolfsburg Women legend’s goals will be particularly hard to replace, but Lea Schüller in particular will hopefully step up to the task. The latter’s goal against Poland was a good start towards doing just that.
Players as young as Jule Brand (22) will also have to take on leadership roles within this German side. The new Olympique Lyon Women signing must fulfil her potential, which she has hinted at numerous times already.
The first half of their tournament opener against Poland was a scoreless disappointment. Despite the win and the improvements after the break, Germany did not fulfil expectations.
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What to Expect from the Next Two Group Matches
With Denmark and Sweden, there are two much more difficult matchups coming up in the group stage, than was the case with the Poles, without wishing to disrespect Ewa Pajor’s side in the slightest.
Germany face Denmark next on Tuesday, before renewing their Sweden rivalry next Saturday.
The Danes achieved a historic victory in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Women’s Euro, sending the Germans packing early for the first time this millennium in a European championship.
Meanwhile, Sweden are historically the biggest continental rival for Germany, having played them at numerous major tournaments over the years. The Swedes are true giants of the women’s game, despite usually failing to deliver at the end of major championships.
Looking at these remaining two group games, it would be foolish to already plan ahead to the knockout stage. We will follow with great interest, what the team can accomplish for the rest of the tournament.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Laci Perenyi
Recording Date: 04.07.2025
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