Germany certainly have a rich history at the UEFA Women’s Euros, with eight titles won, far more than any other country. Yet, their last success was in 2013, 12 years ago.
In recent times, the competition has more than caught up to the Germans.
First, the French, then the English and Spanish began to develop their women’s game, along with more and more other countries.
Not The Best Recent History
At the Euros tournament, Germany’s dominance ended at the hands of the Danes in the quarterfinals of 2017. Though it was the Netherlands who ended up winning the competition on home soil that year, after having defeated Denmark in a pulsating final.
Germany somewhat bounced back at the 2022 Women’s Euros (postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic), this time reaching the title game themselves, but narrowly falling short to the English hosts in extra time.
Despite the loss in the final, the team were able to gain the support of their nation, more than a women’s side ever had before.
Growth in Popularity of Women’s Game in Germany
As a result, the game in Germany began to boom. Not only were matches in the Frauen Bundesliga far better attended than prior to that tournament, but even more importantly, the number of girls who started playing football in Germany also skyrocketed.
Despite Germany’s historic failure at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where the team could not advance beyond the group stage for the first time, the boom continued domestically, with more and more top-flight league games being moved to men’s stadia.
This coming season, the women’s league will be expanded from 12 up to 14 teams. While this move might be controversial (because the sides at the bottom of the league were already struggling with the level of play as it was), it is nonetheless a sign of welcome growth.
After having won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics last summer and earned a place in the Final Four tournament of the UEFA Women’s Nations League this past spring, Germany came into the currently ongoing Euros in Switzerland on a high.
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A Rollercoaster Ride at the Euros
Nonetheless, the team did not play up to expectations in the group stage of the tournament. They narrowly beat first-time qualifiers Poland, while losing their captain, Giulia Gwinn, to a knee injury, before coming back from behind to defeat Denmark 2-1, and ultimately falling apart at the hands of Sweden in the last group match.
Thus, they faced France, arguably the most impressive team up to that point in the tournament, in the quarter-finals.
That match began with a costly unforced error on the part of Germany, as centre-back Kathrin Hendrich was sent off early for pulling an opponent’s hair in an off-the-ball incident inside the penalty area.
Grace Geyoro went on to convert the spot kick, giving the French lead. 10 minutes later, Sjoeke Nüsken equalized. This would then be the last goal scored in a nonetheless dramatic 120 minutes of football.
In the dreaded penalty shootout, the Germans came out on top. Ann Katrin Berger came up with two saves, whilst also scoring a penalty herself.
Now, they face the world champions Spain in the semifinals, where they will once again be heavy underdogs, yet this team have proven that they possess a fighting spirit that is second to none.
Plus, they have already beaten Spain in the bronze medal match of last summer’s Olympics. Wednesday’s semifinal will surely be another interesting game.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Fotostand
Recording Date: 20.07.2025