UEFA Women's Championship
| Organising body | UEFA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1982 |
| Region | Europe |
| Number of teams | 16 (finals) 52 (qualifiers) |
| Qualifier for | Women's Finalissima |
| Current champions | File:Flag of England.svg England (1st title) |
| Most successful team(s) | File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany (8 titles) |
| Website | Official website |
| File:Soccerball current event.svg UEFA Women's Euro 2025 | |
| File:UEFA Women's Euro 2009 final (ceremony before the match).jpg |
| Tournaments |
|---|
.jpg){kind=link}
The UEFA European Women's Championship, also called the UEFA Women's Euro, held every four years and one year after the men's UEFA European Championship first held in 1984, is the main competition in women's association football between national teams of the UEFA confederation. The competition is the women's equivalent of the UEFA European Championship. The reigning champions are England, who won their home tournament in 2022. The most successful nation in the history of the tournament is Germany, with eight titles.
History
[1] In 1957 in West Berlin, a European Championship was staged by the International Ladies Football Association.[2][3] Four teams, representing West Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and the eventual winners, England, played the tournament at the Poststadion,[2][3] at a time when women's football teams were officially forbidden by the German Football Association, a ban that was widely defied.[4] The FICF, which eventually merged into the Italian Football Federation, organised a European tournament in Italy in 1969 for women's national teams, a tournament won by the home team, Italy, who beat Denmark 3–1 in the final.[5] The two nations were also the finalists of the 1970 Women's World Cup in Italy. Italy hosted another European women's tournament a decade later, the 1979 European Competition for Women's Football – won by Denmark.[6] UEFA displayed little enthusiasm for women's football and were particularly hostile to Italy's independent women's football federation. Sue Lopez, a member of England's squad, contended that a lack of female representation in UEFA was a contributory factor:[7]
In 1971, UEFA had set up a committee for women's football, composed exclusively of male representatives, and by the time this committee folded in 1978 they had failed to organise any international competitions.[7]
At a conference on 19 February 1980 UEFA resolved to launch its own competition for women's national teams.[8] The meeting minutes had registered the 1979 competition as a "cause for concern".[9] The first UEFA-run international tournament began only in 1982, when the 1984 European Competition for Women's Football qualification was launched. The 1984 Finals were won by Sweden. Norway won the 1987 Finals. Since then, the UEFA Women's Championship has been dominated by Germany, which has won eight out of ten events. Norway won in 1993 and the Netherlands in 2017. Germany's 2013 win had been their sixth in a row. In 2022, England won UEFA Women's Euro 2022, becoming the country's first senior association football team of either gender to win a major tournament since the men's team won the 1966 FIFA World Cup. From 1984 to 1995, the tournament was initially played as a four-team event. The 1997 edition was the first that was played with eight teams, followed by the 2001 and 2005 editions. The third expansion happened between 2009 and 2013 when 12 teams participated. From 2017 onwards 16 teams compete for the championship.[10] The first three tournaments of the UEFA competition in the 1980s had the name "European Competition for Representative Women's Teams". With UEFA's increasing acceptance of women's football, this competition was given European Championship status by UEFA around 1990.[11] Only the 1991 and 1995 editions have been used as European qualifiers for a FIFA Women's World Cup; starting in 1999, women's national teams adopted the separate World Cup qualifying competition and group system used in men's qualifiers.
Results
.svg){kind=link}
Summary
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Losing semi-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany1 | 8 (1989*, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001*, 2005, 2009, 2013) | 1 (2022) | 1 (1993) |
| File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway | 2 (1987*, 1993) | 4 (1989, 1991, 2005, 2013) | 3 (1995, 2001, 2009) |
| File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | 1 (1984) | 3 (1987, 1995, 2001) | 5 (1989, 1997*, 2005, 2013*, 2022) |
| File:Flag of England.svg England | 1 (2022*) | 2 (1984, 2009) | 3 (1987, 1995, 2017) |
| File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands | 1 (2017*) | — | 1 (2009) |
| File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy | — | 2 (1993*, 1997) | 4 (1984, 1987, 1989, 1991) |
| File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark | — | 1 (2017) | 5 (1984, 1991*, 1993, 2001, 2013) |
| File:Flag of Austria.svg Austria | — | — | 1 (2017) |
| File:Flag of Finland.svg Finland | — | — | 1 (2005) |
| File:Flag of France.svg France | — | — | 1 (2022) |
| File:Flag of Spain.svg Spain | — | — | 1 (1997) |
- * hosts
- 1 named West Germany until 1990
Medal table
In the inaugural 1984 tournament, no bronze medal was awarded. In 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1993 there was a third-place play-off to determine bronze. From 1995 onwards, both losing semi-finalists are awarded bronze. Only Norway and Germany have won the competition more than once.
| Rank | Team | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | 8 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 2 | File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| 3 | File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 4 | File:Flag of England.svg England | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 8 | File:Flag of Austria.svg Austria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| File:Flag of Finland.svg Finland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| File:Flag of France.svg France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| File:Flag of Spain.svg Spain | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (11 entries) | 13 | 13 | 20 | 46 | |
Debut of teams
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
Overall team records
In this ranking 3 points are awarded for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws. Teams are ranked by total points, then by goal difference, then by goals scored.
- As of UEFA Women's Euro 2022, 31 July 2022
Team results by tournament
Legend
- 1st – Champions
- 2nd – Runners-up
- 3rd – Third place (1987–1993)
- 4th – Fourth place (1987–1993)
- SF – Semi-finalists (1984, and since 1995)
- QF – Quarter-finalists (since 2009)
- GS – Group stage
- Q – Qualified for upcoming tournament
- • – Did not qualify
- × – Did not enter / Withdrew / Banned
- – Hosts
For each tournament, the number of teams in each finals tournament (in brackets) are shown.
Notes:
- The File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union team was created only in 1990 and did not participate in continental competitions.
- The File:Flag of East Germany.svg East Germany team was created only in 1990 and did not participate in continental competitions.
- Most of the countries of the "Eastern Bloc" ("Socialist camp") did not field their women teams.
Hosts
| Year | Host nation | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | No fixed host | n/a |
| 1987 | File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway | Champions |
| 1989 | File:Flag of Germany.svg West Germany | Champions |
| 1991 | File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark | Third place |
| 1993 | File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy | Runners-up |
| 1995 | No fixed host | n/a |
| 1997 | File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway | Group stage |
| File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | Semi-final | |
| 2001 | File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | Champions |
| 2005 | File:Flag of England.svg England | Group stage |
| 2009 | File:Flag of Finland.svg Finland | Quarter-final |
| 2013 | File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | Semi-final |
| 2017 | File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands | Champions |
| 2022 | File:Flag of England.svg England | Champions |
| 2025 | File:Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland | To be determined |
Results of defending finalists
Tournament statistics
All-time top scorers
| Rank | Name | Euro | Total | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Norway 1987 |
West Germany 1989 |
Denmark 1991 |
Italy 1993 |
1995 | Norway Sweden 1997 |
Germany 2001 |
England 2005 |
Finland 2009 |
Sweden 2013 |
Netherlands 2017 |
England 2022 | |||
| 1 | Germany Inka Grings | 4 | 6 | 10 | |||||||||||
| Germany Birgit Prinz | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | |||||||||
| 3 | Italy Carolina Morace | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | |||||||
| Germany Heidi Mohr | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Sweden Lotta Schelin | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 8 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Sweden Hanna Ljungberg | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||
| England Beth Mead | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Germany Alexandra Popp | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| 9 | Italy Melania Gabbiadini | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||
| Norway Solveig Gulbrandsen | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Germany Maren Meinert | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Italy Patrizia Panico | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||
| Sweden Pia Sundhage | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||
| England Jodie Taylor | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Sweden Lena Videkull | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Germany Bettina Wiegmann | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||
Top scorers by tournament
| Year | Player | Matches played |
Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Sweden Pia Sundhage | 4 | 4 |
| 1987 | Norway Trude Stendal | 2 | 3 |
| 1989 | Norway Sissel Grude West Germany Ursula Lohn |
2 | 2 |
| 1991 | Germany Heidi Mohr | 2 | 4 |
| 1993 | Denmark Susan Mackensie | 2 | 2 |
| 1995 | Sweden Lena Videkull | 3 | 3 |
| 1997 | Italy Carolina Morace Norway Marianne Pettersen France Angélique Roujas |
5 | 4 |
| 2001 | Germany Claudia Müller Germany Sandra Smisek |
5 | 3 |
| 2005 | Germany Inka Grings | 5 | 4 |
| 2009 | Germany Inka Grings | 6 | 6 |
| 2013 | Sweden Lotta Schelin | 6 | 5 |
| 2017 | England Jodie Taylor | 6 | 5 |
| 2022 | England Beth Mead Germany Alexandra Popp |
6 | 6 |
UEFA.com Golden Player by tournament
| Year | Player |
|---|---|
| 1984 | Sweden Pia Sundhage |
| 1987 | Norway Heidi Støre |
| 1989 | West Germany Doris Fitschen |
| 1991 | Germany Silvia Neid |
| 1993 | Norway Hege Riise |
| 1995 | Germany Birgit Prinz |
| 1997 | Italy Carolina Morace |
| 2001 | Sweden Hanna Ljungberg |
| 2005 | Finland Anne Mäkinen |
| 2009 | Germany Inka Grings |
| 2013 | Germany Nadine Angerer1 |
| 2017 | Netherlands Lieke Martens1 |
| 2022 | England Beth Mead1 |
1Official player of the tournament since 2013
Highest attendances
- 87,192 – England v Germany, Wembley, London (2022 final)
- 68,871 – England v Austria, Old Trafford, Manchester (2022 group stage)
- 41,301 – Germany v Norway, Friends Arena, Solna (2013 final)
- 30,785 - England v Northern Ireland, St Mary's Stadium, Southampton (2022 group stage)
- 29,092 – England v Finland, City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester (2005 group stage)
- 28,994 – England v Spain, Falmer Stadium, Brighton and Hove (2022 quarter-final)
- 28,847 – England v Norway, Falmer Stadium, Brighton and Hove (2022 group stage)
- 28,624 – England v Sweden, Bramall Lane, Sheffield (2022 semi-final)
- 28,182 – Netherlands v Denmark, De Grolsch Veste, Enschede (2017 final)
- 27,445 – Germany v France, Stadium MK, Milton Keynes (2022 semi-final)
See also
- UEFA Women's Champions League
- UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship
- UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship
- FIFA Women's World Cup
- FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Includes participations as File:Flag of Germany.svg West Germany before 1991.
References
- ↑ Skillen, Fiona; Byrne, Helena; Carrier, John; James, Gary (27 Jan 2022). "A comparative analysis of the 1921 English Football Association ban on women's football in Britain and Ireland". Sport in History. 42 (1): 49–75. doi:10.1080/17460263.2021.2025415. S2CID 246409158.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Damenfußball in der Verbotszeit [Ladies' football in the banned era]". BPB. 4 Sep 2007. Archived from the original on 18 Feb 2022.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Women's european football championship scene from match germany (GFR) against England in Berlin (West-Berlin) . final result 0:4 05.Nov. 1957". Getty Images.
- ↑ "Frauenfußball-Verbot 1955 [Women's football ban 1955]". Deutschlandfunk. 30 July 2015.
- ↑ "Coppa Europa per Nazioni (Women) 1969". Rsssf.com. 19 March 2001. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
- ↑ "Inofficial European Women Championship 1979". Rsssf.com. 15 October 2000. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lopez, Sue (1997). Women on the Ball: A Guide to Women's Football. London, England: Scarlet Press. p. 99. ISBN 1857270169.
- ↑ "2013 Uefa Women's Competitions" (PDF). UEFA. August 2013. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ↑ Williams, Jean (2007). A Beautiful Game: International Perspectives on Women's Football. Berg Publishers. p. 30. ISBN 978-1845206758.
- ↑ "Women's EURO and U17s expanded". UEFA. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
- ↑ Leslie-Walker, Anika; Schlenker, Marisa (2020-07-08). "Four decades of UEFA Women's Championships "come home"". Football Makes History. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
