UEFA Women’s Euros 2025 kicked off on July 2 in Switzerland.
Among the 16 countries competing in Switzerland are eight-time winners Germany and reigning champions England.
The tournament is initially split into four groups of four for the round-robin phase, with England set to face France, 2017 victors the Netherlands and newcomers Wales in Group D.
The top two teams of each group then progress to the quarter finals, meaning that England could face a quarterfinal against a Germany side out for revenge following their Euro 2022 final defeat at Wembley.
Alongisde matters of glory and nation pride, there's a record-breaking prize fund on offer.
Women's Euro 2025 prize money: What's changed?
The new €41million ($48.3m) prize pot represents a 156% increase on the previous figure of €16m in 2022. The 2023 FIFA World Cup had a $110m prize pool, but this was for a 32-team tournament and similarly represented a huge increase of $80m on the previous tournament.
This boosted financial backing at Euro 2025 doesn't just impact the eventual champions - who will take home €5.1 million compared to just €2 million three years ago - but will also send waves of change throughout the sport as a whole, as UEFA ensures that teams distribute at least 30-40% of their prize money to the players.
The minimum compensation for each player has also increased to €13,140, a reassuring statement of the football world’s awareness of the current issues in the sport’s culture as women's salaries are so much less than their male counterparts, with England captain Leah Williamson reportedly making £200,000 a year - less than half of what Kevin De Bruyne earned per week at Manchester City last season.
How does this affect the game?
UEFA’s President Aleksander Ceferin said: “The impact of Women's Euro 2025 extends far beyond the competition itself. With record prize money and unprecedented interest from sponsors, the tournament will bring more investment into the women’s game than ever before”.
This evaluation seems to hold true. The 2022 tournament had a lasting impact long past the final whistle, kickstarting a 140% increase in participation levels of women’s football the following season in the UK, according to the Football Association.
In this climate, UEFA’s announcement of the increased prize money and investment becomes even more meaningful, especially amid predictions that the 2025 Euros will be the biggest and most profitable yet, and thus capable of fuelling even more change within the industry.
The media rights revenues for the tournament are testament to this. Expansion into new markets Japan and China could see it to surpass $100 million for the first time in history.
Media coverage is estimated to have a whopping 142% increase from 2022 alone and, given that over 17 million people tuned in for the finals then, the scope of the 2025 Euros looks set to be enormous - especially now that there is €25 million more reasons to fight to lift that trophy.