Women's Euro 2025 Shatters Records and Ignites an Unstoppable Revolution in Football

Prior to Women's Euro 2025, there were concerns circulating that the championship might fall short of the 2022 tournament in terms of attendance figures, viewership statistics, financial returns, and overall expansion.

However, as the competition concluded with England claiming their second consecutive title in Basel, these concerns proved unfounded. Throughout the previous month, Women's Euro 2025 undoubtedly established itself as the most successful European Championship in the tournament's history, both in sporting terms and commercial success. Indeed, this edition of the Euros was unprecedented in scale, and here's the evidence.

Stadium attendances

There was speculation that Switzerland's hosting of the 2025 tournament would face attendance challenges, given that their largest venue, St. Jakob-Park, holds only 34,000 spectators, potentially limiting impressive crowd figures compared to England's 2022 hosting.

Nevertheless, England's 2022 attendance statistics were significantly influenced by their tournament opener, which drew 68,871 spectators at Old Trafford, and the championship match, which established a Women's Euros attendance record with 87,192 filling Wembley Stadium.

On a per-match basis, Women's Euro 2025 averaged 21,203 attendees compared to 18,544 in 2022 (or 14,441 excluding Old Trafford and Wembley). This 21,203 average establishes a solid benchmark for organizing the upcoming 2029 tournament.

Women's Euro 2025 also featured the two most well-attended quarterfinal matches in the competition's history. Switzerland received tremendous support against Spain in Bern with 29,734 in attendance, while the following day in Basel witnessed 34,128 spectators for the France versus Germany clash.

Women's Euro 2025 achieved sellouts for 29 of its 31 fixtures, with a tournament-record 657,291 total attendance. The 2022 figure was 574,875. There's a compelling case that venues ranging from 8,000 to 34,000 capacity were ideally suited to foster consistent growth while maintaining exceptional atmosphere.

Traveling fans

Regarding atmospheres, even more impressive than rising attendance was the surge in international supporters from different countries. UEFA reports that approximately 65% of tickets (472,240) were purchased by fans from outside Switzerland.

This represented a significant improvement over 2022, contributing to a diverse cultural blend in how European football is celebrated and supported.

The close geographical location of France and Germany to Switzerland likely contributed to such passionate support throughout, but Women's Euro 2025 will also be remembered for the celebrating Dutch contingent in Lucerne, the vibrant Swedish procession through Zurich during the quarterfinals, and the nearly 15,000 English supporters who dominated Basel for the championship match.

Prize Money

UEFA distributed a tournament-record €41 million ($47.3 million) in prize money during Women's Euro 2025. Remarkably, this represented a 156% increase from 2022 (€16 million), and a 500% jump from 2017 (€8 million).

Each participating nation at Women's Euro 2025 received €1.8 million, accounting for 70% of the total prize pool. The remaining 30% was distributed as performance bonuses: €50,000 for draws and €100,000 for victories during group play.

Additional bonuses were awarded for tournament progression: €550,000 for reaching quarterfinals, €700,000 for semifinals, €850,000 for the final, and an extra €900,000 for the champions. England earned a total of €5.1 million for their Basel triumph.

Broadcast Figures

Women's Euro 2025 achieved a new milestone by broadcasting matches across more than 165 territories. According to UEFA, global viewership exceeded 500 million throughout the tournament, with 45 million worldwide watching the final. Both figures established new records.

In the United Kingdom, BBC and ITV reported that 16.4 million viewers watched England defeat Spain in the 2025 final, only slightly below the 17.4 million who watched England's 2022 home tournament.

This demonstrates the challenge of matching the excitement and engagement generated by a host nation. Nevertheless, Sunday's final remained the second-most-watched English women's football match ever, and 2025's most-viewed event in the United Kingdom.

Notably, the BBC reported that 1.1 million listened via Radio 5Live on the BBC Sounds platform, representing a 122% increase from 2022.

Like England, 14.5 million German viewers watched the semifinal between Germany and Spain. This also ranked as the second-most-watched German women's football match in history, trailing only the 2022 final, which attracted 17.9 million television viewers.

Looking at international markets, there has been substantially greater Euros interest. In the United States, FOX's audience figures were approximately triple those of 2022.

During group stages, FOX's viewing average increased from 160,000 in 2022 to 308,000 in 2025. For quarterfinals, the 2025 average reached 776,000 per match, up from 283,000 in 2022. Both 2025 semifinals exceeded one million viewers, marking a 174% increase from 2022.

For sustainable revenue growth, attracting neutral audiences can be equally important for tournament development as the natural interest surge from competing nations.

As a competition, it provided entertainment throughout. Not a single goalless draw occurred across all 31 matches as Women's Euro 2025 established a new record for most goals scored (106) in tournament history. This level of excitement will certainly help expand future audiences.

Sustainability

According to UEFA, 86% of supporters utilized sustainable transportation methods (public transit, walking, and cycling) to reach matches—66% used public transport, which was provided free with every match ticket.

Before tournament commencement, UEFA invested in and studied how train and bus travel could be prioritized for all venue visits. UEFA and Swiss broadcasting partners eliminated air travel entirely throughout the tournament.

Sustainability served as a fundamental element of Women's Euro 2025. Switzerland excelled as an interconnected host, while envisioning a future where football can contribute to reducing waste and emissions. If Women's Euro 2025 established the benchmark, then the 2029 edition faces significant expectations.