UEFA Women's Euro 2025 expert picks: Spain, England and Germany look like the favorites in Switzerland

 The UEFA Women's Euro 2025 is about to start, and the picks are in. In honor of the tournament being in Switzerland, be prepared to poke a few holes in our experts' predictions like Swiss cheese. Predictions for the upcoming competition have layers of differences across the board as members of our editorial team and Attacking Third analysts take a shot at future results and individual accolades.

There's one thing that's not in doubt among our experts. There's a trio of favorites, as reigning champions England, 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup winners Spain, and 2024 Olympic bronze medalists Germany lead the way in nearly every category. Recent form and success, a whirlwind of retirements, and even lingering injuries have all played a role in how teams could look moving forward. 

The combination of such unpredictability has left some of our analysts struggling to find common ground, which means there can only be one thing for certain in tournament soccer: to expect chaos

Winner: Spain

Two years after winning the Women's World Cup, Spain have lived up to the billing as women's soccer's new powerhouse and enter the Euros with a chance to create a dynastic legacy. As a result, they are not only the team to watch at the competition – they are the team to beat. They return to competitive play with another stacked roster, led by Aitana Bonmati and featuring an eclectic mix of in-form World Cup winners like Esther Gonzalez and rising talents like Claudia Pina. Bonmati's recovery from meningitis may interfere with her playing time at the start, but head coach Montse Tome has a squad full of players who can fill in the gap temporarily. It would be hard not to pick Spain to win the whole thing. -- Pardeep Cattry

Second place: Germany

Germany have rebounded nicely from a disappointing run at the 2023 World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage, and they are in a strong position to continue their redemption arc with a deep run at the Euros this summer. Head coach Christian Wuck, despite limited experience in the women's game, filled in well in what was supposed to be a temporary role, using the bronze medal run at last year's Olympics to earn more time in the job. It helps that he has an impressive group of players to work with – Lea Schuller is coming off another strong season with Bayern Munich and looks poised to be one of the tournament's top goalscorers, while Ann-Katrin Berger's form in the NWSL catapulted her into a starting role for the national team. -- Pardeep Cattry

Third place: England

The current title holders will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with, but winning the Euros is already difficult, and repeating is an even greater challenge. Being drawn in what many consider the Group of Death with France, Netherlands, and Wales, the Lionesses will have to withstand many energy-sapping early matches that could play a role in their performances down the stretch. There are plenty of players from the 2022 championship run, and that will aid them through a long stretch, but the competition is steeper than the Alps this year. -- Sandra Herrera

Golden boot: Lea Schuller, Germany

German forward Lea Schuller enters the 2025 Euro as a favorite for the Golden Boot with her clinical finishing and strength in the air. It's an ideal group draw with some teams who have leaky defenses in Poland and Denmark, while other favorites in England's Alessia Russo or France's Marie Antoinette Katoto will face each other in a much tougher Group D. Meanwhile, Schuller has the perfect platform to rack up some early goals and maybe build a lead in the scoring charts for the tournament's top scorer honors. -- Sandra Herrera

Player of the tournament: Aitana Bonmati

Meningitis may keep her down for a little while, but Aitana Bonmati has already returned to training and is poised to re-assert herself as one of the game's best midfielders when she finally gets on the field for Spain. The Ballon d'Or winner is the not-so-secret key to the whole gameplan, boasting an unmatched ability in midfield that should make scoring goals easy work for the many attacking options Spain have at their disposal. As long as she's on the field, Spain will be favored to win the whole thing. -- Pardeep Cattry

Breakout player: Claudia Pina

The forward's time as an impact sub should be no more. With question marks around Bonmati's health (meningitis) and her availability through the group stage, the coaching staff will need to make some adjustments to how their ideal starting lineup looks. The 23-year-old was the leading goal scorer (10) during the 2024-25 Champions League campaign, and the sting of a runners-up finish with Barcelona will motivate the player. -- Sandra Herrera

Golden glove: Ann-Katrin Berger

One of a handful of NWSL players who will compete at the Euros, the 34-year-old has successfully used her move to NJ/NY Gotham FC to claim a role as Germany's first-choice shortstopper, impressing for club and country since her 2024 transfer. She was key in Germany's bronze medal win at the Olympics and won the NWSL's goalkeeper of the year award along the way, making her case as one of the most in-form showstoppers at the Euros. Berger is the type of goalkeeper who makes a genuine difference on her end of the pitch and if need be, at the other end, too – she scored a penalty in Germany's quarterfinal win over Canada at the Olympics last year, adding some variety to her already impressive game. -- Pardeep Cattry