Riola Xhemaili's last-gasp goal secured a 1-1 draw for Switzerland against Finland, sending the host nation through to the quarter-finals of the Women's Euro 2025. The late equalizer sparked celebrations among the Swiss supporters while simultaneously crushing Finland's hopes of advancing.
The match saw Finland take the lead in the 79th minute with a penalty from Natalia Kuikka. For a time, it appeared that Finland was on their way to the knockout stage. However, Switzerland maintained their attacking pressure, and their persistence paid off when Xhemaili scored the crucial equalizer.
Switzerland, as hosts, automatically qualified for the Euro 2025 tournament. The team is in Group A alongside Norway, Iceland, and Finland. The Swiss team began their campaign on July 2 against Norway at St. Jakob Park in Basel. They then faced Iceland. Switzerland will play in three different venues throughout the group stage.
The Women's Euro 2025 tournament is taking place in Switzerland from July 2 to July 27, 2025. Matches are being held in eight Swiss cities: Basel, Bern, Geneva, Sion, Thun, St. Gallen, Lucerne, and Zurich. The final will be held at St. Jakob-Park in Basel.
Sixteen teams qualified for the final tournament. The teams were divided into four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage. The quarter-finals will be played from July 16-19, the semi-finals on July 22 and 23 and the final on July 27. Each qualified team plays their quarter-final in the same cluster as their group matches.
The eight teams that progressed directly from the qualifying league stage were joined by seven teams who qualified via the play-offs: Belgium, Finland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Wales. Switzerland automatically qualified as hosts.
The tournament format sees the top two teams in each group progress to the knockout stage, with games decided by extra time and penalties if needed. The knockout bracket pits the winner of Group D with the runner-up in Group C, meaning Germany, Poland, Denmark or Sweden could be the opponents in the last eight.
