Football (not Premier League)

[Dannie Boy]

No doubt about it, from a neutral point of view the better team lost, but I doubt that many/any English supporters will care - if only the men’s team could do the same!!

[Lost]

Unfortunately the women's game is still running at a loss for UEFA.

"UEFA Euro 2024 (men's) generated about €2.5 billion in revenue, yielding a profit over €1 billion. By contrast, Women's Euro 2025 incurred a €20-25 million loss for UEFA."

[Big Boy]

They've been talking about record crowds at the tournament. Can you explain where the €20-25 million loss for UEFA was incurred please?

[Lost]

From Grok:

The UEFA Women's Euro 2025 incurred a financial loss of approximately €20–25 million, despite its growing popularity, due to several key factors:High Operational Costs in Switzerland: Hosting the tournament in Switzerland, a country with a high cost of living, significantly increased expenses. Costs included stadium rentals, infrastructure upgrades, and other logistical expenses across eight host cities, such as Basel, Bern, and Zurich.

Insufficient Revenue to Offset Costs: While the tournament saw strong ticket sales (over 600,000 tickets sold, with 22 of 31 matches sold out), the revenue generated from ticket sales, sponsorships, and broadcasting rights was not sufficient to cover the high operational costs. Unlike the men's Euro 2024, which generated €2.4 billion in revenue, the women's tournament relies heavily on subsidies from UEFA's men's competitions to fund its operations.

Increased Prize Money and Club Payments: UEFA more than doubled the prize money for Women's Euro 2025 to €41 million, a 156% increase from 2022, with a minimum of €1.8 million per participating federation and 30–40% of this allocated to players. Additionally, €6 million was distributed to clubs for player releases, calculated at €657 per player per day. These increased financial commitments, while important for supporting players and clubs, added to the overall cost without corresponding revenue increases.

Limited Commercial Growth: Despite growing interest in women's football, the commercial landscape is still developing. The tournament's revenue streams, including sponsorships and broadcast deals, are not yet on par with the men's game. For example, while UEFA's new sponsorship structure for 2025–26 aims to boost women's football revenue, the Women's Euro 2025 still faced a revenue shortfall compared to its costs.

Investment Over Profit Focus: UEFA's strategy, as articulated by Nadine Kessler, UEFA’s head of women’s football, emphasizes investment in women’s football over immediate profitability. The organization views the loss as a deliberate investment to grow the sport, prioritizing long-term development over short-term financial gains. This includes funding for grassroots initiatives, legacy programs, and increased visibility for women’s football.

Reduced Government Funding: The Swiss Federal Government cut its planned financial contribution from 15 million francs to 4 million francs, increasing the financial burden on UEFA and local organizers. This reduction forced host cities like Lucerne, which contributed 4 million francs, and others to cover significant costs, further straining the budget.

In summary, the financial loss for UEFA Women's Euro 2025 stemmed from high hosting costs in Switzerland, increased prize money and club payments, limited commercial revenue compared to the men’s game, and reduced government funding. UEFA's focus on long-term investment in women’s football, rather than immediate profit, also contributed to the deficit, aligning with their strategy to professionalize and grow the sport.

[Big Boy]

Thank you.

It looks as though they may have spent unwisely. Did they really need to do things like double the prize money, if they never had it to spend in the first place? Poor financial management springs to mind. Maybe they were always going to run at a loss, but somebody should have reigned in the spending, sooner.

[Dannie Boy]

None of it should have come as a surprise so it must have been an acknowledged decision - not necessarily a wise one but there we go!!

[Lost]

Quite some manager that Sarina Wiegman is. That's five major tournament finals in a row for her, three for England and two for the Netherlands. Next step is for her is winning the world cup final at the third attempt.

[Big Boy]

I think she's incredible. I know some said she should get the men's job when it was vacant. Of course, that would hurt too many male egos, but surely she must have been worth a punt. She's done it this time with a very average side. One factoid they've been talking about on TV, is her England team took the lead for less than 5 minutes in total during the knock-out stages. What fantastic character.

[Dannie Boy]

I’m not knocking her at all, but a lot of the credit must also go to the ladies on the pitch - they’re the ones that got the results.

[Big Boy]

I feel she has turned a mediocre team into champions.

[Dannie Boy]

England were reigning European Champions and retained that title yesterday and were beaten finalists in the last World Cup - I think most people would clarify that higher than mediocre!!

[Big Boy]

Did you watch them play? They played with passion, but were nothing special. Would they have done as well without Sarina Wiegman at the helm? This is why I say it would hurt too many male egos. If a Premier League team hires a good manager, he gets all of the cudos. However, here we have a woman with a record second to none, and you say, "A lot of the credit must also go to the ladies on the pitch."

If she was called Pep Guardiola or Arne Slot, people would be drooling at the thought of securing them as manager of the England men's team.

[Dannie Boy]

Did you watch them play? They played with passion, but were nothing special. Would they have done as well without Sarina Wiegman at the helm? This is why I say it would hurt too many male egos. If a Premier League team hires a good manager, he gets all of the cudos. However, here we have a woman with a record second to none, and you say, "A lot of the credit must also go to the ladies on the pitch."

If she was called Pep Guardiola or Arne Slot, people would be drooling at the thought of securing them as manager of the England men's team.

I watched the game from beginning to end and have already posted that the better team lost. Yes England showed plenty of passion but what got them over the line - a combination of grit and determination, an element of luck, some poor finishing from the opposition, some important saves and yes, some tactical nouse from the manager, but what element had the greatest impact, neither you or I can say, but they won, which for most people is the most important thing.

[Big Boy]

OK, we'll have to agree to disagree, but to me the fact she has made it to 5 top finals on 5 consecutive occassions with 2 different teams says an awful lot. I'd give her a go.

[Lost]

The men's game and the women's game are very, very different. Tactically, in speed and physicality, quicker transitions... even down to the type of injuries expected and recovery time. It's a completely different game. I've no doubt Sarina could be adept at the men's game too, mind, such is her excellence in the women's game.

But a jump from women's national team to the men's national team is too far a jump imo. They're two different types of games.