UEFA Women's European Championship group stage has witnessed unprecedented attendance, with a record-breaking number of fans attending the matches. The tournament, held in Switzerland, has already seen 461,582 fans attend group stage matches. This impressive turnout is indicative of the growing popularity and recognition of women's football on a global scale.
The current edition of the tournament has surpassed previous records even before its commencement. More than 600,000 tickets were sold for this year’s event, exceeding the previous record set by England in 2022 when they sold 574,875 tickets.
This year’s edition also broke the record for highest attendance at a group stage match not involving host nations twice over. Spain's victory over Portugal in Bern attracted an audience of 29,520 spectators while Germany’s win against Denmark in Basel saw an astounding turnout of 341,165 fans.
Setting new benchmarks
Notably, Germany and Denmark's match also set a new benchmark for women’s soccer matches in Switzerland by drawing an audience of 34,165 spectators. Additionally, Switzerland’s game against Norway saw a crowd of 34,063 - setting another record for most fans at a Swiss women’s national team match. On average during this tournament's group stage games there were approximately 19 ,233 spectators per match - further evidence that interest and support for women's football are on the rise.
Nadine Kessler, UEFA head of women’s football, said:
"If it was not clear before, it is undeniable now – women's football is unstoppable and here to stay. This is more than a tournament; it's a movement, and the response from across Europe and beyond proves that women's football is not only here to stay – it is setting the new standard.”
UEFA reported that digital engagement during this tournament was robust as well with about eight million engagements across social media platforms during the group stages alone – marking an increase by more than half compared to last year. In terms of gameplay too this edition outperformed its predecessor; it delivered most goals scored during any Women’s Euro group stage so far with total goals tallying up to be eighty-nine which surpassed last year’s record of seventy-eight.
Record-Breaking ticket sales
The surge in interest for the Women's Euro 2025 was also reflected in ticket sales. Global secondary ticketing marketplace Viagogo reported a record-breaking demand for the women’s Euros, with a 112% increase in secondary ticket purchases compared to the 2022 edition.
Internet searches for tickets quadrupled compared to last year, and purchases were made from 38 different markets. Interestingly, only 15% of these sales were for the final match, indicating a more even spread of purchases than previous events where most tickets sold were focused on the final match.
As we move into the latter stages of this tournament with an upcoming quarterfinal between Norway and Italy tomorrow (July 16), it is clear that this edition has already left an indelible mark on women's football history. The unprecedented fan turnout and digital engagement are testament to not just growing interest but also increasing recognition and support for women's football worldwide.
