Around 450, 000 tickets have been sold for the 16-team tournament — including a sellout 73, 200 for England’s opener against Luxembourg at Old Trafford and 87, 200 for the Wembley last — far going above the previous record of 240, 000 placed in the Netherlands four years back.
The hype around the competition follows on from a season that saw numerous attendance records broken across the region.
Vacation, Barcelona set a brand new world record attendance figure for a women’s game as 91, 648 packed a sold out Camp Nou for the first lower-leg of its Champions League semifinal against Wolfsburg, breaking a record that had stood since the 1999 Women’s World Cup final.
There were also records broken in France, where 43, 254 fans turned up at the Parc des Princes to watch Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions Little league semifinal against Lyon, while England furthermore saw its membership attendance record broken as 49, 094 saw Chelsea beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
Exhilaration for the start of the Euro 2022 is palpable in Sweden, as well, where a record 33, 218 turned out to watch the national team beat Brazil in the final warmup game.
This year has proved, certainly, that a huge urge for food for women’s football exists across Europe.
For that reason, there has been some consternation around UEFA’s decision to use stadiums, such as the Manchester Town Academy Stadium and Leigh Sports Village, that some players and fans consider too small just for such a major competition.
Euro 2022 favorites
Web host nation England comes into Euro 2022 having a realistic chance of successful the first major trophy in the national team’s history.
Home advantage in front of a record-breaking English crowd will no doubt play its part, but the team has been greatly impressive under head coach Sarina Wiegman since her visit in September 2021.
England remains unbeaten underneath the Dutchwoman, who led the Netherlands to glory at the championship four years ago. Under Wiegman, England has scored a remarkable 84 goals, including a record-breaking 20-0 win over Latvia, and conceding just three.
The Lionesses continuing their impressive accumulation to the tournament with an eye-catching 5-1 make an impression on Wiegman’s former team, before going on to beat Switzerland 4-0.
A group boasting the abilities of forward Lauren Hemp, striker Ellen White and defense Lucy Bronze may compete with the very best, however the overriding question is whether this group may cope with the weight of expectation.
The national team has reached the semifinals in each one of the last three major tournaments, but fallen short of reaching the last every time.
This iteration of the side is perhaps the most talented of them all and, following the men’s team attained the Euro 2020 final last year, Britain fans are understandably optimistic about seeing their national group in a Wembley final for the second summer season running.
While the bookies have Spain entering the tournament since the narrow favorite, it is perhaps more accurate to view this team because the favorite among the darkish horses.
The team set down a gun with an impressive 7-0 rout of somewhat understrength Australia in the penultimate warmup sport ahead of the tournament, prior to drawing 1-1 towards Italy on Fri.
However , just a day before the tournament was set to begin, Spain was dealt the huge blow that superstar player and 2021 Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas had ruptured the girl anterior cruciate tendon, meaning she will miss the tournament and many months beyond.
Putellas can be arguably the most gifted player in the world plus someone who is able to single-handedly win a match with a moment of individual genius , and her absence likely finishes Spain’s chances of upsetting one of the more established countries.
Spain’s rise on the international stage has coincided with Barcelona becoming a domestic and European powerhouse over the past couple of seasons, and no lower than nine Barcelona gamers have made it into Jorge Vilda’s final 23-player squad.
This particular team can sometimes find it difficult to break down the defense of stronger or more stubborn teams but it will surely be hindered additional by the absence of report goalscorer Jennifer Hermoso, who suffered leg ligament damage earlier this month.
There was also considerable surprise amongst fans of the Spanish national team with all the omission of Genuine Sociedad duo Amaiur Sarriegi and Nerea Eizagirre, who scored a combined 33 goals in the Primera last season, with Sarriegi also coming up 11 goals in five World Cup qualifiers.
In Putellas’ absence, however , Sarriegi was called up to fill the attacking gap, though it’s not under the circumstances she or even anyone in the national team setup might have hoped.
But despite Spain’s deficiencies and lack of star power, people still be few teams relishing the prospect of facing Vilda’s aspect.
Players to watch
Ada Hegerberg
Opposition defenders beware: Ada Hegerberg has returned . The 26-year-old only returned to Norway’s national group in April after a five-year absence.
After finishing as runner-up at Euro 2013, Norway went into the tournament in the Holland five years ago along with high hopes.
However , the particular team finished bottom of its group and Hegerberg subsequently quit the national group setup, saying the girl experiences with the part left her “mentally broken” and frustrated with the way can certainly football was viewed in Norway.
Hegerberg carried on to excel at club level for Lyon and her form led her to being crowned the winner of the inaugural women’s Ballon d’Or in 2018 .
But in January 2020, Hegerberg ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament, which sidelined her for almost two years.
When she came back in October 2021, she hit the ground running and helped Lyon reclaim the French league title it had lost in order to Paris Saint-Germain the previous season. She also notched a goal and an assist in the particular Champions League last to wrestle the crown back through Barcelona.
One of the most lethal goalscorers in the women’s sport — her expertise in front of goal epitomized by a hat-trick in her first sport back for Norway after five many years — Hegerberg will be gunning to make up for lost time to the international stage.
Vivianne Miedema
Over the past couple of years, Vivianne Miedema has become one of the most prolific and feared strikers within world football.
Still just 25, the Toolbox star boasts a good eye-watering 92 objectives in 109 video games for the Netherlands and is the all-time top scorer in a Dutch national team t-shirt, women’s or in a number of.
The girl exploits for Strategy in the Women’s Extremely League — she is now the top scorer in the league’s history — recently gained her a new agreement that reportedly can make her the highest compensated women’s player in the uk.
Miedema finished second in the Golden Boot competition at Euro 2017 — scoring 4 goals, including 2 in the final — as the Netherlands’ females won their first major international trophy. It seems more than likely she will once more be among the leading scorers this time around.
Lauren Hemp
Few gamers in Europe will get you out of your seat like Lauren Hemp.
A tricky winger along with blistering pace, marvelous close control and an eye for goal, the 21-year-old clicks perhaps every package imaginable for an attacking player.
Hemp have scored 20 goals plus notched 10 helps in 36 online games for Manchester Town last season on her behalf way to being the very best the PFA’s Young Female Player of the Year for a record fourth time.
Such has been her form each domestically and worldwide, Hemp has relocated the conversation upon from her getting England’s best younger player to being England’s best participant full stop.
Her goal towards Chelsea in the FA Cup final — which City ultimately dropped — showcased all of her abilities, because she jinked inside onto her weaker right foot and curled the ball into the far part.
Going into this tournament, couple of players will be giving opposition defenders disturbing dreams like Hemp.
How to watch
In britain, all Euro 2022 matches will be shown across the BBC, the national broadcaster, while ESPN and TUDN will be showing the tournament in the United States.
For UEFA’s full list of public global broadcasters, follow the link right here .