2️⃣2️⃣ interesting facts about Euro 2022 | OneFootball

Today is the day!

The Women’s European Championship gets under way on Wednesday evening and to whet your appetite, here are 22 interesting facts about Euro 2022.

1️⃣ This will be the second time England has hosted the tournament. The last time was 2005, when Germany lifted the trophy.

2️⃣ The current competition trophy has been in use since 2005 and was provided by Milan-based G.D.E. Bertoni. Nike are the official match ball suppliers of the tournament.

3️⃣ The champions of this year’s tournament will face the winners of the 2022 CONMEBOL Copa América Femenina in the first ever UEFA-CONMEBOL Women’s Finalissima. The date of that clash is still to be decided.

4️⃣ Venezuelan referee Emikar Calderas Barrera will officiate at Euro 2022 as part of an exchange programme with the South American Football Confederation CONMEBOL.

5️⃣ VAR will be in use for the first time at a UEFA Women’s Euro final tournament.

6️⃣ 16 nations will appear at the tournament, split into four groups of four, with the top two from each group progressing to the quarter-finals.

7️⃣ The tournament will take place across nine host cities: Brighton, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Rotherham, Sheffield, Southampton, Trafford and Leigh.

8️⃣ England will kick-off the tournament against Austria at Old Trafford on 6 July. The final will take place at Wembley on 31 July.

9️⃣ Over 500,000 tickets have been sold so far, with tickets for the final selling out in under an hour. The current record attendance for a Women’s Euro final is 41,302, set when Germany beat Sweden in Solna, and the record for a men’s Euros final stands at 79,115. Wembley holds 90,000.

🔟 Portugal didn’t qualify for the tournament initially but were given a spot after Russia were disqualified following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

1️⃣1️⃣ Northern Ireland have qualified for the tournament for the first time. They are the lowest ranked nation at Euro 2022, sitting at 46th on the world table.

1️⃣2️⃣ Sweden are the highest ranked nation at the tournament, sitting second on the world table behind only the United States.

1️⃣3️⃣ The Netherlands are the defending Euros champions having won the tournament in 2017. Their coach that year was Sarina Wiegman, who takes charge of England at Euro 2022.

1️⃣4️⃣ Hosts England have reached the semi-finals of the last three major tournaments but the Lionesses have never won the Euros or the World Cup.

1️⃣5️⃣ France have never made it past the quarter-finals of a Women’s European Championship and were eliminated at that stage in 2017.

1️⃣6️⃣ Germany hold the record for the most Euros trophies won with eight (Norway are second on the list with two). German duo Inka Grings and Birgit Prinz jointly hold the record for most goals scored in final tournament history with 10 each.

1️⃣7️⃣ Spain are many pundits’ favourites to win Euro 2022. They have never won the tournament and their best effort to date was a semi-final appearance in 1997.

1️⃣8️⃣ Italy have twice finished runners-up and 2017 was the first time they failed to make the last eight of Women’s Euro.

1️⃣9️⃣ Belgium’s Tine De Caigny scored the most goals in qualifying for Euro 2022 with 12.

2️⃣0️⃣ Since 1987, Norway have only failed to reach at least the semi-finals on two occasions. With Ada Hegerberg back in the fold, they will be hoping to lift the trophy for the third time.

2️⃣1️⃣ Finland attacking midfielder Emmi Alanen has also represented her country at international level as a wrestler, but gave it up to focus on football in 2013.

2️⃣2️⃣ Champions in 1984, Sweden have so far reached the final of four Women’s Euros as well as the 2003 World Cup final.