Why chaotic Norway and hosts Switzerland will set the tone for Euro 2025 | OneFootball

Norway do not have happy memories of facing the host nation at major tournaments. At the last Euros, they were on the receiving end of the heaviest defeat in the competition’s history, demolished 8-0 by a rampant England. Then, at the last World Cup two years ago, Norway were stunned 1-0 by a plucky New Zealand side, a result that gave way to a disharmonious, chaotic campaign.

So, Norway have plenty to put right when they face hosts Switzerland in Basel on the opening day of Euro 2025. Given the strength of their attacking options, they have spectacularly underperformed on the big stage. But if English coach Gemma Grainger can get Caroline Graham Hansen, Ada Hegerberg, Guro Reiten and Frida Maanum to click into shape, Norway could finally live up to their perennial ‘dark horses’ tag.

Turn up, or go home. That is the nature of a 16-team tournament like the Women’s Euros, where there is a strong leading pack of favourites in Spain, England, France and Germany, but also a healthy chasing pack that may have a say: the Netherlands, Sweden and Italy could also go far if they, like Norway, can find some cohesion. They certainly have the talent, but can they find the balance?

That is a question that applies to Norway most of all, and is the one that former England assistant and Wales head coach Grainger has been asked to solve. The 42-year-old from Middlesbrough has introduced Yorkshire Tea to her squad, to considerable success, but understands she will be in the firing line should Norway’s star-studded attack fail to top Group A ahead of Switzerland, Finland and Iceland.

Grainger’s predecessor, Hege Riise, made the bold call of dropping Graham Hansen, the runner-up at last year’s Ballon d’Or, from Norway’s second game of the last World Cup, leading to the Barcelona winger lashing out at her decision in public. This time, a selection headache may linger over captain and former Ballon d’Or winner Hegerberg. The 29-year-old is still one of the game’s biggest stars but is no longer an automatic starter at Lyon, while Elisabeth Terland is pushing for a place after strong season for Manchester United.

How Switzerland, Norway’s opening opponents, would love to have a dilemma like that to solve. The hosts are not exactly blessed with squad depth, and suffered the blow of losing Ramona Bachmann, a trailblazer for Swiss football, to a serious knee injury just a few weeks before the tournament. That may open the door to Sydney Schertenleib, already snapped up by Barcelona at the age of 18, to have a proper breakout tournament.

Switzerland’s aim at their Euros will be to progress out of the group stage, but one of the lessons of the last World Cup is that no nation should be written off. The group stages of the last World Cup were dominated by shock upsets, with Jamaica, South Africa and Colombia all beating higher-ranked opponents to reach the last-16.

The launch of the Women’s Nations League since the last Euros, and the greater familiarity between European sides, means the tournament may not have the capacity to surprise. That’s underlined by the fact that Switzerland and Norway have played each other twice in recent months, including just four weeks ago. Norway won both matches, but the opening game of the Euros will undoubtedly have a different feel.

Norway's Gemma Grainger is the only English coach at the Euros (Getty Images)

But the Nations League has also served to provided more opportunities to lower-ranked teams and helped to raise their game. From Belgium and Portugal to tournament debutants Wales and Poland, many countries have enjoyed having the opportunity to play against each other, and then the best in the continent, more regularly.

England manager Sarina Wiegman has routinely spoken about how the level has changed since the last Euros in 2022. While Spain and the Lionesses have looked to raise the bar, they are conscious that other countries are catching up, too. “I think just the game has got a lot, lot faster,” England’s Keira Walsh said before the Euros. “The intensity and the way people think is just a lot quicker. It takes a little bit of time to adapt to that.”

Euro 2025 is likely to bring the game on to another level again. The question is who, from the contenders, to the outsiders and the underdogs, is ready to go with it.