Spain defender Irene Paredes will miss her side’s 2025 European Championship opener against Portugal due to a red card she received 12 months earlier.
Paredes, 33, will serve the second of a two-game suspension during Thursday’s group stage fixture after being sent off against the Czech Republic in Spain’s penultimate Euro 2025 qualifier on July 12, 2024.
The Barcelona defender was given a red card in the 70th minute of the 2-1 loss for a high challenge on Katerina Svitkova. UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) later confirmed she would serve a two-match suspension for “serious rough play”, in line with the governing body’s disciplinary regulations for such an offence.
Spain had already ensured their qualification for the Euros before July’s match against the Czech Republic after winning their opening four matches. Paredes sat out the victory over Belgium in their final qualifying match following her red card, and the second game of her ban will be served for her side’s first game at Euro 2025.
She subsequently featured in five of Spain’s six UEFA Nations League fixtures in 2025, as UEFA regulations state that suspensions are tournament specific and her ban did not carry over into the Nations League.
Had Paredes accumulated two yellow cards across Spain’s Euro 2025 qualifying campaign — the number required for a one-game suspension — this would not have carried over into the tournament, however, with UEFA regulations stating: “Pending yellow-card suspensions from the European qualifiers league stage for the final tournament expire on completion of the European qualifiers phase. They are not carried forward to the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025”.
Spain’s Euro 2025 qualifying campaign concluded with the win over Belgium in July, having secured automatic qualification after topping their group, meaning they were not required to participate in the play-offs across October and December. The qualifying process for Euro 2025 was shorter and finished earlier than previous iterations of the tournament owing to a restructured international calendar which included the introduction of the Nations League.
Paredes featured in all seven matches for Spain during their 2023 World Cup-winning campaign.
The centre-back, capped 109 times at international level, is one of five squad captains named by head coach Montse Tome ahead of Euro 2025, alongside Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmati, Mariona Caldentey and Olga Carmona.
Tome said Barcelona summer signing Laia Aleixandri and Real Madrid defender Maria Mendez are likely to start at centre-back against Portugal in Paredes’ absence.
“Irene is our captain and embodies the essence of the profession every day,” Tome told a press conference on Wednesday. “We knew a year ago that she wouldn’t be able to participate. With the red card against the Czech Republic, we won’t be able to count on her in the same competition.
“(Laia) Aleixandri and Maria (Mendez) are in contention to start there, as they did against Japan. Laia has played and has international experience, and although Maria seems to have played the least, we have given her opportunities in friendlies and she has performed well, also in her club, where she has played a lot. I am calm and we will compete well.”
Tome also provided a fitness update on midfielder Bonmati, who re-joined up with the Spain squad and returned to individual training on Monday after being diagnosed with viral meningitis, and goalkeeper Cata Coll, who has also been absent through illness.
“Regarding Cata (Coll), she did part of her training yesterday with the physio and was in training for 15 minutes,” the Spain head coach added. “She was working separately and her progress is very positive. As for today’s training, she will be able to do some work with the team.
“I want to convey Aitana’s desire to play; we have to slow her down. According to the medical staff, her progress is positive. Obviously, her health is the most important thing, but her progress is positive. Cata was able to be with the team and her progress is also positive.”
After Thursday’s group game against Portugal, Spain play Belgium on July 7 and Italy on July 11.
(Photo: Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)
