As we head into the championship rounds of Euro 2025, it’s becoming pretty clear who the heavyweights of the competition are after the final stage of group games.
The last gameweek was a showcase of ambition as each top contender attempted to outdo the other. First, Norway put on a goalfest as they clinched a seven-goal thriller to beat Iceland 4-3. Then Sweden thumped Germany 4-1 in a statement win to close out their group stage, before France hit their 11th goal of the tournament with a 5-2 win over the Netherlands.
It was then England’s turn to put on a show as they demolished rivals Wales 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals with aplomb. Two wins that yielded 10 goals still weren’t enough to secure top spot in the group after France won all three group games.
Interestingly enough, the four winners of each group finished with perfect records after winning all three of their games — which shows you how high the standard is in these championships.
World champions and tournament favourites Spain have scored a ridiculous 14 goals so far, led by Esther Gonzalez and Alexia Putellas, and have only let in three.
There are at least five teams who could win this competition, and none of them look satisfied to get through with scrappy wins. It’s been a show of ruthlessness so far, with each game an opportunity to strike fear into rival teams.
No team will have a greater fear factor than Spain — who are easily the best-backed team at Betfair. They have given them odds of 8/11 to add the European Championship to the World Cup trophy already sitting in their cabinet.
England are the second-favourites at 4/1 after overcoming their poor start against France by thumping Netherlands and Wales, further demonstrating the threat they possess in Switzerland.
France still find themselves as third-favourites at 5/1 despite beating England 2-1, pipping them to first place in Group D. Sweden (10/1) and Germany (10/1) are next in the odds after Sweden’s 4-1 trashing of Germany in the final group game in Group C. Sweden won all three of their group games and impressively only conceded one goal. They look like one of the dark horses of the tournament, and midfielder Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, who plays for Chelsea, has suggested the team could go the whole way.
“Of course we always want to win,” Kaneryd said at a news conference. “We always want to do better. We know we have been doing good in tournaments before, but we also know we haven’t gone the whole way.
“I have a really good feeling. You can see that in the squad there is something different this year and we always believe. We want to reach the final and with that being said we need to take every game for what it is. We can’t look too much ahead. It’s going to be a challenge but we are ready.”
For the outsiders, Norway have odds of 28/1 to become champions after winning Group A and are also underdogs against Italy (25/1) in a quarter-final. For the longest odds, tournament hosts Switzerland are rated at 66/1 after they edged into the quarters at the expense of Finland.
Euro 2025 odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
|
Spain |
8/11 |
|
England |
4/1 |
|
France |
5/1 |
|
Germany |
10/1 |
|
Sweden |
10/1 |
|
Italy |
25/1 |
|
Norway |
28/1 |
|
Switzerland |
66/1 |
Betting/odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Aitana Bonmati: Eddie Keogh / Getty Images)
