Home nations, heatwave & Swiss 'heart' - what to expect from Euro 2025

The wait is almost over.

Euro 2025 kicks off in the stunning Swiss town of Thun on Wednesday as Iceland take on Finland (17:00 BST).

Hosts Switzerland start their campaign later that day against Norway in Basel (20:00 BST).

So what does the tournament have in store? How will the home nations fare? And who is likely to get their hands on the trophy on 27 July?

BBC Sport takes a look at the key things to expect from Euro 2025...

In the UK, the attention will be on England and Wales, drawn together in Group D.

A potentially decisive duel between the two sides awaits on 13 July (20:00 BST) in their final group game.

But two top teams stand in their way of reaching the knockout stage - the Netherlands, who won the tournament in 2017, and France.

Wales lost just one of their 10 games in qualifying, but have struggled against stronger opposition recently after making the jump to League A in the Nations League.

Rhian Wilkinson, who has guided Wales to their first major tournament, has said her side "can compete with the best teams".

England are defending champions, but getting out of the group is far from guaranteed.

A defeat by favourites Spain last month showed England have work to do, while pre-tournament disruption caused by the international retirements of Mary Earps and Fran Kirby and the withdrawal of their World Cup captain Millie Bright has not helped matters.

"There have been injuries, there have been headlines and a lot of noise. All the tactics need to be shutting out the noise and focusing on performance and the opening game," former Scotland international Jen Beattie said.

However, Sarina Wiegman's squad will feel better after a 7-0 thrashing of Jamaica in their final warm-up game, with six different goalscorers.

"I think if you are a Lioness in that dressing room now, then your confidence is through the roof and you're ready to go through a major tournament," Beattie added.

As the reigning world champions, and with a wealth of talent in their squad, Spain arrive in Switzerland as favourites to win a first European crown.

They have only reached the semi-finals of the Euros once, and never the final.

La Roja won the World Cup in 2023 despite starting the tournament with a divided squad amid a background of unrest.

Their victory was overshadowed by Luis Rubiales, the then president of the Spanish football federation, kissing player Jennifer Hermoso on the lips - a kiss he said was consensual, but she said was not. Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault and fined in February this year.

Almost two years on, the players seem to have emerged stronger and look more united than ever.

"The girls finally want to put the end to that story," former Spain midfielder Vicky Losada told BBC Radio 5 Live's Euro 2025 preview.

"They are going to a big championship in a good place. They are all saying they are going to be able to perform but also enjoy which is something they haven't done in the past two major tournaments.

"They don't want to talk any more about it. They have confidence with the new manager and they are ready for it."

The highest-ranked team are in a group with Belgium, Italy and Portugal, and Montse Tome's side should, if their recent form is anything to go by, reach the quarter-finals unscathed.

The record-breaking June heatwave that has been affecting Europe is heading to Switzerland in time for Euro 2025.

Amber heatwave warnings have been issued for most of this week by the Swiss authorities. Temperatures are expected to be around 10C above average with daytime temperatures peaking at about 35C (95F).

The first round of matches take place during the evening, when temperatures will be easing, but it will still be extremely warm for football.

For the 18:00 CET (17:00 BST) kick-offs temperatures will hover between 27-30C. The later 21:00 CET (20:00 BST) kick-offs are set to be played at temperatures between 24-27C.

The heat and humidity could spark some thunderstorms with the chance of a heavy downpour towards the end of the week.

Like in all Uefa competitions, drinks breaks may be implemented at Euro 2025 if temperatures are high.

Uefa delegates will measure the temperature with a wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) thermometer at the end of the teams' warm-ups. If it exceeds 35C, cooling breaks will be introduced for the match. If the temperature is below those thresholds, the implementation of drinks breaks is at the discretion of the referee.

A heat warning has been issued by Uefa for all matches on 2, 3 and 4 July. For these matches, fans can bring a water bottle of up to 500ml into the stadium.

But how do players feel about playing in the temperatures?

"Of course it's not easy but we have staff that are considering all of that," Switzerland midfielder Meriame Terchoun told BBC Sport. "We have everything we need for recovery like cryotherapy or cold baths.

"For me personally, I like it when it's hot so it's OK but we have everything we need to recover well from the heat."

Beth Mead won the Golden Boot at Euro 2022 with six goals, but could her Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo steal the show this summer?

The 26-year-old striker was the joint-top scorer in the Women's Super League last term with 12 goals - one more than Mead had scored the season before the 2022 tournament.

Russo didn't start a game at Euro 2022 as she was below Ellen White in the pecking order, but she established herself as a super-sub by scoring four goals after coming off the bench - including an outrageous backheel finish in the semi-final against Sweden.

"She is going to be the one leading the line for England and with the quality players around her creating chances, you would expect her to be there or thereabouts for the Golden Boot," former Wales international Danny Gabbidon told BBC Sport.

Five of BBC Sport's pundits have predicted Russo will go on to win the Golden Boot, but there were also mentions of Spain's Claudia Pina and Esther Gonzalez.

Germany's Lea Schuller or France's Marie-Antoinette Katoto could top the scoring charts if their teams go far into the tournament, while Poland's Ewa Pajor and Belgium's Tessa Wullaert will hope to play their part for the underdog nations.

This will be the first time Switzerland has hosted a women's sporting event on this scale.

It was selected as host nation by Uefa in 2023, beating Poland, France and a joint bid from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway.

Set against the backdrop of Switzerland's iconic mountainous landscape, the tournament will take place across eight cities: Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St Gallen, Sion, Lucerne and Thun.

Organisers have prioritised sustainability with free public transport offered to any ticket holders travelling to and from games within the country, while they've also planned the match schedule to reduce team travel during the group stage.

They have also created a plan intended to double the number of girls and women playing football in Switzerland from 40,000 to 80,000 by 2027.

"For the tournament, it will be absolutely amazing for the host nation to get out of the group and progress," former England forward Ellen White told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It's going to be huge for Switzerland as a nation to get behind this team and push them over the line."

Former Switzerland goalkeeper Kathrin Lehmann added: "We all know we have not that good a team like England have but we have the best fans.

"The expectation is we want to see the team putting their hearts on the field and be creative. We know we don't have much football quality in that team, but we have a lot of heart."