With the experience of 122 international matches, Noelle Maritz is one of the Swiss team pillars.Bild: keystone
The Swiss national team has known its three opponents in the group stage of the 2025 European Championship since early Monday evening. The Swiss footballers will face Norway, Iceland and Finland in turn.
follow meNorway, Iceland and Finland: These are the opponents of the Swiss women’s national soccer team at the home European Championships in 2025. “You have a chance of getting ahead,” says Kathrin Lehmann, summing up what most observers probably thought after the draw EM groups think.
These are the four EM groups:
The former national goalkeeper, who will work at the European Championships as an expert for ZDF, emphasized in an interview with Watson that she sees four teams on equal terms with each other. That makes the group exciting.
“The anticipation for the tournament is increasing”
“It will be about fighting and Switzerland will only survive if it plays with a lot of heart,” says Lehmann, who knows the Scandinavian mentality: she once lived in Sweden for three and a half years. “The northerners have an incredible team spirit that sets them apart.”
At a draw event at Adidas in Zurich, national player Noelle Maritz is also looking forward to seeing who she will play against next summer. “You can tell that the European Championship is getting closer and closer,” says the England legionnaire with the Konektis European Championship ball under her arm, “the anticipation for the tournament is increasing.” On July 2nd, Switzerland opens the European Championships in Basel against Norway.
Noelle Maritz with the Konektis EM ball, which was presented to the public on Monday.Image: watson
Maritz doesn’t hide her feelings during the draw when the “big” nations end up in different groups. Afterwards, the 28-year-old Aston Villa defender said that, from a Swiss perspective, there really wasn’t anything to complain about. «We can be happy with this draw, we could have met even stronger teams at the beginning. It still won’t be easy.”
Hoping for euphoria in the country
Her teammate Lia Kamber from FC Basel believes Switzerland can achieve a lot in this group. “Luck was certainly on our side in the draw.” The only problem is that nothing has been gained from this. “Now it’s time to make the best of it,” says the 18-year-old.
Lia Kamber (right, next to record national player Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic) from FC Basel hopes to be on the pitch for the opening game in Basel.Bild: www.imago-images.de
Kamber and Maritz rely on the support of Football fans in the country. “We saw in the last two Nati games that there was euphoria, that spectators came and that made us very happy,” says Maritz. “We hope that the stadiums will be full and that the whole country will be gripped by this euphoria.”
Kathrin Lehmann, who also serves as the Canton of Zurich’s EM ambassador, is already on fire seven months before the first kick-off. “Switzerland will be an incredible host,” she is convinced. The tournament will be a great success. “The public can start a fire and this team has proven that they can take that fire and make it an even bigger fire. And that’s why I believe that Switzerland will move forward.”
Kathrin Lehmann will provide her expertise for ZDF during the European Championships.Bild: www.imago-images.de
These are the favorites
How far? “If Switzerland wins their group, they will definitely advance to the semi-finals. As second in the group, she would face Spain…” she says without finishing the sentence. The Spaniards won the World Cup title in New Zealand in 2023, while Switzerland lost 5-1 in the round of 16.
Spain is one of the teams that you have to watch next July. Holland, on the other hand, is getting older, says Lehmann, and France is also in the process of restructuring. “This will be a bye for England in this supposed group of death,” the 44-year-old boldly announces. The expert names England and Germany as favorites for the title.
