Wiegman on Euro 2025 Draw: “No Easy Things Any More”

Sarina Wiegman, the manager of England, commented that “no easy things any more” exist following the Lionesses’ placement in a challenging group for the Euro 2025 tournament, describing the draw as “Very tough, very exciting”. England, who are the reigning European champions, are scheduled to compete against France, the Netherlands, and Wales within Group D. The team successfully avoided being grouped with Spain, the World Cup winners, and Germany, who have won the European championship eight times. Wiegman stated, “The draw was nice. The group is tough! These are the facts and we knew how the pots were that it would be difficult anyway.” She further elaborated on the evolution of women’s football: “The women’s game is developing so quickly so I don’t think there are easy things any more. We have to be ready for every single game. The women’s game has changed. Before we went to the qualifiers for the World Cup, it was kind of easy. Sometimes you could predict if you were going to win. In sport it’s really good when it’s unpredictable because that’s the exciting bit about it.” The outcome of the draw places Wiegman against her home country, the Netherlands, a team she guided to a Euro 2017 triumph and a second-place finish at the 2019 World Cup. She will once more encounter her former manager, Andries Jonker, having previously competed against the Netherlands with England during the Women’s Nations League campaign last year. Wiegman commented, “Before we came [to Switzerland] I thought we might get them. Of course, we drew them in the Nations League so I was not really surprised. It is not a coincidence any more. I hope they will be successful but not when we play them. It becomes really, really competitive. It is just the way it is, isn’t it?” Additionally, the Lionesses are set to compete against Wales, a British rival that secured qualification for its inaugural major tournament by advancing through the play-offs. Wiegman further stated, “Of course it is a huge accomplishment for them, qualifying for the first time in their history, so congratulations to Wales. We are neighbours, so a good rivalry on the pitch. That will be a challenging one too. I think they will fight for every yard in the game we play them and I think they will do that in every single game – so will we.” Wiegman served as captain under Netherlands coach Jonker, and their friendship spans nearly three decades. Jonker remarked, “It is always special because we’re friends. Normally with friends you wish them the best, but as sportspeople we want to beat the other one. We want to win. That means you have to hurt your friend. But we are both on the same page and the respect for each other won’t change. We met after the draw. I said to her, ‘Did you ever think we would be standing here together?’ Our history goes back to the 90s. Now we are here on stage and going to play each other in the European Championship. It is a special moment.” Jonker expressed his view that the “winner of Group D can win the whole tournament,” while former Lioness Anita Asante voiced her support for England’s capability to retain their title. When questioned about England’s prospects of winning the tournament in Switzerland, Asante responded, “I don’t see why not. In tournament football, everything is possible. It’s all about how you navigate your journey, how you manage expectation and the pressure when it matters most, and who capitalises in those critical moments. That’s football. You can be the best team, play the best football and you can lose. I think England know that. Many of them are accustomed to being at finals now. We’ve won a final, we’ve reached a World Cup final – they will be ready for the challenge.”