Euro 2025: What to know about the Women's European Championship

Spain’s star-packed squad is bidding to follow up on its World Cup success with a first triumph at the Women’s European Championship. Defending champion England is aiming to retain its continental crown, and Germany is hoping for a record-extending ninth title.

Euro 2025 kicks off on Wednesday of next week with the first two of 31 matches to be staged across eight cities in Switzerland.

Here's a look at what you need to know leading up to tournament:

The Euros kick off on July 2 with a match between Iceland and Finland in Thun before host Switzerland plays Norway at Basel.

The final will be on July 27 at St. Jakob-Park in Basel.

World Cup finalists Spain and England are widely considered the favorites. England secured its first major title since the men’s team won the 1966 World Cup when the women's team triumphed at the last Euros, which was postponed to 2022 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Lionesses then made it all the way to the final at the 2023 World Cup but were beaten by Spain. Germany, which lost to England after extra time in the 2022 final, won six straight editions of the women's Euros from 1995 to 2013 and has lifted the trophy in eight of the 13 finals overall. The German women's team has also won two World Cup titles.

The tournament begins with four groups of four teams in a round-robin format. The top two teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, followed by overall goal difference and then goals scored. From the quarterfinals the tournament becomes a straight knockout competition through the semifinals and final to determine the champion.

Group A: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Finland

Group B: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy

Group C: Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden

Group D: France, England, Wales, Netherlands

St. Jakob-Park, Basel (34,250)

Stadion Wankdorf, Bern (29,800)

Stade de Genève, Geneva (26,750)

Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich (22,700)

Arena St. Gallen, St. Gallen (16,300)

Allmend Stadion Luzern, Lucerne (14,350)

Arena Thun, Thun (8,100)

Stade de Tourbillon, Sion (7,750)

Germany has won the women's Euros eight times. The only other multiple winner is Norway with two.

England, Netherlands and Sweden — inaugural champions in 1984 — have one title each.

Poland and Wales have qualified for the first time.

The last Euros, in England, smashed all records with more than 87,000 people attending the final at Wembley Stadium and a total of nearly 575,000 fans attending the 31 matches — more than double the previous record. As of last month, more than 550,000 tickets had been sold for Euro 2025. There will also be a record 41 million euros ($47 million) in prize money, more than doubling the 16 million euros ($18.3 million) received by national associations in 2022.

— In the U.S.: FOX Sports, ViX. TSN will show it in Canada.

— Other countries are listed here.

Spain and Barcelona duo Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas headline the list of star players. Bonmatí has won the last two Ballon d’Or titles, following in the footsteps of her teammate Putellas, who also won back-to-back awards for the world’s best female soccer player. Their Barcelona teammate Caroline Graham Hansen finished second in the Ballon d’Or voting last year and the Norway winger will also be among the players to watch. Euro 2022 player of the tournament Beth Mead will be back for England, and Spain teenager Vicky López will be hoping to have a Lamine Yamal-style impact.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - The tournament groups are displayed on the video wall at the end of the UEFA Euro 2025 European women's soccer championship final draw at the Swiss Tech Convention Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, file)

FILE - Spain's Vicky Lopez, centre, challenges for the ball with Portugal's Andreia Norton, left, and Portugal's Andreia Jacinto during the Women's Nations League Group A3 soccer match between Spain and Portugal at the Balaidos stadium in Vigo, Spain, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lalo Villar, File)

FILE - The tournament trophy is on display at the end of the UEFA Euro 2025 European women's soccer championship final draw at the Swiss Tech Convention Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, File)

FILE - Spain's Alexia Putellas, Jennifer Hermoso and Irene Paredes, from left, celebrate with the trophy at the end of the Women's World Cup soccer final between Spain and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, Aug. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)

FILE - England's Leah Williamson, center left, and Millie Bright lift the trophy after winning the Women's Euro 2022 final soccer match between England and Germany at Wembley stadium in London, July 31, 2022. England won 2-1. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s motorcade took a different route than usual to the airport as he was departing Florida on Sunday due to a “suspicious object,” according to the White House.

The object, which the White House did not describe, was discovered during security sweeps in advance of Trump’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport.

“A further investigation was warranted and the presidential motorcade route was adjusted accordingly,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Sunday.

The president, when asked about the package by reporters, said, “I know nothing about it.”

Trump left his Palm Beach, Florida, club, Mar-a-Lago, around 6:20 p.m. for the roughly 10-minute drive to the airport, but took a circular route around the city to get there.

During the drive, police officers on motorcycles created a moving blockade for the motorcade, at one point almost colliding with the vans that accompanied Trump.

Air Force One was parked on the opposite side of the airport from where it is usually located and the lights outside the plane were turned off.

Anthony Guglielmi, the spokesman for U.S. Secret Service, said the secondary route was taken just as a precaution and that “that is standard protocol.”

President Donald Trump departs Trump International Golf Club in the presidential limousine, known as The Beast, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)