Women's European Championship 2025: What can the new DFB generation achieve?

The sun is blazing, and the thermometer measures a good 30 degrees Celsius in the midday heat of Zurich. Linda Dallmann, a seasoned midfielder for the German women's national soccer team, coolly and matter-of-factly states her plan: "My goal is to become European champions." The 30-year-old has just gotten off the bus and adds, "it's the same for the other girls," "that's why we're here. Anything else, I think, would be the wrong statement."

One thing is clear: the European Championship stay in Switzerland should last as long as possible. There are 27 days between the arrival at the team hotel last Monday and the long-awaited triumph. The final will take place on July 27 at St. Jakob Park in Basel. The date is firmly in the calendar for national coach Christian Wück's team. The group matches begin on Friday (9 p.m., ARD), then Denmark on July 8 (6 p.m., ARD), and Sweden on July 12 (9 p.m., ZDF).

The team appears to be ready for its title mission just in time – at least, that's what the results suggest shortly before the start of European Championship preparations. A 4-0 win against the Netherlands was followed by a 6-0 rout of Austria. One of them is also competing in Switzerland, but revealed many weaknesses, while the other isn't even qualified. However, the final results before the European Championship testify to a positive development since Wück took over in late summer 2024.

But the truth is: Great successes are long gone. Nine years ago, the women's soccer team brought the German Football Association (DFB) Olympic gold. The years that followed were turbulent, marked by the departure of the symbol of glamour and glory: Silvia Neid. After the Olympic victory, she stepped down as national team coach after having been on the sidelines since 2005.

The German women's national team last won the European Championship in 2013. Now, national coach Christian Wück wants to make a fresh start at the European Championship. Who is participating for the first time? And what makes the players special?

Previously, she served as Tina Theune-Meyer's assistant for nine years. In this role, the now 61-year-old won three European Championship titles and one World Championship title in 2003. As head coach, she became World Champion in 2007 and European Champion in 2009 and 2013.

Germany, under Neid's leadership, demonstrated its dominance, even ousting World Cup record champions the USA from the top spot in the FIFA world rankings for almost six months in December 2014. The gold medal in Rio de Janeiro crowned Neid's brilliant era; it was the only success she had missed up to that point. She left gigantic shoes to fill. Her successor was Steffi Jones.

The star player, Jones, was expected to continue the development without having previously demonstrated her qualities as a coach. The now 52-year-old was responsible for the 2011 World Cup as president of the organizing committee and subsequently took over as DFB director for women's football, girls' football, and school football. She brought only one year of experience as Neid's assistant to the coaching bench.

With this transition came the turning point that began with the failure at the 2017 European Championship. Due to heavy rain, the quarterfinal against Denmark was postponed at short notice to 12 noon the following day. According to sources close to the team at the time, Jones opted for a different starting eleven than planned – opting for a routine. The plan backfired, and the tournament ended before the semifinals for the first time since 1989. "The defeat is also my responsibility," Jones admitted afterward.

A picture of successful times: Silvia Neid (right), then still assistant coach, celebrates the 2005 European Championship title. Captain and goalscorer Birgit Prinz (number 9) raises the trophy.

Source: imago images/Sven Simon

The DFB nevertheless extended her contract until the 2019 World Cup. However, when World Cup qualification was in jeopardy and the team finished last in a four-nation tournament in March 2018, she had to leave. Jones later admitted mistakes in an interview with "Welt." "I was simply unprepared for many things. I had to learn that the hard way," she said.

Under Horst Hrubesch, who also served as the association's sporting director, the unsettled team made it to the continental tournament. Hrubesch has always enjoyed an outstanding reputation both on and off the pitch. Many had hoped for a longer stay – at least until the tournament. However, at the end of 2018, in his role as sporting director, he chose Martina Voss-Tecklenburg as coach, who took over at the beginning of the following World Cup year.

Following the next quarterfinal exit, as in Jones's case, Voss-Tecklenburg stayed despite Hrubesch's reported doubts – and she had to navigate complicated times. The three years following the Olympic celebrations and the end of the Neid era had severely damaged the DFB women's image, leaving no trace of their former glory.

The third person in charge on the sidelines since then has initiated neither change nor a new beginning. During the coronavirus pandemic, the internal relationship of trust between her and the players suffered increasingly. The training content and interpersonal communication were reportedly heavily criticized. The mood shifted.

Due to the poor performance at the World Cup, the Olympic Games, which were postponed to 2021, were held without Germany. The 2022 European Championship, which was also postponed by a year, was thus only Voss-Tecklenburg's second tournament. The German women's soccer team once again impressed, albeit under difficult conditions, as the relationship with the national coach was reportedly still tenuous.

The national team was no longer considered a comfortable haven. The embarrassing group stage exit at the 2023 World Cup was a fitting reflection of the DFB team's internal situation. "MVT" was on sick leave after the tournament, briefly replaced by her assistant Britta Carlson and then by the returning Hrubesch on an interim basis.

A mudslinging match ensued between the association and the former national coach, or rather her lawyers, because the now 57-year-old spoke at events despite being on sick leave, before ultimately losing her job. The DFB women qualified for the Olympics under the popular interim coach Hrubesch, and in Paris, the "girls," as he always affectionately called them, won bronze – including some welcome, encouraging headlines.

Since then, others have been responsible for the upheaval. Former German national player Nia Künzer, Director of Women's Football at the DFB, took over in January 2024. She faced a "mammoth task" (Hrubesch) – securing a long-term succession plan so things could move forward. Wück (53) took over. A man who was highly valued within the DFB for his work with the men's youth teams: in 2023, the Franconian won the European Championship and the World Cup with the U17 team. Successes parallel Hrubesch's, one could say. According to RND information, Wück initially asked for time to consider the matter after discussions with Künzer and DFB Managing Director Andreas Rettig, but then agreed.

Under Wück, it's now up to captain Giulia Gwinn and her team to celebrate success again. The 25-year-old is at the forefront of the new generation of players. She's rarely associated with Germany's failures of recent years, but rather stands for the few highlights. At her first tournament wearing the German eagle – the 2019 World Cup – the reigning double winner from FC Bayern Munich was one of the few bright spots, receiving the award for "Best Young Player."

Celebrations for bronze: Horst Hrubesch and his “girls” in Paris.

Source: Marcus Brandt/dpa

In 2022, Gwinn shone for Germany's European runners-up and was named to the team of the tournament. Gwinn missed the 2023 World Cup embarrassment with her second cruciate ligament tear. At the Olympics, she scored the only goal in the bronze medal match against Spain.

Now the full-back is in charge. Since March 2024, seven national team players have retired, including defensive leader Marina Hegering, goalkeepers Merle Frohms and RND columnist Almuth Schult, and long-time captain and goalscorer Alexandra Popp. The past few months under Wück have revealed some problems reminiscent of old, turbulent times. The communication of the coach, who is inexperienced in women's football, annoyed some. Those dissatisfied will miss the European Championship, and Sara Doorsoun subsequently resigned. In terms of sport, however, the newly assembled team gradually found its stride. Recall the performances in the Nations League at the end of May and beginning of June, when Germany reached the final tournament as group winners.

Despite some discord, Wück formed a unit that enjoys what she experiences with the DFB team. "The constellation is different than before," says Dallmann. The training camp in Herzogenaurach provided evidence of this – on the pitch, at the pool, and at a private concert by pop icon Wolfgang Petry. The players gave the visit to their coach, who was visibly impressed, as videos on social media show.

The team spirit is strong, and the atmosphere is good. Along with the quality of the football, these are fundamental prerequisites for a successful tournament. Sources within the team say that this hasn't been the case for years – despite occasional glimmers of hope.

This is probably also due to the fact that, despite some difficulties, Wück has full internal support; the relationship between him and Gwinn, in particular, seems trusting. "We want to create the feeling like before the 2022 European Championship, of being able to rely on and trust each other," the Munich resident said in a recent interview with RND. At the time, this was more limited to the players, due to the rift with Voss-Tecklenburg.

This time, things are different. Only Sara Däbritz and Kathrin Hendrich (on call in Brazil) remain of the Olympic champions. Wück's squad includes seven tournament debutants. "They show the energy, the joy, exactly what we need," says Dallmann. Gwinn emphasizes the goal: "Reaching the final again would, of course, be fantastic."

The Friedrichshafen native is "a perfectionist" and doesn't want to "go home with silver for a second time" like in 2022. With her, a new generation is seeking great fortune. Freed from the hurdles of the past, the ambitious captain wants to shape a golden era. Or, to put it another way: to lead a generation of winners.