NewsAssociation
Poland as a candidate to host Women's European Championship in 2025
The final tournament of the Women's European Championship in 2025 could be another international sports event to be organised in Poland! Our country has already hosted several international football tournaments and finals, including EURO 2012, the European Under-21 Championships (2017) and the FIFA Under-20 World Cup (2019). Moreover, Warsaw and Gdańsk hosted the 2015 and 2021 Europa League final matches.
Now it is time for women's football. The Polish Football Association decided to put forward the federation's candidacy to host the Women's European Championship, scheduled for 2025. The final tournament will feature 16 teams playing a total of 31 matches (24 group matches, four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final). The current European champions are the Netherlands and the next edition of the tournament will take place in 2022 in England.
In accordance with the precise requirements set out by UEFA, the Polish Football Association selected nine stadiums and cities to host the tournament. The selection was based on guidelines taking into account, among other things, the location in specific regions and infrastructure requirements. The locations selected include Białystok, Bielsko-Biała, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Lublin, Łódź (ŁKS stadium), Tychy, Warsaw (Legia stadium) and Wrocław. The authorities of all the cities mentioned above declared their full support and involvement in the preparation of the necessary documentation for the competition, which will be subject to further analysis by PZPN and UEFA. The first phase of the application process will conclude in spring 2022. It may be preceded by working visits by PZPN and UEFA representatives.
It is worth remembering that UEFA's requirements do not apply solely to the stadiums where the matches of the final tournament will be played. The European head office also provided specific guidelines for hotels and training sites. Taking all organisational needs into account, the Polish Football Association will have to coordinate the preparation of more than 40 hotels and 34 training facilities.
A project team within the Department of Event Organisation, Safety and Infrastructure of the Polish Football Association is responsible for the consultation process, preparation and submission of the competition application. The unit will organise cooperation with cities, stadium operators, owners of training sites and hotels as well as airport managers. It will also cooperate with the Ministry of Sport to prepare letters of confirmation, letters of commitment and government guarantees related to the competition application. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki pledged his support for the efforts to make Poland the host of the Women's European Championship. Efforts to organise the Women's European Championship finals in 2025 are part of a wider strategy of the Polish Football Association for the development and promotion of women's football.
The Polish Football Association's rivals for the title of the host of the final tournament are France, Switzerland, Ukraine and the collective candidacy of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.
The UEFA Executive Committee will select the host in December 2022.
