When it comes to a rich history of lifting European Championship trophies, Germany is the first country that comes to mind and they will be eager to repeat that history at Euro 2025.
The eight times Euro champions are serial winners and will be looking to get their hands on the trophy once again after a poor run of form at previous major tournaments.
Tournament History
Germany are the most successful nation in the history of the tournament with titles spanning from 1989 to 2013. This includes an incredible six championships in a row between 1995 and 2013.
Germany’s team and excellence today is founded by the legends that came before them. Birgit Prinz, Nadine Angerer and Doris Fitschen are just a few of many who have built a fierce reputation for their nation.
At the 2022 Euros, Germany blistered through the group stage and into the knockouts. Their excellent form took the nation to the final where they lost 2-1, agonisingly in extra time to England.
Perhaps the biggest blow that Germany received before the match, was their prolific striker Alexandra Popp sustaining an injury in the warmup. This forced the Germans to quickly re-evaluate their game plan and was the worst possible start to a European final.
While Germany’s European Championship is rich with victory, their recent World Cup form tells an entirely different tale. The nation were shockingly grouped in 2023’s world tournament and hadn’t made it past the quarter finals since 2007. It was an extremely disappointing run in 2023, one that saw head coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg fired that November.
Horst Hrubesch served as interim coach after Voss-Tecklenburg’s dismissal and achieved a mix run of form. Eventually, Christian Wück was appointed as permanent head coach after Germany claimed a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Recent Form heading into Euro 2025
Germany head into this year’s Euros in impeccable form. An extremely successful Nations League campaign saw them top of the group with six wins, one draw and no losses, as well as 26 goals scored in 6 games.
This run includes a blistering 6-0 victory over Austria and a 6-1 thrashing of Scotland. The nation have found their form in front of goal at exactly the right time and will be hoping to carry this into the tournament.
The side have also had admirable victories over major nations such as England, Spain and the Netherlands in the past year, proving they are ready to compete with the best.
Germany payers to watch at Euro 2025
With such a talented squad it is difficult to select just a few to keep watch out for. Striker Lea Schüller is in fine form for her country, scoring three goals in her last two games. The versatile Laura Freigang is also performing at high level, most notably her performance over Scotland where she attainted a hat trick of assists and a goal.
Klara Bühl is a pacy winger and attacking midfielder. She creates more chances than 98% of other players in her position and can play on either the right or the left. Bühl is a strong dribbler, able to dominate the wings and whip in perfectly placed crosses for her teammates to net.
With eight G/A in her last seven games for Bayern, Bühl will be a key player involved in netting goals to take Germany far in this tournament.
Celina Serci is a rather new name to this Germany side. She made her debut in 2022 but has only become a consistent squad member in 2024/25. The 25-year-old goes into this European Championship with just nine caps to her name but has more than proved that she deserves her spot.
The Hoffenheim striker has netted 18 goals and assisted three in 23 appearances for her club. In the two full nineties she has played recently for Germany, she has four goals and two assists.
The numbers do not lie, Cerci is an extremely prolific striker who cannot only serve as a back up for Schüller but also play alongside her on the wing. These two up front are a terrifying goal threat for any nation’s defence.
Notable Absences for Germany at Euro 2025
This European Championship will be Germany’s first major tournament without their veteran striker Alex Popp. The former captain retired from international duty in 2024 after 14 years playing for the national team. Popp was the face of the nation across those 14 years and leaves big shoes to fill. Her leadership role now falls to right back Giulia Gwinn.
Another notable absence from this Euros is stalwart defensive midfielder Lena Oberdorf who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in July 2024. Oberdorf was called up for Germany’s Nations League fixtures but did not come off the bench. This Euros comes just a little too soon for the midfielder who was young player of the tournament at Euro 2022. Oberdorf is just so good at dictating play on the pitch and putting in defensive contributions. She will be a big miss for Germany.
A look ahead at the group
Germany have been drawn into Group C alongside Denmark, previous champions Sweden and newcomers Poland.
It was a thumping victory last time Germany played Denmark, a 4-0 win over them at Euro 2022. In comparison, it was stalemate last time the nation played Sweden, the fixture ending 0-0. Furthermore, there are two big 4-1 and 3-1 wins for Germany against Poland where the nations last faced off in Euro 2025 qualifying.
It is a tough group where every team will be fighting to make knockouts. However, Germany know they have been victorious over all these nations in the past so will be confident that they can do it again.
Will Germany be able to go one better than last year’s final defeat or will the pressure cause them crumble?
