KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: Three rounds of voting were needed in Lisbon before the executive committee of European football federation UEFA could approve Switzerland to host the 2025 Women’s Euro finals.

The exco was meeting on the eve of the annual UEFA Congress.

The 16-team tournament will take place in eight venues: Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St Gallen, Sion, Lucerne and Thun.

Switzerland overcame rival bids from Poland, France and a joint bid from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. Ukraine had also expressed interest before the Russian invasion.

Switzerland failed to make it out of their group in 2022 but will qualify for the 2025 tournament automatically as hosts, with the qualification process for other nations beginning in spring 2024.

A disappointed Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian FA, was generous with her congratulations for the Swiss but proud of the Nordic effort.

She said: “A great effort has been made by both Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland to be awarded the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025. We believe we together submitted a good application with a clear plan on how to create the best European play-offs ever. We still knew that the competition was going to be tough, and we can only congratulate Switzerland who go home with the victory.

“We are naturally all disappointed. A play-off at home would be a huge boost in the work to create equal opportunities to achieve one’s dream on the football pitch regardless of gender. That work will continue unabated” 

The voting ran thus:

Round one: Nordics (Denmark/Finland/Norway/Sweden) 4 votes, Poland 4, Switzerland 4, France 1.

Round two: Switzerland 6, Nordics (Denmark/Finland/Norway/Sweden) 4, Poland 3.

Round three: Switzerland 9, Nordics (Denmark/Finland/Norway/Sweden) 4.

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