Slowly but surely the tension mounts. The day after tomorrow (9 p.m., ORF 1), the “experience world” European Football Championship 2022 will open for Austria’s women’s national team in the sold-out Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester with 75,000 spectators to conjure up the superlative on the lawn. The bare numbers promise a show of millions.
- 250 millions Viewers in 195 countries will be able to witness the total of 31 matches from Wednesday to July 31 via TV and streaming services. That would roughly double the attention paid to the 2017 finals in the Netherlands.
- 63.5 millions euros is the added value in the eight host cities, where 96,000 football tourists from 95 countries are expected. 700,000 tickets went on sale, UEFA expects 480,000 fans in the stadiums. London is the “hotspot” with the Brentford Arena and legendary Wembley Stadium set to spruce itself up for the final (with a crowd of 90,000). The smallest stage is the Manchester City Academy Stadium for 7000 spectators. Austria’s women get an upgrade – with three group matches in stadiums of English Premier League clubs. After the overture at Old Trafford, it’s time to take on Northern Ireland on Monday (6pm) at Southampton’s 32,505-seat St Mary’s Stadium. Perhaps the decisive duel for a place in the quarter-finals with Norway will take place on July 15 (9 p.m.) in the Brighton Community Stadium (capacity: 30,750 people).
- 1.4 millions According to a 2019 report, girls and women play football in the member states of the European Football Union. There are 14.2 million boys and men. There are 11,250 women soccer players in Austria, and only 250 of the 2,200 clubs have women’s teams.
- 4.5:1 ratio: For the bookmakers, Spain’s team around world footballer Alexia Putellas (FC Barcelona), who has more than 1.6 million followers on Instagram, is the number one title candidate. They are followed by England (5.5:1), France (6.25:1) and the Netherlands (7:1), who triumphed in 2017. Austria appears in eleventh place among 16 teams in the ranking of betting providers. If you bet one euro on Viktoria Schnaderbeck & Co., you’ll get up to 75 if you’re successful. So it would definitely be worth it. The worst outsider is ÖFB group opponents Northern Ireland (251: 1). The Portuguese, who fell into the lap of the EURO ticket of the excluded Russians, are not particularly popular either (150:1).
- 13 referees, 25 assistants, 15 video referees and two supporting officials were nominated for the smooth running of the games. Among them is an Austrian with Sara Telek. The 33-year-old from Dreistetten (Wiener Neustadt-Land) will be on the line as in the 2021 women’s Champions League final.
The game plan
In 1984, the first European Women’s Football Championship was held with just four teams. Sweden secured the premiere title, Germany is the undisputed number one in the all-time list with eight out of twelve possible trophies. The reigning champions are the Netherlands, who crowned their home tournament in 2017 with a 4-2 final victory over Denmark in front of 28,182 spectators in Enschede. England will host a finals for the second time since 2005 from Wednesday to July 31.
Group A
England No. 8 in the world
Norway 11
Austria 21
Northern Ireland 47
Wednesday, July 6, 9 p.m.:
England – Austria
Manchester, Old Trafford
Thursday, July 7, 9 p.m.:
Norway – Northern Ireland
southampton
Monday, July 11, 6 p.m.:
Austria – Northern Ireland
southampton
Monday, July 11, 9 p.m.:
England – Norway
Brighton & Hove
Friday, July 15, 9 p.m.:
Austria – Norway
Brighton & Hove
Friday, July 15, 9 p.m.:
Northern Ireland – England
southampton
Group B
Germany No. 5 in the world
Spain 7th
Denmark 15
Finland 29
Friday, July 8, 6 p.m.:
Spain – Finland
Milton Keynes
Friday, July 8, 9 p.m.:
Germany – Denmark
Brentford
Tuesday, July 12, 6 p.m.:
Denmark – Finland
Milton Keynes
Tuesday, July 12, 9 p.m.:
Germany – Spain
Brentford
Saturday, July 16, 9 p.m.:
Finland – Germany
Milton Keynes
Saturday, July 16, 9 p.m.:
Denmark – Spain
Brentford
Group C
Sweden No. 2 in the world
Netherlands 5
Switzerland 20
Portugal 30
Saturday, July 9, 6 p.m.:
Portugal – Switzerland
Wigan & Leigh
Saturday, July 9, 9 p.m.:
Netherlands – Sweden
Sheffield
Wednesday, July 13, 6 p.m.:
Sweden – Switzerland
Sheffield
Wednesday, July 13, 9 p.m.:
Netherlands – Portugal
Wigan & Leigh
Sunday, July 17, 6 p.m.:
Switzerland – Netherlands
Sheffield
Sunday, July 17, 6 p.m.:
Sweden – Portugal
Wigan & Leigh
Group D
France No. 3 in the world
Italy 14
Iceland 17
Belgium 19
Sunday, July 10, 6 p.m.:
Belgium – Iceland
Manchester
Sunday, July 10, 9 p.m.:
France – Italy
Rotherham
Thursday, July 14, 6 p.m.:
Italy – Iceland
Manchester
Thursday, July 14, 9 p.m.:
France – Belgium
Rotherham
Monday, July 18, 9 p.m.:
Iceland – France
Rotherham
Monday, July 18, 9 p.m.:
Italy – Belgium
Manchester
From the quarter-finals to the final at Wembley Stadium
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, July 20, 9 p.m.:
Winners Group A – Second Group B Brighton & Hove
Thursday, July 21, 9 p.m.:
Winners Group B – Second Group A Brentford
Friday, July 22, 9 p.m.:
Winners Group C – Second Group D Wigan & Leigh
Saturday, July 23, 9 p.m.:
Winners Group D – Second Group C Rotherham
semifinals
Tuesday, July 26, 9 p.m.:
Winners Quarterfinals I – Winners Quarterfinals III Sheffield
Wednesday, July 27, 9 p.m.:
Winners Quarterfinals II – Winners Quarterfinals IV M. Keynes
final
Sunday 31 July, 6pm: London, Wembley Stadium
Source: Nachrichten
