Women's Football Weekly: Wales & England draw each other in Euro 2025
34:53 Share

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

When you're part of a military family, you understand sacrifice and support. So at American Public University, we honor your dedication by extending our military tuition savings to your extended family. Parents, spouses, legal partners, siblings, and dependents all qualify for APU's preferred military rate of just $250 per credit hour for undergraduate and master's level programs. American Public University, value for the whole family. Learn more at apu.apus.edu slash military.

It can get lonely climbing Mount McKinley. So to entertain myself, I go to ChumbaCasino.com. At Chumba Casino, I can play hundreds of online casino-style games for free, like online slots, bingo, slingo, and more. Plus, I get a daily login bonus. It's just too bad that up here, I don't have anyone to share my excitement with. Live the Chumba life, anytime, anywhere. Play for free now at ChumbaCasino.com. BGW Group, no purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. See terms and conditions 18+.

BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts.

Hello and welcome back to the Women's Football Weekly. Coming up, all the reaction to the Euro 2025 draw held in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the big story is Group D. A tough group for England. They'll face France, Netherlands and Wales. As always, alongside me, England women's record goalscorer and Euros winner,

Ellen White, former Scotland international and Bay FC's Jen Beattie and commentator Vicky Sparks also with us this week as well. So much to get into in this draw. It promises to be such an exciting tournament off the back of seeing so many clashes that we were kind of hoping to see, I think. Ellen White, have you got bored of watching back the highlights from Euro 2022? Do you still watch them back occasionally? Treat yourself?

Just a little loop in our house. You just have it running on screens everywhere. Just wear my medal and just watch a loop of it.

Just the good times. Gem VT, how are you? I'm good. I just actually did Christmas shopping this afternoon, so I'm excited, ready for Christmas and ready to chat about all things EuroDraw. Lots to get into. And the draw headlines, Vicky, really only one place to start. If you were looking for the group of death, Group D. Yeah, absolutely.

Absolutely. And do you know what? So France, England, Wales, the Netherlands, that is Group D. And do you know what it is? As the draw was happening and I was doing it on Five Live Drive,

You miss Spain, you miss Germany and you get France from pot one in terms of when England got drawn into that Group D. And you think, all right, I mean, Switzerland Group A, that would have been the group to really aim for England. But, you know, they're not in with the reigning World Cup holder Spain. They're not in with the record European champions Germany. He recently beat them at Wembley as well.

France, obviously, just slightly below that, I would say, in terms of difficulty. They've been really up and down, but we know that they've got the potential as they look to reach this first major tournament final. But then, when the Netherlands came out of pot three, and we knew, didn't we, that pot three could be the stumbling block in terms of making this group so difficult. The Netherlands or Sweden, I think, would have made it really, really hard. And it turned out to be the Netherlands. So it is...

it is going to be hugely difficult. And then, of course, the magic of that home nations match-off with Wales as well. And because it was Group D, it was when it got down to Group C, and it's, is it going to be Poland? Is it going to be Wales? Who's going to get drawn? 50-50 chance that they're going to be in with England. And, of course, they're in with England. Do you know what, Vicky? In the room, I was at the draw, and in the room...

I think that the loudest oohs and ahhs were reserved for Group D when you saw that it was going to be Wales, when you saw that Netherlands came in out of pot number three.

It felt as though there was a sort of knowing nod from the room that that was a very, very tough group, Ellen. Oh, it's wild, isn't it? It's a group of death. Do you know what? I turned it on as they pulled Wales out. Are you kidding me? I kind of thought it was written in the stars that England, Wales would be in the same group. I think...

We've made it a little bit challenging for ourselves being runners-up in our group for qualification, which meant that we would either face Spain, Germany or France. And France are a bit of...

They're a bit of a dodgy team. We're kind of up and down when we face them. And Netherlands is an interesting one because I saw Serena kind of say that, yeah, that's a fact that they're in our group. And that was kind of it is what she said for that one. And I was like, oh, that sounds interesting. So I don't know how she feels about that one. So, yeah, it's a really challenging group, but I'm really excited at the same time.

Jen, if we just scan around the other groups, there are narratives across the board here. I mean, for Switzerland, fantastic draw there. There's some really great games in that. We've got Spain and Portugal in Group B, alongside Belgium and Italy. Germany, Poland, Denmark and Sweden make up Group C. What else is jumping out at you in that draw? I still think, so Group C for me, I think Germany and Sweden in the same group. Of course, you have to have one eye on Spain, World Cup champions going to the Euros, but...

Germany and Sweden for me in Group C. Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Poland. But Sweden are always tournament powerhouses for me. I always enjoy watching them at major tournaments. They always seem to perform really well. And obviously we've seen Germany lately and their goals against England and how dominating they were, unfortunately for England.

But for me, Group C is exciting. That's a great group for me to watch in the summer and two big powerhouses with Germany and Sweden in that group. So that for me will be a really, really interesting one. Yeah, I'm really fascinated to hear now from England manager Serena Wiegmann just to get a little bit of that reaction to what is a quite incredible draw in Group D. Serena, it's great to see you here in Switzerland. What's your reaction to the draw? Yeah, totally.

to the draw was nice group is tough but at the same time these are the facts and we knew we knew with uh how the pots were that um that was going to be difficult anyway and we also know that the women's game is developing so quickly i don't think

There are easy things anymore. We've seen it in the Nations League. We have drawn two times in the Nations League. That's really, really tough. And we just have to be ready. And it's really exciting too because straight away you have to be at the top, top level when we go into the tournament.

And that makes it really sharp too. Yeah, let's dissect that group a little bit. First of all, the Netherlands. Yeah, I know them. Facing a friend. I mean, what was your emotions when their name came out? Well, before we went, I thought, well, it might be that we get in the same group because they're in pot three and we've drawn them before, of course, in the Nations League. So I was not really surprised. It's like it's not a coincidence anymore.

No, and of course I hope they're being successful, but not when we play them. So then it gets really, really competitive. That's just the way it is, isn't it? I suppose for the neutral, that would be one of the most exciting matches of the tournament as well. Yeah, I think there's going to be a lot of exciting matches in the tournament. I think this is going to be a really exciting one because both teams want to have the ball and want to attack. But I think...

As you see the development of the game, there are so many more teams now that have such a high level. I think this is going to be a very unpredictable tournament just because of the level of the game now. And that's really exciting, especially for the neutral ones.

and just on Wales, a British rivalry there as well. So I suppose for football back home that will be such a massive game. Yeah, absolutely. Of course, very huge accomplishment from them qualifying for the first time in history. So congratulations to Wales. And of course, neighbours, good rivalry on the pitch. Yeah, that's going to be a challenging one too. I think they're going to fight

for every yard in the game we play them. I think they will do that in every single game, by the way. So will we.

Emma Saunders, with the questions there to Serena Vigman and Vicky, I love that the first thing she said, that's a nice draw. I would not have picked out the word nice as her first reaction to seeing that. That's very Serena, isn't it? It's interesting. It's exciting. It's nice. I mean, you know, that's it though, isn't it? You know, I think we knew that there was a high probability that this was going to be a tough group for England. You know, we've talked about the percentages you're looking at.

Spain, Germany, France, you know, all of those were going to be tough. And then that 50-50 chance of getting the Netherlands or Sweden in pot three. But, you know, it's going to be interesting to see how England develop over the next six months, because I think the minds were focused anyway, but this will focus them more. You have three games to qualify for the knockout rounds and you can't waste time in the group stages, really. Yeah.

I think if I'm being honest, I think I would have preferred for England to face Wales first and get... Because Wales are going to go into that tournament having quite a lot of nervous energy, I would assume. First major tournament, Euros, obviously first Euros,

there's a lot of pressure to perform. There's a lot of excitement. And I think England, you know, we've got a lot of players that have a lot of tournament experience. And I think that they would be quite calm under that pressure. And I think that would have been a good time to maybe play them. And I'd love to hear kind of Jen's kind of

point on facing England in those first games in 2017 and 2019. How was that for you guys? Oh, you've teed me up perfectly there. I was waiting to kind of jump in because, no, you're both absolutely spot on, Vicky and Ellen, the way you've kind of described it there. Because in my head, I'm sort of listening to you and completely agreeing because those were the exact emotions going into it. You know, you're stepping out

When we qualified for the Euros, I actually missed it through injury, but England was the exact same set-up for the World Cup in 2019. England and Scotland, same group, 2017 Euros. England and Scotland, same group, 2019 World Cup. Opening game in the tournament both times round as well. And you're both spot on with the way you're describing that with Wales and it being their first tournament, that's exactly how we felt. If you're stepping out at a 2019 World Cup

and your first game is against England and you lack tournament experience that's nerve wracking but the emotions based on the first game against England to basically the third game that we had against Argentina are completely different nerves are settled your

you've found your feet, you understand how tournament football works, you understand how the media works and the interviews and everything, all the process behind it. And I don't think people take it a little bit for granted when you are a first-time tournament goers, how that really feels. So I do completely agree with what you're all saying. I think you would want maybe Wales on your first game because I would love to see them settled into the tournament come the third game and give England...

a right good goal because they'll have settled into it and I think it's incredible for them being at a major tournament. I watched the game, I was absolutely buzzing for them. I know exactly how that feels to reach a first major tournament and how exciting that will be but you're both spot on. England can't disregard that game. It's going to be absolutely massive for them and Wales will have settled and found their feet in the tournament by that point. If we just have a little look ahead...

And what is in store for the Lionesses over the next few months? There is Nations League to play too. They face Portugal and they face Spain in February. They then have Belgium back to back in April, Vicky.

What do we need to see in those games? Serena Wiegmann spoke before about experimentation. She spoke about looking to try new things against the USA in particular. Do you think there's more experimenting to come in the Nations League? That is a really good question. And we certainly saw it against Switzerland as well, didn't we? That was a really experimental team in that victory. But again,

It's going to be really interesting because I think right now, when it becomes a competitive campaign, Serena Vigman thinks differently about those. And, you know, she was very clear that this block of four friendlies, it was a time to experiment. We had...

You know, the controversy over the Germany line-up when it was the same as the line-up that played against Sweden. There then was more experimentation, you know, in the second game against South Africa and then going into the next two friendlies as well. But I think now the experimentation has to be and will be towards an idea, yes, of doing well in the Nations League, but I think we might see...

you know, those kind of two or three changes to the starting lineup where she's really giving players like Grace Clinton, for example, the opportunity to stake a claim to start that opening game against France in Zurich on the 5th of July. I think there's a question mark over right back and I'd be really interested in Ellen and Jen's thoughts over this. Lucy Bronze, to me, is obviously outstanding. Obviously, she's nearing or coming towards that stage where she's going to

you know, have to start thinking about how much longer does she want to play? She's still one of the best players in the world, in my opinion. But Maya Letizia, who's been used by Serena Vigman at right back, obviously plays centre half for Manchester United. I think

There potentially is a question there about, you know, who is going to be the right back going into the Euros. And the question for me about May Letizia is just her level of experience. You know, she's not going to get Champions League experience this year with Manchester United because they're not in the Champions League. Of course, she's playing high level teams in the WSL, but she's playing for a team in Manchester United that are, you know,

slightly below the level of Chelsea and Manchester City. I would love, and it could be that it becomes a real question if Lucy Bronze picks up an injury, but I would love to see Mayor Letizia given a run of game starting in the Nations League because I think we need to find out, and Serena Wiegmann needs that sort of information about what is she going to be like against opponents the level of Spain and Belgium and Portugal. And it's those sort of very specific experimentations that...

that I think we might see during the Nations League rather than the wholesale changes that we maybe saw against Switzerland, for example. I can't see her not playing Lucy Bronze unless she were to play a back three with Lucy in the back three and then Meyer playing as the wing-back potentially because obviously now we've got

Alex Greenwood out for we don't know how long. That back three is slightly changed. We have got cover for...

that right back position in the fact that Jess Carter can cover that position. I understand what you're saying because we don't really have anyone coming through that's playing regularly in a right back position at a very, you know, at top club and consistently performing at right back. She's kind of honed in maybe on Mayer and been like, she's got the profile and,

She's got the athleticism. You know, she's got the technical ability to potentially be a right back. But at the moment, I can't see her not playing Lucy there. I think for the Nations League, she will be playing, I think, everything.

her strongest 11 every game now. And she'll be just like, I agree what Vicky said, maybe one or two challenges and that's it. Because obviously if we have got injuries, we're going to have to have players that are coming in to, to maybe fight for their spots. We don't know how long Lauren's going to be out hemp or James at the moment. So yeah,

I think it's going to be her strongest 11 at every single game now because she needs to figure out, they need to build connections, they need to build different formations and they need to build relationships going into the tournament, especially with the group that we've got. We can't mess around now. So I wonder then, Vicky, kind of key question now, if we go off the blueprint that Ellen painted there,

Ultimately, we'll know if Serena Vigman goes for a back three like she did against the US. Are we potentially going to be seeing a back three against

like we saw at times during the World Cup? I think it's a possibility. But I think also if we look at the build-up to major tournaments, and Ellen's kind of touched on it there, she is happy, Serena Vigman, to experiment with those key decisions that she's making. And there's not many of them, because I think, as Ellen says, she has generally her starting line-up in mind and the formation in mind. But I think, for example...

you know, trying to choose between Bethany England and Rachel Daly in the build-up to the Euros in terms of who was going to be the backup and, you know, what position they were going to play and all of that. And then obviously Leah Williamson playing in central midfield in the whole build-up towards the Euros and then starting at centre-half in the actual tournament. So,

I don't think we can say, right, the team that plays the final game before the Euros, that's going to definitely be it. That's going to be the formation because she's shown that actually if she's consistently tried something, but she actually feels going into the tournament that that's not quite right. And Leah Williamson is the best example of that going into the Euros. Then she will change it. So, but you can certainly get, I think, 95% of the idea. The other thing though I'd throw into the mix and

You know, going into those Euros, and Ellen, I'm sure I'll be interested to know if you guys felt it as well going into the tournament. From us observing, it just looked like everything was working. You know, you were playing so well in the build-up to the tournament. And then obviously she goes through the tournament. She names the same starting XI for the entire tournament start to finish. But it was also the substitutions as well. You know, they were so regular. And it just, the plan A worked to perfection there.

And I think it's fair to say that, you know, since then, they have really... And they've admitted it, you know, themselves, the players and Serena Vigman. They've been real ups and downs in the performances. So, you know...

There is that question fundamentally that is still ongoing. Does she need to be experimenting more? Is it enough to say, right, I know my formation, I know my side? Or is it the fact that that hasn't quite been working performance level, particularly defensively? And does there still need to be a little departure from what she would normally do and more experimentation in the Nations League and in the build up to the Euros? I was just going to add to that that...

The qualification was very different. It's changed a lot, hasn't it? So our qualification going into that Euros and no disrespect to anyone that we played, we were playing teams that were a much lower rank than us.

So it was going very well. But I feel like our standards were just at another level. She just constantly wanted more. If you saw in the Latvia game, she wanted more. So we scored a hell of a lot of goals and that was more of a respect thing over the opposition that we're playing is that our levels are up here and they have to be whoever we're playing against.

playing against and now obviously we're in a Nations League and qualification is a little bit different so the teams now that we're playing are ranked very high we're at a very high standard they're very competitive so every game is extremely difficult and I think a lot comes into fixture congestion as well with the tiredness of players the amount of games they're playing as well so I think that comes into account as well but obviously playing for England you've got to have that level of standard of obviously wanting to perform that's what the players want and Serena wants and

So I think, you know, I think she will take a lot from the last four games of what she wanted from the team, the experiments that she made, the players and what she wants. And I think coming into the next, I think, is it four camps that they have now for the Euros that she will just start honing in and making little tweaks? And it might not be the starting 11 every single game, but I think it'll be little tweaks here and there with the with the different opposition that she faces.

On the Football Daily, the Women's Football Weekly with Ben Haynes, Ellen White and Jen Beattie.

When you're part of a military family, you understand sacrifice and support. At American Public University, we honor your dedication by extending our military tuition savings to your extended family. Parents, spouses, legal partners, siblings, and dependents all qualify for APU's preferred military rate of just $250 per credit hour for undergraduate and master's level programs.

American Public University. Value for the whole family. Learn more at apu.apus.edu slash military. Every day when you log in to chumbacasino.com, the ultimate online social casino, you get a free daily bonus. Imagine if you got daily bonuses in other parts of your life. I chose french fries. Overloaded french fries.

I asked Stuart from accounting about his weekend, even though I don't care. I updated my operating system without having to call tech support. Collect your free daily bonus at ChumbaCasino.com now. Ch-Ch-Chumba. And live the Chumba life. BGW Group. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. See terms and conditions 18 plus.

So it promises to be a very, very exciting group for England, for the Netherlands, for France and for history makers Wales. And we're going to get into Wales now, their first ever major tournament and got there in the most dramatic of fashions through the playoffs. I'm delighted to say we're joined by Wales manager Rhian Wilkinson. Rhian, firstly, congratulations. How did it feel watching the draw? Exciting. I had a huge smile on my face. I really enjoyed it. Talk us through this.

being put in that group with those sides. I got the chance to speak to Jess Fishlock a little bit earlier Ron and she said, well, that's what we're there for. We're there to play the biggest teams and experience the big occasion and

Is that the attitude that will be felt throughout the squad? Absolutely. And we talked about it early on that that is the goal to qualify for the major tournaments, to pit ourselves against the top teams in the world. And there was never going to be an easy group. There was definitely a harder group and we're in it, but it was always going to be challenges for us. And we just look forward to testing ourselves against them. This period now, I think is...

for sides that have come through the playoffs like Wales that have had such a wonderful experience that you did against Ireland.

This bit now must be so exciting. Just getting into the build up, just thinking about all the things that you want to achieve, all the things that you want to do. Have you had a chance to think about it all? Or are you still just absolutely buzzing from qualification in the most dramatic of fashions? No, I think we got right into it because obviously things had started before the Ireland game. They had to start the process, but you couldn't fully commit to it because we hadn't qualified yet.

And then as soon as that qualification happened, you know, the behind the scenes work really starts in earnest, the preparation, the logistics, and then the technical tactical side, you get to sort of slam into gear knowing that Christmas period is coming, but want to make sure that you've got your preparation in place so people can work at their own pace through the holidays so we can hit the ground running in January. So it's been busy, but good. Yeah.

Rhian, I'm curious, you obviously took over the job in February, which is relatively recent, right? To get to a major tournament already, I'd be curious to know how much you've tried to implement and how the players have taken that on board based on the timescale, right? Going into a major tournament. I think it's probably an interesting question for the players. For my part, I've been pretty vocal and it's true that I've arrived at the sprint end of a marathon a lot of the time.

The groundwork was laid by Gemma Granger, the former coach and her staff, as well as John Gray, my assistant, who stayed on with me. I definitely, you know, you come with your philosophies and what you want from the team.

And then you meet the team and you see them play and they have to move towards you, but equally I've had to move towards them. And it's, it's probably what's made it work. I think is both of us sort of giving a little bit, but also trying to meet one another and being committed to,

to try and make something work, knowing that we didn't have much time to mess around. History was always right around the corner. And in that way, I have, I have to give the players full credit because it's hard to lose a coach. And then to have someone new come in with their own ideas. It's like, it's, it's sticky. It's not easy. It's always a challenging transition. And they were very, very good with it.

Rhiannon, I know you'll be looking full speed ahead towards the summer now, but if you don't mind, I'd love to ask you a little about the playoff against Ireland. The atmosphere looked incredible. The performances that you got out of the squad that night were unbelievable. What was it like?

when the full-time whistle went and you had that realization that you were going to be at the Euros next summer? I was working really hard to try and stay even for the team. I think when things are that dicey on the pitch and it was a game of inches, it could have gone their way at any time. It was a very close game. You just try and be as sort of... Calm is the wrong word. I'm definitely not calm, but you're just trying to be as you always are, the same.

consistent in what you're doing. And I definitely probably missed the final whistle. I was working so hard internally to try and to stay calm for the team that the final whistle went. And I think I've had to rewatch the end of the game. I think my assistant had to come and get me. So I was just sitting there like, is it actually happening? And then someone punched my bun. So my hair was everywhere. And that was a big concern for me for a while. Lucky for you, you were provided with a bucket hat straight away.

Absolutely. It didn't fit my head. So now I was then I was a bit self-conscious about my giant head. No, it was it was fabulous. And those moments I've been vocal about this as well. And I think it's because you all know when you see when you see people achieving a dream and qualification for a major tournament has been the ambition for a long time. It's been a privilege to stand with them, but to watch them do that. They've been after this for two decades. You know, Jess, yeah.

That was a special moment for me. And I rarely get overly emotional about football. I think there's these wonderful moments, though, that you can't do anything but sort of get choked up when you watch people just absolutely just achieving something that they'll never forget. And you get to be a part of it. It's a very special moment. Rhiannon, it's Vicky Sparks here. It's great to hear about that emotion and just how much it means to everyone. I was really struck by one of the things that you said before the draw earlier.

You said in terms of this tournament that Wales get to walk into this experience fearless. And I'm just wondering, how as a manager do you try and cultivate that? And particularly, we've been discussing earlier in the show about the fact that Wales against England is going to be the final group game for both sides. How do you cultivate that?

How do you bring that fearlessness right from the start of the tournament? Well, it's an ongoing process to work on sort of that mental fortitude piece because these players are human and they bring their own past experiences to the table. But the benefit of being a lower ranked team in the tournament is that

We don't have anything to lose. Most people will write us off before the tournament starts. And in that way, it really does release a lot of pressure. I think Ellen can speak to that. When you're a bigger nation, there's a lot of advantages. But the disadvantage is it's everyone's World Cup when they play. They play the top nations. And for us, you know, everyone expects us to lose. So why not go out there and just give it everything we have? And in that way, as a coach, it's not hard to sell, like,

We really don't have anything to lose. Let's step forward and give them everything we've got. And at the end of the day, we can only ask to be proud of what we deliver on the field, which is a wonderful opportunity for us. Rhian, it's been wonderful to speak to you again. Thank you for joining us and congratulations again. We're looking forward to a very exciting summer next summer.

I look forward to seeing you all in person. Thanks so much. Thanks, Rhian. And thank you so much, Vicky Sparks, as well. Looking forward to hearing your voice all over the Euros next summer, too. Yeah, cannot wait. Cannot wait. And, you know, it is the stuff that dreams are made of, isn't it? For Wales in particular, but to get that match up.

with England to have the likes of France and the Netherlands. And we're going to have some cracking games. And I think there are so many narratives and so many storylines. And honestly, just so excited to bring them all to you and to share them with all the listeners on Five Live. I think it's going to be a very special tournament again. Absolutely right. Thank you so much, Vicky. Let's just go back to the WSL, Jen.

opportunity off the back of Chelsea dropping points for Man City to bridge the gap a little. The big winners this weekend at Arsenal picking up another win, another really important win against Liverpool. They finally are able to just claw back a little bit of ground. Yeah, I think on a weekend for Arsenal, you know, where you're looking across and you see Chelsea drop points and then you see City lose. I think it was massive for them to get three points at Liverpool, which is

It's never an easy game and it wasn't 1-0 and I think they'd said themselves that it wasn't their best performance either but Ellen touched on it earlier with the fixture calendar and how busy it's been with Champions League and how difficult that is for it to manage but I think honestly I think Man City really struggled with the injuries this week and having big players missing I thought Leicester executed their game plan very very well but...

No, for Arsenal, I think just to pick up three points across that weekend, huge for them. Just to claw back, knowing that other big teams in the league drop points. So a big weekend for Arsenal. Yeah, tough afternoon for City at the weekend. They ran out 2-1, losers to Everton, Ellen.

that has got to sting for Gareth Taylor just when they thought maybe there's a little bit of an opportunity. Yeah, it was a huge opportunity for them to claw their way kind of back in, not that they're not in the title race, just to get some more, you know, points closer to obviously Chelsea. I think it was a huge opportunity for them. But, you know, these things happen. I think, you know, I don't want to blame injuries, but they have obviously got quite a few injuries in their team, but obviously no disrespect to Everton, but

They should be beating them. They should be. But you've got to give credit to Everton. I think it was their 25th time of asking. They've beaten City. What a huge boost for them and their team and the manager and what they're doing as well because they've had a tough run of it lately. So I think you've got to give credit to Everton, the way they played, the way they performed, the goals that they scored. And they really frustrated Man City. So full credit to Everton.

Yeah, so Man City don't quite bridge the gap. Lots of exciting stuff to come in the WSL, but time for a breather now as we go into the festive break. Let's turn our attention back to the Euros and the draw made earlier today. Host Switzerland have drawn Norway, Iceland,

and Finland. And we're joined now by journalist Saraina Dagan. It's a pleasure to join you, Saraina. Thanks so much for coming on with us. What's the reaction been like since you've seen that Group A draw, Norway, Iceland and Finland? Thanks for having me. Well, I was in Lausanne for Swiss TV at the draw. And for example, I spoke to Pia Sundhage, our national coach. And she was pragmatic as ever. She takes everything like it is.

She just said they will be prepared for the next summer. I think the opening game against Norway on the 2nd of July, this is maybe the most important game to start very well into the home tournament. Is there an optimism there that Switzerland will qualify out of the group?

Yes, for sure. She said there's no easy opponent, of course, like with Finland and Norway and then Iceland. But I think I have the impression that she's optimistic to go through. That's the big goal, of course, to the quarterfinals. And I think Switzerland has a little bit of luck today.

to not have England or it would have been nice to play England again but no England, no Netherlands, no Portugal. I think they were very lucky to have this Nordic group. There's also some big targets on tickets as well.

a target of 700,000 to attend. A portion of the tickets have gone on sale already. 200,000 have been sold. Do you think we'll see that number hit? Do you think we'll see 700,000 tickets sold across the tournament?

I do hope so. And for the moment, I have the impression that they can make it. They can make it because, for example, in my or my friends who doesn't know anything about sport or football, they talk to me and they said, hey, I've bought tickets. And we had a presale from the 1st of October for Swiss people, especially for families.

And that's the goal from UEFA that they say, hey, we have tickets from 25 francs. That's about, I don't know, 35, 40, 45 pounds. So, yeah, they have the goal to sell out all the stadiums. And I think they should make it or they can make it because of the example that I gave from my friends that the...

Like families and the normal Swiss people who don't know much about football, that they go to the stadiums. It doesn't matter who's going to play. Like in St. Gallen, Lucerne, Geneva, everywhere. And yeah, with all the international fans who are in the middle of Europe.

the public transfer or the public trains are included in a ticket. So I think that's a very, very good thing. Thanks again to Sarada there. It's fascinating listening there, Ellen. It reminded me so much

as we listen to Swiss journalist, Serena Degen saying about how they expect the legacy to be incredibly impactful, how exciting it is for fans that are just fans that want to go and see football. There are so many of those little trigger memories of how things were in 2022. A hundred percent. And I think it is about leaving that lasting legacy, not just in the stadiums, but for young people being given the opportunity, giving the access to,

to play football, enjoy it. And I think, you know, there's a, you know, she wants to double the amount of, of young people playing football, but then obviously you need coaches and volunteers for those to be safe. So, and for them to enjoy it. So I think, you know,

It's an incredible legacy that hopefully they can create. And even more so if they can get as many fans in the stadium and in their host cities. They've got eight host cities. So it's going to be incredible for Switzerland, for women's football. And hopefully the tournament lives up to it with the football on the pitch as well. Jen, just very finally, who is your player to watch at the Euros next summer? Who should we be looking out for? From any country? Yeah. Yeah.

Okay, I was going to talk about France and then say Deani because I think they've underperformed at so many tournaments and they're ready to kind of, I know it's England's group, but I'm going to say France, Deani. Yeah, cheers.

I wasn't going to say a player. Can I just say I'm really excited for Italy. I think they top their group. They have Netherlands in their group as well. So I think they're ones to watch. Lovely stuff. Thanks, Jen. Thank you to Ellen. Thank you to Vicky. That's it for this episode of Football Daily. On the next one, Aaron Paul and Jovi Makanoff are back with 72+.

On BBC Sounds, sporting giants delve deep into the lives and careers of some of the biggest names in sports and hear from those who know them best, including Pep Guardiola. He's looking always for the perfection. Andy Murray. It was something that he'd worked towards all of his career. And Kylian Mbappe. When I saw him the first time play, I said, we have a career here. Sporting giants. Listen on BBC Sounds.

Yoga is more than just exercise. It's the spiritual practice that millions swear by.

And in 2017, Miranda, a university tutor from London, joins a yoga school that promises profound transformation. It felt a really safe and welcoming space. After the yoga classes, I felt amazing. But soon, that calm, welcoming atmosphere leads to something far darker, a journey that leads to allegations of grooming, trafficking and exploitation across international borders.

I don't have my passport, I don't have my phone, I don't have my bank cards, I have nothing. The passport being taken, the being in a house and not feeling like they can leave.

You just get sucked in so gradually.

And it's done so skillfully that you don't realize. And it's like this, the secret that's there. I wanted to believe that, you know, that whatever they were doing, even if it seemed gross to me,

was for some spiritual reason that i couldn't understand revealing the hidden secrets of a global yoga network i feel that i have no other choice the only thing i can do is to speak about this and to put my reputation and everything else on the line i want truth and justice

And for other people to not be hurt, for things to be different in the future. To bring it into the light and almost alchemise some of that evil stuff that went on and take back the power. World of Secrets, Season 6, The Bad Guru. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

When it's PCS time, you know the drill. Pack, research to new base, get the kids in school, because family supports family. At American Public University, we support military families with flexible, affordable online education that moves with you. As a military spouse, your tuition rate is the same as your partner's, just $250 per credit hour. American Public University, education that moves with you.

Learn more at apu.apus.edu/military