That’s all from me today. I’ll point you in the direction of Barry Glendenning who is ready and waiting to guide you through Denmark v Sweden.
Before the first game of the day, be sure to give the latest episode of Women’s Football Weekly a listen.
As football continues to mourn the deaths of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, there will be moments of silences before kick-off at all of the Women’s Euros matches this weekend, 5 and 6 July, including England’s opener against France, in addition to the silences that were already organised at Thursday and Friday’s matches. It means all 16 teams playing in the competition will have been able to show their respects.
Enzo Maresca said that he will let Pedro Neto decide if he is ready to face Palmeiras after Chelsea excused the winger from training following the death of his friend and international teammate Diogo Jota.
Neto played with Jota at Wolverhampton Wanderers and won the Nations League alongside the Liverpool and Portugal forward last month.
The Club World Cup is still in full swing over in the United States. The quarter-finals begin tonight as Fluminense, Al-Hilal, Palmeiras and Chelsea battle for a spot in the final four.
Fluminense v Al-Hilal (8pm BST)
Palmeiras v Chelsea (2am BST)
“Three years is an eternity in football. The heady memories of England’s victory over Germany at Wembley in July 2022, which won them a first European Championship, will never disappear but retaining their title would surpass that achievement. Sarina Wiegman’s players arrived in Zurich on Monday to complete their preparations for Euro 2025 and must hit the ground running after being dealt a fiendishly difficult route to glory.”
Here’s a reminder of the Euro 2025 games taking place this evening:
Denmark v Sweden
Germany v Poland
Thomas Partey charged with rape and sexual assault
Former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Ahead of today’s match against Poland, Germany winger Klara Bühl spoke to Marcus Christenson and Miranda Homberg…
The former France captain Wendie Renard has said she feels injustice at being omitted from France’s Women’s European Championship squad, describing the decision as incomprehensible.
The veteran centre-back and Lyon legend insists her career is not over, but her comments will raise eyebrows, especially coming on the eve of France beginning their Group D campaign against England.
Renard told the French TV channel Martinique La 1ère: “It’s the coach’s decision, and I have to respect and accept it. But it’s incomprehensible.
“There is disbelief, injustice. I can wake up in the morning and look at myself in the mirror. I gave it my all. Only God knows why I am not on that list. I wish this team success and hope they win the title. Choices have been made, and I can only wish them success.
“I have always given 30,000, 40,000% for this shirt, which I hold above everything else, and that will always be the case because I believe my career is not over.”
The France head coach, Laurent Bonadei, also left out the senior players Eugénie Le Sommer and Kenza Dali.
And as we gear up to see the 2022 finalists in action for the first time this tournament, here are our team guides for Germany and Poland:
To get you prepared for today’s early match at 5pm BST this afternoon, here are our team guides for Denmark and Sweden:
Check out our latest Instagram post, featuring the beautiful backdrop of Sion.
England take on France in their opening Euro 2025 match tomorrow, but while the Lionesses are the favourites to win Group D, they face a challenging task in Zurich.
If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to our Moving the Goalposts newsletter for regular updates on women’s football. You’ll receive stories, features and interviews straight to your inbox twice a week. If there’s any time to sign up, it’s now!
Thanks John!
Right, how much sport have you consumed this week? Take our sports quiz of the week and let me know how you get on.
Emillia is back in the chair so I will pass on the honours.
Jordan Henderson has joined the tributes to Jota being staged outside of Anfield.
“His floral tribute read: “Rest in peace my friend, along with your brother Andre. We will all miss you.”
Mohamed Salah had this to say: “I am truly lost for words. Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break.
“Team mates come and go but not like this. It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go back. My thoughts are with his wife, his children, and of course his parents who suddenly lost their children. Those close to Diogo and his brother Andre need all the support they can get. They will never be forgotten.”
Updated
More on the desperately sad loss of Diogo Jota.
Lucy Bronze appears fired up for the Lionesses’ difficult start to the tourney. It’s France tomorrow night
“It’s a good and a bad thing. It depends on the result. If we lose that game, everyone says it’s the worst. If we win that game, it’s the best thing. It’s similar for every other team. I think we just try to look at the positives in the fact that we get to test ourselves against the good teams straight away. There’s no surprises going through the tournament.
“We know the standard that you have to be at, whereas other teams maybe can build in, but you don’t really know the level then. So we’ve just got to take it for what it is and be excited to play in a big game. I think when you get to these kinds of tournaments, you want to play in the big games against the best players. And why not have it in your first game? It makes it more exciting.”
Updated
I’m off to get some lunch now so I’ll be handing over to John Brewin.
England have a fully-fit squad of 23 players training this afternoon, here in the north-eastern outskirts of Zurich. That is welcome news for Sarina Wiegman’s side before the start of the defence of their European title on Saturday, when they meet France in Group D. In the 15-minute chunk of the session that we are allowed to observe, the Lionesses are playing five-a-side games and rotating the teams every few minutes. Grace Clinton has just scored with a low finish into the bottom corner. Thankfully, the high temperatures have eased somewhat since an overnight storm, which brought thunder and lightning crackling around the city through the night.
Updated
Tomiyasu leaves Arsenal
Arsenal have just announced that a mutual agreement has been made to end Takehiro Tomiyasu’s contract with immediate effect.
A club statement read: “Unfortunately, injuries have limited Tomi’s time on the pitch in the past two seasons, with the defender making just one substitute appearance last season. It was therefore mutually agreed to end Tomi’s contract in order for him to start a new chapter in his career.”
Sarina Wiegman is taking a relaxed approach to England’s Euro 2025 opener against France tomorrow. The Lionesses manager has adapted since taking the job four years ago with fewer rules in her camp and more responsibility given to players.
Manchester United have announced that Rachel Williams has signed a one-year contract extension, taking her deal to June 2026.
The United striker said: “I am delighted to be continuing at Manchester United. The growth we have seen over the last few years has been great to be a part of and I look forward to lending my experience to this exciting squad and continuing to play my part in the squad.”
The United journey continues ✍️💫
— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) July 4, 2025
We can confirm that Rachel Williams has extended her stay, keeping her at the club until 2026 🤝
Speaking of Sarina Wiegman, Suzanne Wrack and Tom Garry have looked at the seven ages of the manager’s England…
Sarina Wiegman has revealed that retaining England’s European Championship title is currently her main priority. Speaking to Sky Sports this week, the Lionesses manager said: “We’re here and want one thing but there are more countries that want that. It’s not as easy as it is said. We know we have to be at our best but we also know the game has changed so much. There are so many competitors that can do well at this tournament. We have a hard group starting on Saturday against France and that will be a tough game.”
On France, England’s opponents on Saturday, she added: “It’s a very good team. We know their strengths but also think they have some weaknesses and will try to exploit them. Every first game is a hard one as you get so excited before but it’s the same for our opponents.”
For the architecture enthusiasts out there - or just those with an interest in football stadiums - here is our complete guide to every ground that will be used for Euro 2025 over the next month:
Here’s a reminder of the Euro 2025 games taking place this evening:
Denmark v Sweden
Germany v Poland
Updated
More from Anfield, where tributes continue to be laid for Diogo Jota.
Mourners are set to gather and honour Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota at a wake in Portugal on Friday morning, a local parish priest has said.
Tottenham appoint Martin Ho as head coach
Speaking of Martin Ho, Tottenham have just announced his appointment. The 35-year-old has penned a deal that will keep him in north London until 2028.
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Martin Ho as our new Women’s Head Coach ✍️
— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) July 4, 2025
In other WSL news, Tottenham have moved to appoint Martin Ho as their new head coach in recent days. It is understood that Ho signed a three-year deal this week.
Manchester City appointed Andrée Jeglertz as their new women’s team head coach yesterday. The 53-year-old signed a four-year deal at the club upon his arrival. He succeeds Gareth Taylor, who was sacked in March.
We are delighted to confirm that Andrée Jeglertz has agreed to become the new Head Coach of Manchester City Women.
— Manchester City Women (@ManCityWomen) July 3, 2025
The 53-year-old Swedish coach and former professional player will join the Club from the Denmark women’s national football team after this summer’s Euros.
We are also lucky enough to have legendary Chelsea manager, WSL icon and United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes on board as a columnist over the next few weeks. Here is what she had to say in her first column…
Updated
The Guardian Football team have been incredibly busy over the last few weeks putting together features, interviews and team guides to see you all through the tournament. Let me first point you in the direction of this absolutely mammoth guide to all 368 players appearing at Euro 2025 this month.
Feel free to email me or matchday.live@theguardian.com with any thoughts or feelings today. Score predictions are welcome too. It would also be good to know who you think deserves to start for England when the Lionesses take on France tomorrow.
You can keep up to date with the race for the Euro 2025 Golden Boot here:
Following last night’s 4-0 win over Portugal, Spain midfielder Mariona Caldentey said: “Obviously, going 4-0 up at half-time is wonderful. You can always improve, and we’ll conduct a thorough analysis of the game, but I think it’s a good way to start. We scored goals, we gained confidence, and it was a nice first game.”
Elsewhere in Group B, tournament favourites Spain kicked off their Euro 2025 campaign with a thumping 5-0 win over Portugal. Esther González netted twice, with Vicky López, Alexia Putellas and Cristina Martín-Prieto also getting on the scoresheet.
Yesterday in Switzerland, Belgium and Italy kicked of proceedings in Group B at the Stade Tourbillon. It was a closely contested match but a goal from Arianna Caruso on the brink of half-time was enough to seal the points for the Italians.
Floral tributes line the outskirts of Anfield following the death of Diogo Jota.
“These things are simply not meant to happen and, more than anything, Jota’s death is a personal tragedy. He was 28, recently married, a father of three and lost his life alongside his brother. One can only imagine the immense heartbreak being felt by his family and friends. And you only have to glance across mainstream and social media to see his passing has had a wider impact, few places more than at the club he called home for the past five years. Not for the first time, Liverpool Football Club are in mourning.”
Today, we continue remembering the life of Diogo Jota, who tragically died with his younger brother, André Silva, in a car accident in north-western Spain yesterday morning. Tributes have continued to be shared across the world, with flowers, scarves and Liverpool shirts also lining the outskirts of Anfield in remembrance.
This evening, as the Euro 2025 group stage continues in Switzerland, teams and fans will pay tribute to the brothers prior to kick-off when Denmark face Sweden and Germany take on Poland.
The WSL 2 club Southampton are on the verge of appointing the former Blackburn manager Simon Parker as their head coach, the Guardian can reveal.
The 39-year-old spent the past two seasons in charge of Blackburn in the second tier, then known as the Women’s Championship, but he left the Lancashire club in June after Blackburn’s voluntary withdrawal from the division. He has a good reputation after keeping Blackburn clear of the relegation zone last term despite their low playing budget.
Parker has previously coached at Lewes and in Portugal and this move to Hampshire is understood to take him back closer to family and friends. Southampton had been searching for a permanent head coach since Remi Allen’s departure by mutual consent in February.
Southampton finished eighth last season, a comfortable 14 points clear of the relegation zone but 22 points off the pace set by the champions, London City Lionesses.
Preamble
Hello, good morning and welcome to another Matchday live. It’s day three of Euro 2025 and we’ve got two exciting fixtures lined up for this evening. In the early match, Denmark face Sweden at Stade de Genève in Geneva. Then, we move over to St. Gallen where 2022 finalists Germany take on Poland.
I’ll be with you all day. Well, at least until the first game. Let’s do this.
