Germany vs Poland facts

Matchday 1 in UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Group C brings eight-time winners Germany and debutants Poland together in St.Gallen.

Poland reached their first finals via the play-offs, while Germany topped their qualifying group to book their ticket to Switzerland.

Previous meetings

This will be the first major tournament fixture between Germany and Poland, who were paired together in Group A4 during qualifying for the finals.

Germany won both games despite conceding first in both the 4-1 win at home and the 3-1 win in Gdynia, played four days apart in May and June 2024. Lea Schüller scored three times across the two fixtures.

Form guide

Germany

Germany reached a 12th finals – and a 12th in succession since their 1989 debut – by winning five of their six Group A4 fixtures (L1) in a section alongside Iceland, Austria and Matchday 1 opponents Poland.

Schüller was Germany's top scorer in qualifying with six goals.

The most decorated team in Women's EURO history, Germany were victorious on their first two entries, in 1989 and 1991, and then won six tournaments in a row starting with a 3-2 win on home turf against Sweden in 1995. They have beaten Norway in the final in four of their eight triumphs, including a 1-0 win in their most recent in 2013.

Since that 2013 success in Sweden, Germany have been eliminated in the 2017 quarter-finals by Denmark (1-2) before losing by the same scoreline to England after extra time in the 2022 final.

Germany did not concede a goal in the 2022 group stage, the second time they have achieved that after 2005. Only one other nation – England, also in 2022 – have matched that feat.

Former players Inka Grings and Birgit Prinz are the joint-top scorers in Women's EURO final tournament history on ten goals.

Two-time FIFA Women's World Cup winners – triumphing in successive tournaments in 2003 and 2007 – Germany were eliminated from the group stage in 2023, the first time they had not reached the knockout stages.

Germany finished third in both the 2023/24 UEFA Women's Nations League and the 2024 Olympic Games.

Christian Wück has been in charge since October 2024.

Poland

Poland lost all six games in qualifying Group A4, scoring four goals and conceding 17, but were successful in the play-offs, beating Romania 6-2 on aggregate (2-1 a, 4-1 h) and Austria 2-0 (1-0 a, 1-0 h).

Poland have reached the finals for the first time at the 11th attempt. This is also their first participation in a major international tournament.

Having struck five times, including three during the play-offs, Natalia Padilla was Poland's top scorer during qualifying, while the nation's all-time top scorer – Ewa Pajor – managed four overall.

Nina Patalon's side were top of Group B3 in the 2023/24 Women's Nations League, picking up 16 points from a possible 18 in finishing ahead of Serbia, Ukraine and Greece.

Patalon has been in charge since succeeding Miłosz Stępiński in March 2021.

Key facts

• Germany have scored a record 102 goals in Women's EURO final tournaments, the only team to register a century.

• They have only lost four of their 46 Women's EURO final tournament matches (W36 D6), and only one of their 21 group games (W16 D4), 0-1 against Norway at Women’s EURO 2013.

• Germany have kept 16 clean sheets in those 21 group stage matches, never conceding more than once in a game.

• Germany's Matchday 1 record at Women's EURO is W4 D3.

• Although yet to participate in a major senior final tournament, Poland did win the 2012/13 Women's U17 EURO with players including Pajor, Paulina Dudek, Sylwia Matysik and Ewelina Kamczyk, who scored the only goal of the final against Sweden.