UEFA Women's EURO 2025: 'A party not just for Swiss people, but for everybody'
Monday, June 30, 2025
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As anticipation sweeps across the host nation ahead of Wednesday's kick-off, tournament director Doris Keller explains what to expect from the four-week celebration of the women’s game.
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All 16 teams and 368 players have arrived, the eight stadiums are ready, and across Switzerland, there is real excitement in the air for the start of UEFA Women's EURO 2025.
The tournament promises not just world-class football, but bustling fan zones, vibrant host cities and a family-friendly atmosphere, all contributing to a month-long celebration of culture, community and sport that has been two years in the planning.
Ahead of the big kick-off, we caught up with tournament director Doris Keller, responsible for some of the most important aspects of delivering a successful sports event: fan zones, legacy programmes, public transport and volunteers.
"We always said we want to organise a summer party in Switzerland and I am more convinced now than ever that we have done that. We are at the heart of Europe and this is a party not just for Swiss people, but for everybody."
Keller, a resident of Zurich, knows first-hand what this summer's tournament means to a nation that is staging its biggest event since the men's 1954 FIFA World Cup; Switzerland joint-hosted UEFA EURO 2008 with neighbours Austria.
So, just what can fans expect when they arrive in Switzerland?
Host cities with arms wide open
The tournament's eight host cities are each embracing the opportunity to welcome fans, whether that’s through traditional Swiss hospitality or a visit to the country’s unmissable sights, from Zurich's stylish Bahnhofstrasse in the east to Geneva's Jet d'Eau fountain in the west.
"The host cities have made significant investments and are staging a lot of activities to ensure they are the best they can be for visiting fans, but also for the local communities," says Keller. "All eight cities have dedicated fan zones, which wasn't mandatory, but even the smaller cities are keen to welcome guests and show the best of Switzerland.
"This is very important for us as a country, and everybody is looking forward to welcoming guests, both from all over Switzerland and internationally. We expect more than 130,000 international fans, around 35 per cent of the total, and we really want to show that this country in the heart of Europe is accessible to everybody."
Free public transport for fans
A key benefit for supporters with match tickets is the opportunity to use Switzerland's world-class public transport system free of charge on matchday. This limits the cost of a day out and gives every ticket holder a chance to personally help limit the tournament’s environmental impact.
"To include public transport in a match ticket was very important for us, both to help make it affordable for our foreign guests, but also to encourage Swiss people to leave the car at home," Keller says.
"This is a big step, and an important one. Nowadays, you cannot organise such a big event without taking sustainability seriously. This has always been on our agenda and, through the tournament Environmental, Sustainability and Governance strategy, is in every action that we take."
Affordable tickets
There are still opportunities to be a part of the action, but fans will need to move fast, with over 600,000 of the available 677,000 match tickets already sold.
A family of four can attend a match for 100 CHF, including travel, making it an appealing day out for fans of all ages.
"We wanted to make sure everybody would be welcome – we want an inclusive tournament, and for families and children, especially girls, to be able to enjoy the atmosphere," Keller says.
"We had a lot of discussions around ticket pricing, and we were delighted to ensure that a family can come and enjoy matches for as little as 100 CHF. We know it will be the first time for many, so we didn’t want anybody to be excluded. Hopefully they will be inspired to become women's football fans after the summer."
Volunteers here to help
A 2,500-strong army of volunteers is ready to play its role in ensuring a smoothly run tournament, performing vital services inside stadiums, fan zones or elsewhere across the host cities.
Volunteers always bring expertise and energy to large-scale events, but as Keller explains, the benefits work both ways. "It's a great way for local communities to be involved with and engaged in the tournament," she explains. "Often, events are exclusive to people who have worked in this field for a long time, but here, 2,500 volunteers will be able to take part in the event, wear the Women's EURO uniform and contribute to its success.
"I have a goddaughter, who is 20, and she is volunteering at one of the accreditation centres and is very much looking forward to it. In Switzerland, volunteering is a very common thing to do and people are proud to be associated with the event."
Women's EURO volunteers in numbers
Total: 2,500
Nationalities: 73
First-time UEFA volunteers: 83%
Applicants: 12,000
Average age: 46
Oldest volunteer: 82
Youngest volunteer: 18
Gender split: 55% female, 44% male, 1% non-binary
Keller keen to inspire the next generation of women in sport
Doris Keller has worked in the sporting world for more than 25 years, with the majority of her time dedicated to organising major football matches, events and tournaments all over the globe.
It is a path she would love to see more women take. "There are so many young and talented women. We have to support them and give them equal opportunities, because working in sports isn’t only for men."
Reflecting on a journey that has included roles at UEFA, CONMEBOL and FIFA, her advice is simple: "Be persistent and go for your goals. It's not easy, because so many people want to go into sports, so it's important to build as many connections as possible with other people who are in the industry."