The Women’s Euros 2025 is now underway. But with some of the bigger nations not playing until tomorrow onwards, I’ve picked out five players to keep an eye on and who I personally think could shine and play a big part for their respective countries this summer.
1) Lauren James – England’s game changer
Before Sarina Wiegman announced her Euros squad on the 5th June, it was uncertain as to whether Lauren James would be involved at this summer’s tournament due to recovering from an injury she sustained while on Lionesses duty in February. But the 23-year-old did in fact make the 23-player squad, and a lot of hype and speculation has been building about how many minutes she will get in the tournament and how much of a game changer/super sub she can be.
James has only made 28 senior appearances for the Lionesses and has scored seven goals in the process. The attacking midfielder/forward has been a real success under Wiegman, and when she gets going, a lot of players struggle to stop her. She is strong, pacey, skillful, powerful, and technically brilliant with the ball as we saw for the Lionesses at the World Cup in 2023 and as we’ve seen for Chelsea over the past few seasons.
In the Lionesses send off friendly against Jamaica on Sunday, James got some vital minutes under her belt as she came on as a sub for Ella Toone in the 63rd minute and within eight minutes she bagged herself an assist after her delightful ball into the box found the head of Alessia Russo, who finished with ease.
Wiegman will surely still be managing her minutes in Switzerland this summer; however, James is my top choice as someone who could once again shine on the world stage and help this ‘new England’ squad retain their Euros crown.
2) Michelle Agyemang – The unknown English talent
19-year-old Michelle Agyemang is a really exciting player to keep an eye on this summer as well. She has only made one senior appearance for the Lionesses, which came in a 3-2 defeat against Belgium in April. However, she came on as a sub for her first cap, and within 41 seconds, she scored a spectacular goal.
In the WSL this season, she was on loan at Brighton from Arsenal. She made 17 appearances, scored three goals, and grabbed one assist.
The forward will be competing for minutes alongside Wiegman’s six other picks, including the likes of Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, and Beth Mead, so it’s unlikely we will see her playing a lot of minutes. But saying that, the other teams won’t know a lot, if anything about her, meaning they won’t know how to handle her, which could play into Wiegman’s hands especially in latter stages of games or maybe if any of the knockout phase games go to extra-time (should England get that far).
She is quick, skillful, and clearly knows where the net is. Wiegman wouldn’t pick her if she didn’t think she was ready, so could Agyemang prove to be a little secret gem for the Lionesses… We will find out from Saturday night onwards, but even if she doesn’t burst onto the scene this tournament, she is definitely one for the future for the Lionesses.
3) Sandy Baltimore
Chelsea’s Sandy Baltimore is a really interesting one for me, and someone who I feel could shine both defensively and offensively this summer. In France’s squad, she has been listed as part of the midfielders, despite playing some of the WSL season in a left wing-back role.
The 25-year-old joined Chelsea in 2024 and played a vital part in their WSL-winning campaign this season under Sonia Bompastor. She made 15 appearances, scored four goals and grabbed three assists. Despite being small, she is strong on the ball and possesses a lot of pace and skill going forward. Her best performance came against Man Utd at Wembley Stadium in the FA Cup final, where she scored two goals and grabbed an assist in a 3-0 victory.
With the French squad being somewhat different to what we’ve seen in recent tournaments i.e. no Wendie Renard or Eugenie Le Sommer, Baltimore could be a key player all over the pitch for this French side, and she could single-handedly inspire them to their first ever Euros victory. It will be interesting to see if she features against England in their opening game and how Lucy Bronze and, most likely, Beth Mead can deal with her threat.
4) Claudia Pina
The Spanish sensation Claudia Pina is someone I’m desperate to see shine this summer. The 23-year-old is part of a hugely talented Spain squad who are going for Euros glory to add to their World Cup success back in 2023. She plays for Barcelona, and in their most recent season, she made 27 appearances, scored 10 goals, and grabbed seven assists.
On the world stage, for Spain, she competes for minutes alongside her Barca teammate Salma Paralluelo and the likes of Mariona Caldentey and Esther Gonzales. However, against England in the Nations League back in June, she came on as a sub in the 58th minute for Paralluelo and scored two beautiful goals in the 60th and 70th minute to see her side win 2-1. She single-handedly tore the Lionesses apart in her half-hour cameo, and if she’d have been on from the start, she probably could’ve scored a lot more.
In Spain’s final game before heading off to Switzerland against Japan, she started instead of Paralluelo and scored yet again. She lasted 76 minutes before being subbed. If she is allowed to run at players and shoot from anywhere inside or just outside the box this summer, she could be a contender to be player of the tournament and even maybe the golden boot.
I can’t wait to see her in action against Portugal in their opening fixture.
5) Elisabeth Terland
Norway was one of those teams that were very poor at the Euros back in 2022. They begin their Euros with a thrilling opener against hosts Switzerland tonight, and Manchester United’s Elisabeth Terland could be key for them this summer. The 24-year-old signed for the Red Devils from Brighton before the latest WSL season, and in 20 appearances for Utd, she scored 10 goals and grabbed five assists.
Terland doesn’t tend to start a lot of games for Norway; in the three games before the Euros, she has played a grand total of 66 minutes. This is obviously due to the likes of Ada Hegerberg, Guro Reiten, and Caroline Graham Hansen still being involved in the squad. However, she is a lot younger than the players mentioned, and I think given the chance to start, her pace and aerial threat, as well as her goal-scoring ability, could prove vital for Norway in the group stages and beyond (should they get that far).
Another one who could shine as long as she’s given the opportunity.