Players In UEFA Women’s Euro Squads Concentrated Among Elite Clubs

Almost half of the 368 players in the 16 squads at UEFA Women’s Euro come from an elite group of 16 European clubs illustrating a concentration of talent in the women’s game.

According to a study by Football Benchmark, there is a higher number of female players coming from a small number of countries (68%) when compared to the men’s European Championship last year (62%). Squads playing at the men’s Euro comprised of players from an average of 9.2 clubs, far greater than the 6.7 average in the squads at UEFA Women’s Euro 2025.

No club has provided more players to the tournament than FC Barcelona. The Spanish champions have 17 of their representatives at the UEFA Women’s Euro – 11 in the Spain squad, and one each playing for Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland.

Italy’s Giulia Dragoni is another on FC Barcelona’s books, currently on loan to AS Roma and would have played at the tournament but for injury. They recently signed another member of the Spanish squad, Laia Aleixandri from Manchester City.

German champions, FC Bayern are the next-best represented club at the tournament with 16 players at the UEFA Women’s Euro. They are followed by Italian champions Juventus and English champions Chelsea with 14 each. European champions Arsenal have 13 of their players at the tournament.

These biggest clubs will benefit the most financially from the tournament, consolidating the wealth in the women’s game. As part of UEFA’s “club benefit programme”, which have increased by 33% from the last tournament in 2022, the teams will be compensated for releasing their players to their national team.

Paid on a pro-rata basis, a club will receive a payment for each day in which one of their players will be in Switzerland. A club will therefore receive a minimum of $15,480 (€13,140) for each player who takes part in the group stage. This amounts to a minimum of $263,177 (€223,380) going to FC Barcelona for their 17 representatives. This will rise to over $400,000 if Spain reach the final.

In total 64% of all the players at the UEFA Women’s Euro come from Europe’s biggest five leagues – England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. They are led by the English Women’s Super League who provide 72 players. In addition, the English second tier, the newly-named WSL2, have 11 representatives playing for their national sides, the majority of them in the Wales squad.

The Italy’s Serie A Femminile is surprisingly the next best represented league with 51 players followed by the German Frauen Bundesliga with 47. Spain’s Liga F provides 38 with France’s Division 1 Féminine clubs represented by 28.

The National Women’s Soccer League provides the most players to the tournament from outside Europe with 19. There are also 2 from the newly-formed Canadian Northern Super League. In total 6% of the players at the tournament play for clubs outside Europe.

The study concludes that this concentration of talent in the women’s game is understandable considering that domestic leagues are smaller than in the men’s game, with typically 12 to 16 teams. Also, there have been only 16 places in the group stage of the Women’s Champions League. This will be extended to 18 next season and the introduction of the Women’s Europa Cup offering European competition to more clubs across the continent.

In total 109 clubs representing 22 leagues in 19 different countries are represented at the UEFA Women’s Euro. However five of the players at the tournament are currently without a club, registered as “unattached”. For the moment, “only a handful of clubs currently offer a genuine platform for players to reach the highest level”.

While the women’s game continues to grow, it is still hampered by the prevalence of short-term contracts and a subsequent limited transfer market where a fee is paid. “The data also reveals a structural reliance on a limited number of institutions, constraining the diversity and resilience of development pathways.”