Women's European Championship: DFB women before tournament start – summit assault

The German women's soccer team has already conquered one peak in Switzerland, the so-called Queen of the Mountains: Mount Rigi on Lake Lucerne – albeit by cogwheel train. This was the final team-building exercise before the European Championship opener against Poland. The mood and confidence in captain Giulia Gwinn's team could hardly be improved. And no one is beating around the bush anymore: They're after the title.

"My goal is to become European champion – and I think the other girls feel the same way. That's why we're here. Anything else would be the wrong statement," said Linda Dallmann.

The 30-year-old Munich native will likely play as a strategic number 10 player in St. Gallen on Friday (9:00 p.m./ARD). Coach Christian Wück's German national team will face European Championship newcomers Poland – featuring top scorer Ewa Pajor. The long-time Wolfsburg player scored a total of 47 goals across all competitions in her first season with FC Barcelona. The German women's team will also face Denmark on July 8 in Basel and Sweden on July 12 in Zurich.

"I think we have incredible potential in our team," said Gwinn. "We firmly believe we can achieve something great." The FC Bayern star will captain her team for the first time in a tournament. For Wück, who led the men's U17 team to the European Championship and World Cup titles in 2023, this will be her first international test with the women.

"I think the first game will be a bit of a turning point. It's incredibly important to get off to a successful start in the tournament," the 52-year-old told dpa. "And the way we approach the game will also be important. To get into that flow. Every German team, men's or women's, that has ever won something has developed a winning mentality." His team is already facing defending champions England or fellow favorites France in the quarterfinals.

The German women last won a European Championship in 2013 at the European Championships in Sweden, their eighth as continental champions. The Olympic victory followed in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Two years after the preliminary round embarrassment at the World Cup in Australia under coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, and one year after winning Olympic bronze in France under Horst Hrubesch, the DFB needs a successful European Championship to further advance women's football.

Wück is convinced: "There's so much power in the team, so much energy, so much individual quality that a lot is actually possible." The former professional also referred to players who are competing in their first tournament: "They will be incredibly excited."

Midfielder Sara Däbritz is the only remaining member of the 2013 European Championship squad. After the upheaval with the retirements of Alexandra Popp and Marina Hegering, among others, and the loss of Lena Oberdorf, Wück has found his team: The core consists of goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, new defensive leader Janina Minge, Sjoeke Nüsken and Elisa Senß in defensive midfield, and top scorer Lea Schüller, with her top scorer of 52 goals in 75 international matches.

On the wings, Gwinn at right-back, as well as Klara Bühl and Jule Brand in attack, are world-class. "I want to perfect our game, perfect our identity," said Wück. "Of course, we look to other nations, but we still want our country to identify with us, with their team."

The German team recently shone in the Nations League with a 4-0 win over the Netherlands and a 6-0 victory over Austria, raising hopes of a successful run. However, in the first few months of Wück's tenure, his players also had some weak halves and blunders in defense.

"I don't think we can put a checkmark on the issue of consistency after the games against the Netherlands and Austria. There may always be games in which we can only perform for half an hour," warned the national coach.

The German national team worked hard on this during their preseason in Herzogenaurach, also made it through without any injuries, and has ideal conditions in Zurich for a tournament with short distances. "First and foremost, it's about pushing through our game and being there in the first minute," said Nüsken. The former Chelsea FC Frankfurt player has become a key starter under Wück.

The head coach had to resolve a few communication issues before naming his 23-man squad. But no one talks about them anymore. "The team spirit is truly special—I've never experienced anything like it before," Schüller emphasized.

Now the DFB women are hoping for a similarly thrilling European Championship as in 2022 in England, when they only lost to the host team in the final at Wembley and won many new fans.

That's why, at the beginning of the European Championship preparations, Wück wrote a quote from basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, who died in 2020, in large letters for his players: "The most important thing is to try and inspire people so they can be great in whatever they want to do."