Nadine Kessler: ‘more Teams Can Reach A Euros But We Don’t Plan To Expand Yet’

“It really makes maine emotional, it’s conscionable thing we didn’t person successful my time,” says Nadine Kessler arsenic she surveys nan fame and sheer standard of a athletics whose early she now helps shape. Uefa’s head of women’s shot was a superb subordinate earlier retiring 9 years agone aft 11 surgeries connected a knee; she was world footballer of nan twelvemonth successful 2014 and, having won nan European Championship pinch Germany a twelvemonth previously, knows what it takes to predominate a continent.

Staging an full tourney is simply a different matter, though 1 she has go accustomed to since joining nan governing assemblage successful 2017. “I request to propulsion my to-do database retired of nan window,” she says earlier sitting down astatine Uefa’s designated edifice successful Basel to study nan reverberations of a record-breaking Euro 2025 earlier nan final. “It’s for illustration my craziest match-day,” she says. “But it’s incredible.”

As Euro 2025 concludes, really would you measure its success?
You tin spot nan emotions everyplace you look, nan tourney has reached group and they are happy. We person taken nan adjacent measurement pinch this Euros successful a state wherever group possibly didn’t really deliberation that was possible, truthful it’s awesome and I’m very proud.

There had been concerns successful immoderate quarters astir Switzerland’s size, and peculiarly those of its stadia. People wondered whether it was an eager capable prime for women’s football. Have those been allayed?
We’ve proved pinch facts that you tin return things up a level and beryllium successful successful a state that wasn’t already successful emotion pinch women’s football. It’s a awesome motion for nan sport’s maturation that Switzerland delivered truthful well. The hosts’ matches, opening crippled and last are easy to waste retired but it’s traditionally not been truthful elemental to capable each nan group-stage games. We’ve ne'er had truthful galore travelling fans astatine a women’s Euros, location person been 233,000 from 160 countries. The fig successful England 3 years agone was little than half that. Our mean attendance will beryllium 21,000; astatine Euro 2022 it was 18,500. So you tin spot nan genuine liking coming from each complete nan world. When Switzerland’s bid won I instantly thought it could beryllium a large tournament.

The games person mostly been closer, pinch only 4 winning margins of much than 3 goals. Are we seeing competitory equilibrium tighten up crossed nan continent?
I do deliberation nan spread is closing. And look astatine really Wales and Poland played successful their first appearances: they had a spell and went for it. The performances person been very different to Euro 2022, overmuch much offensive, pinch much precocious pressing and amended method distribution. We changed a batch astir nan qualification system, pinch nan Nations League and a really unfastened group of playoffs that allocated 7 slots, and that has helped. The mean winning separator is now down to two, erstwhile it was almost double before. Blowout matches erstwhile a squad scores much than six person drastically decreased truthful we tin spot it’s moving well.

With that successful mind, would you norm retired pursuing existent trends and expanding nan tourney again successful future?
In nan future, never. But we haven’t planned to grow thing for nan adjacent version successful 2029. We are ace happy pinch nan 16-team format, it’s good received and we scheme to instrumentality pinch it. But we request to perpetually look astatine our competitions and spot what nan correct measurement guardant is. We person much and much teams that tin scope this stage, and tin usage nan qualifiers to spot really galore are really astatine nan level. Right now 2029 is simply a 16-team Euros.

Numbers of travelling supporters astatine Euro 2025 person much than doubled compared pinch 2022. Photograph: Peter Klaunzer/EPA

Are you tempted to summation squad sizes to from 23 to 26 successful 2029, successful statement pinch nan men’s tournament?
That’s a arguable taxable and not each federation supports it. Maybe it offers advantages to those that person much talent and extent astatine nan moment. We had discussions pinch nan countries earlier this tourney but location was nary consensus. We’re unfastened if nan federations opportunity unanimously that it’s an thought to follow.

The Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, has attracted disapproval for attending only nan opening crippled and tomorrow’s final, moreover taking a short vacation during nan Euros. How do you respond to that?
I don’t see it adjacent to judge his committedness to women’s shot connected which lucifer he does aliases doesn’t attend. People should judge what we’ve done during his clip successful nan job. By nan clip we scope nan extremity of our strategical cycle, Uefa will person committed €1.5bn to women’s football. You’ve seen nan level of nan Euros, you’ve seen really we person changed our nine competitions, we walk millions to create nan crippled and that’s what group should judge successful nan end. I’m successful changeless interaction pinch nan president. He called maine yesterday to opportunity really proud he is and he’s been perpetually involved. I don’t deliberation nan truth he sometimes prefers not to beryllium successful nan limelight is simply a reflection of his commitment.

Does he springiness you feedback successful calls specified arsenic that one?
Of course. We analyse nan matches and he is location successful nan background. He’s ace happy and we look guardant to having him astatine nan final.

It’s been good publicised that Euro 2025 will make a financial loss. How sustainable is that successful nan agelong run?
People should usage nan connection “investment” because we made a conscious one. For numbers, revenues and cognition costs, this Euros has improved massively connected 2022. We could person surgery moreover aliases made a profit but decided to summation nan prize money by 156% truthful federations, players and clubs each benefit. The return will travel later and that’s an important message: we request to show group each penny is worthy investing, truthful judge successful this athletics and nan rewards will travel later. I’m definite this is simply a viable business and americium very committed to proving that soon.

Will breaking moreover beryllium a target astatine Euro 2029?
One of many, absolutely. It must beryllium a clear extremity to make precisely that point. We request to group retired that it’s a sport, and besides a business, worthy investing in.

Away from nan Euros, nan caller Women’s Europa Cup will commencement successful September. What will beryllium nan criteria for its success?
The Europa Cup was demanded done bully conversations pinch nan full European nine community. It was felt we request a 2nd title to build a broader pyramid for European nine football, giving teams much experiences and opportunities. It comes astatine nan correct time. We request to make judge that nan caput doesn’t time off nan body, but we’ve made immoderate important tweaks to nan entree database of nan Champions League and person a full caller commercialized concept. It’s awesome that we will footwear this disconnected and hopefully capitalise connected nan hype created by nan Euros.

Nadine Kessler: ‘It’s a awesome motion for nan sport’s maturation that Switzerland delivered truthful well.’ Photograph: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images

The caller Women’s Club World Cup successful 2028 whitethorn beryllium alternatively much arguable …
We’ve had very intensive discussions successful nan past fewer years pinch Fifa, and we cognize nine shot needs to beryllium developed everywhere. We already person capable high-level matches successful Europe and there’s a athletics to beryllium developed each complete nan world. European clubs were very eager to spell up pinch nan tourney and truthful were nan players, truthful successful nan extremity Uefa supported nan idea. It will beryllium arsenic early arsenic imaginable successful nan year: we’re having intensive almanac discussions pinch Fifa to make judge home leagues and different competitions aren’t impacted.

Did you consciousness immoderate threat erstwhile a lavishly funded seven-a-side tournament, nan World Sevens, sounded up successful Portugal connected nan week of nan Women’s Champions League final?
Do you deliberation a seven-a-side tourney is simply a threat to nan Champions League last aliases women’s Euros? We are unfastened to anyone who wants to put successful women’s football. Seven-a-side is possibly a awesome measurement to get group into nan crippled aliases support veterans successful it. Do I deliberation it tin compete pinch nan very elite competitions, which person specified history and intangible worth to clubs and players? No.

Finishing pinch today’s final, Spain person group nan barroom for everyone and whitethorn show that again erstwhile they look England. Can anyone other compete pinch them?
I work together they’ve raised nan level of football, it’s a generational squad and 90% of these players play together for 1 nine [Barcelona]. It’s unique, and it’s awesome for our sport. But don’t hide England could person won the World Cup final excessively truthful let’s spot what happens. Spain are unthinkable footballers and show that repeatedly, but you can’t opportunity they are truthful acold up that nan remainder don’t cognize really to compete pinch them.