European Women's Football Championship to kick off on Wednesday

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - The 2022 UEFA European Women's Football Championship will kick off on Wednesday.

The 13th edition of the event will be played from July 6 to 31 in England with 15 other nations joining the hosts.

Russia were disqualified from this summer's UEFA Women's EURO 2022 in response to Moscow's war on Ukraine, and were replaced by the Portugal.

The tournament was expanded to 12 teams in 2009 and to 16 teams in 2017. This year’s championship will be the second edition since it was expanded to 16 teams.

England will face Austria in the opening game of the tournament at Manchester's Old Trafford stadium. The final of the tournament will be held at Wembley on July 31.

“There are four groups of four teams, with the top two in each progressing to the quarter-finals, from whence it is straight knockout,” according to UEFA.

The UEFA Women's Championship has been dominated by Germany that have won eight out of 10 events in 1989, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013.

Sweden won the championship in 1984, Norway in 1987 and 1993 and the Netherlands in 2017.

Groups

Group A: England, Austria, Northern Ireland, Norway

Group B: Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland

Group C: Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal

Group D: France, Italy, Belgium, Iceland