20% of players in women’s Euro soccer cup are openly gay, lesbian and queer
All the squads have been named for the UEFA Women’s Euro in Switzerland. A significant number of players are publicly out as LGBTQ. The post 20% of players in women’s Euro soccer cup are openly gay, lesbian and queer appeared first on Outsports.
Mark
Kicking off just two days after Pride Month, the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 is one of the biggest international sports events of the summer — and LGBTQ athletes are strongly represented.
As was the case for the FIFA Women’s World Cup two years ago, Outsports is celebrating this visibility with a roster of participating players who are publicly out and proud, including several major stars of women’s soccer.
The 16-team tournament is being held in Switzerland, with a total of 368 players having now been named in the final squad lists.
With at least 73 of them being out as LGBTQ, that figure makes up nearly 20% of the total number competing.
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It’s a greater percentage than for the 32-team Women’s World Cup in 2023 (13%), and it’s nearly double the representation from the last Women’s Euros in 2022, which was won by hosts England and watched by an estimated 365 million people globally.
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In stark contrast, neither last year’s 24-team men’s Euros nor the men’s World Cup in 2022 featured any out gay or bi players.
While women’s soccer maintains its reputation for being one of the most queer-inclusive sports on the planet, the comfort and confidence shown by so many of its elite athletes continues to resonate with LGBTQ fans around the world.
Yet progress is by no means complete, with two of the 16 countries competing at Euro 2025 — Italy and Poland, both European Union member nations — yet to introduce equal marriage by law.
As recently as last summer, Italy midfielder Annamaria Serturini became the first footballer from her country to enter into a domestic same-sex civil union.
Other players in this tournament who have formally said “I do” alongside their wives include Irene Paredes and Alba Redondo (both Spain); Danielle van de Donk and Ilse van der Zanden (both Netherlands); Lina Hurtig (Sweden); Constance Picaud (France); and the Wales quartet of Jess Fishlock, Sophie Ingle, Angharad James and Kayleigh Barton.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich stars Pernille Harder (Denmark) and Magdalena Eriksson (Sweden) got engaged last summer and are set to face each other in the opening game of Group C in Geneva on 4 July.
Similarly, girlfriends Beth Mead (England) and Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands) — Euro champions with their countries in 2022 and 2017 respectively — could line up on opposite sides in the Group D game in Zurich five days later. They were rivals on the pitch twice last season in games between Arsenal and Manchester City in the Women’s Super League.
Other relationships of note include fiancées Jess Carter (England) and Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany); Italy’s Lisa Boattin and Sweden’s Linda Sembrant; Belgium teammates Laura Deloose and Tine De Caigny; and Italy teammates Rachele Baldi and Giada Greggi.
Wales currently has the highest number of publicly out LGBTQ players, with nine. A trio from that group — Fishlock, Lily Woodham and Rachel Rowe — all attended the annual Pride Cymru festivities in Cardiff on June 21.
Rhian Wilkinson, the Welsh coach, is also out, as is Pia Sundhage, whose goals fired Sweden to victory in the first-ever Euros back in 1984 and who is now in charge of Switzerland.
At the time of writing, Iceland is the only squad without LGBTQ representation that meets our “publicly out” standard.
While the focus will quite rightly be on the football, we need only recall powerful moments from past tournaments such as the kiss between girlfriends Harder and Eriksson at the 2019 Women’s World Cup, and Leah Williamson wearing a Pride rainbow captain’s armband throughout England’s triumphant run three years ago, to remind us of the positive impact that can be made through visibility.
For its part, tournament organizers UEFA previously highlighted the Harder-Eriksson kiss on its social channels as part of an anti-discrimination initiative, while on the eve of Euro 2022, the confederation stated its “long-term commitment” to the LGBTQ community.
However, it appears there has been no acknowledgement of Pride Month from UEFA so far in June, and it remains to be seen whether permission will be granted this time for rainbow armbands to be worn by any captains wishing to do so.
How we compiled the list for UEFA Women’s Euro 2025
For this initial rundown, Outsports has respectfully reviewed the public-facing social media accounts of every athlete named in squads for Euro 2025, while compiling relevant news items and other information.
A significant number of the players were previously part of “Team LGBTQ” at the Paris and Tokyo Olympics, or were publicly out during the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
We always err on the side of caution. While we continue to find assertions or rumors about players being LGBTQ, we stick to our “publicly out” standard.
Occasionally, athletes inform us that they do identify as LGBTQ but ask not to be included on the list for personal reasons.
If someone has not made a public declaration to the media that they are LGBTQ, they can still be included on this list if they are living their life as an out person on social media, particularly if they are clear and open about being in a same-sex relationship.
Players at Euro 2025 who do not yet meet our criteria can still be added, and it should be expected that our celebratory list will grow between now and the final on July 27.
And of course, if you feel we should reassess a missing player or think we have got something wrong, please don’t hesitate to email us: team@outsports.com, or direct message us on social media (we’re @outsports on Instagram and X).
Last update: June 25
Belgium
Femke Bastiaen
Jassina Blom
Laura Deloose
Tine De Caigny
Nicky Evrard
Isabelle Iliano
Kassandra Missipo
Ella Van Kerkhoven
Denmark
England
Lucy Bronze
Jess Carter
Lauren Hemp
Beth Mead
Anna Moorhouse
Finland
Natalia Kuikka
Tinja-Riikka Korpela
Linda Sallstrom
Anna Tamminen
France
Maelle Lakrar
Melvine Malard
Pauline Peyraud-Magnin
Constance Picaud
Sandie Toletti
Germany
Italy
Rachele Baldi
Lisa Boattin
Manuela Giugliano
Giada Greggi
Elena Linari
Annamaria Seturini
Netherlands
Kerstin Casparij
Caitlin Dijkstra
Vivianne Miedema
Jill Roord
Sherida Spitse
Danielle van de Donk
Ilse van der Zanden
Lynn Wilms
Norway
Frida Maanum
Maren Mjelde
Guro Reiten
Ingrid Syrstad Engen
Poland
Portugal
Telma Encarnacao
Ines Pereira
Ana Seica
Dolores Silva
Spain
Ona Batlle
Cata Coll
Esther Gonzalez
Irene Paredes
Alexia Putellas
Alba Redondo
Sweden
Filippa Angeldahl
Hanna Bennison
Nathalie Bjorn
Magdalena Eriksson
Jennifer Falk
Lina Hurtig
Linda Sembrant
Julia Zigiotti Olme
Switzerland
Wales
Kayleigh Barton
Jess Fishlock
Elise Hughes
Sophie Ingle
Angharad James
Hayley Ladd
Ffion Morgan
Rachel Rowe
Lily Woodham
Some out athletes have been named as standby / reserve players for their countries at Euro 2025. They will only be added to the active roster if another player is injured or otherwise unable to continue in the tournament.
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The post 20% of players in women’s Euro soccer cup are openly gay, lesbian and queer appeared first on Outsports.
