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Swiss hosts delivering a hit with fans - now heat is on
The Guardian
|July 16, 2025
Attendance records have toppled as crowds embraced the fun, but the gap from elite to the next tier still remains
The headline in SonntagsBlick Sport reads: "Lia hier, Lia da, Lia überall." It is not metaphorical; Switzerland's Lia Wälti is literally here, there and everywhere. From billboards and tram stops to produce packets and tourism adverts, the Arsenal midfielder is the poster girl of Euro 2025, the captain, the Champions League winner, the fulcrum of a team who captured the heart of the country as they set up a blockbuster quarter-final with the world champions, Spain.
There were raised eyebrows when Switzerland was announced as the host country. The largest stadium is the 38,512-capacity home of Basel, St Jakob-Park, where the opening game and final are being played. It felt like a step back from the 74,310-capacity Old Trafford and Wembley, which hosted 87,192 fans for the final between England and Germany.
Was Switzerland the easy option, on Uefa's doorstep? Probably. But if the group stage has set the tone, this tournament will be looked on as a roaring success. The group stage attendance record has been broken, with 461,582 fans piling in, and more records are set to tumble.
This story is from the July 16, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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