Introduction to Women’s Football in Europe
This is more than a tournament; it is a movement, and the reaction from all over Europe and beyond proves that football doesn’t just stay here for women – it makes the new standard. These were the words of Nadine Kessler, a former Germany international who is now UEFA women’s football director during the euro 2025. Much of it seems undeniable: Uefa says that they sold more tickets before the group phase even started than in the entire euro 2022, the social media engagements have since risen by 55%, and the price pot has increased by 156% to 41 million euros ($ 47.5 million).
The State of Women’s Football in Eastern Europe
Although Poland bent its euro this year, the movement has not fully reached the rest of the east and parts of southern Europe. Although Poland won her final group game against Denmark, he left the group phase, as did the only other pages that were ever qualified from Eastern Europe (as defined by the United Nations) – Ukraine in 2009 and Russia between 1997 and its ban on international football in 2022. This is in strong contrast to men’s football, where 11 of the 24 teams came from the region in the last men in Germany in 2024, albeit without enormous success.
Cultural Barriers to Women’s Football
Goran Ljubojevic, the former coach, who is now a sporty director of the serial Croatian women master Znk Osijek, said that the region was always catching up. But he also believes that social norms hold back sport. "The cultural problem in our countries is that people believe that girls shouldn’t play football, that they usually stay at home and be housewives or so," he said. The Index of the Gender Equality of the European Union published in 2024, bears to a certain extent without eastern countries above the EU average.
Increase in Budgets for Women’s Football
According to Professor Dariusz Wojtaszyn from the University of Wroclaw in Poland, the UEFA used new systems to the region, and they have started to have an impact. "There have been many positive developments in recent years. They are driven by initiatives by UEFA and local football associations that – albeit slowly – recognize the potential of women’s football," the academic, who wrote in detail about Eastern European women’s football, said. "The football budgets for women have increased considerably in all CEE (usually more than 100%) [Central and Eastern European] Countries.
History and Politics of Women’s Football in Eastern Europe
But Wojtaszyn believes that the politics of the region has held it back. Although the communist systems that ruled many of these countries were gender-specific until the nineties, they actually produced a "paternalistic model of family and traditional social relationships that limited the opportunities for the emancipation of women," said Wojtaszyn. The case of communism then anchored further. "The collapse of the state sponsoring system, which had existed in the past decades, caused considerable economic problems for football clubs.
Future of Women’s Football in Eastern Europe
Although his players need other jobs to make rounds, Ljubojevic has great hope for the future, even if he believes that an essential investment and education is required. "We have a huge talent pool, just like in men’s football, but nobody trained it properly," he said. "It will be much better in a few years. I will tell you that we have great talents, we have great players and we [ZNK Osijek] Now really work at the highest level." Poland expects an increase in the participation of her euro campaign, with Nina Patalon preserving the growth of 30,000 to 300,000 female players in the country after the tournament.
Hosting a Tournament to Boost Women’s Football
Ljubojevic believes that Croatia and maybe other countries in the region need something similar to start their women’s football scene. Although Poland lost the organization of 2025 and were not offered Eastern European countries for 2029, he would like to see that Croatia is the first country in its region to organize a tournament. "Yes, we can do it. But we have to take it seriously. The federation, the country and everything – they have to invest money and time. Women’s football is the new wave and we have to ride this new wave. But we don’t."
