Swiss city changes traffic lights from men to women's soccer players for 2025 Euros
- - - Swiss city changes traffic lights from men to women's soccer players for 2025 Euros
Jon Hoefling, USA TODAY July 3, 2025 at 4:53 AM
We may be only one match into the 2025 UEFA Women's Euro tournament, but Europeans are already celebrating their soccer stars.
In Basel, Switzerland, the city has decided to support th athletes by swapping the traffic lights. Instead of the classic red and green men, the green man has been swapped with a woman kicking a soccer ball.
These changes mark the beginning of a month-long celebration of the tournament. After all, Basel's Parc Saint-Jacques will be one of the main host arenas for the Euros, hosting five matches throughout the tournament, including the final, scheduled for July 27 at 12 p.m. ET. It will also host the official opening match of the tournament – the July 2 tilt between Switzerland and Norway.
Has Switzerland hosted the tournament before?
This year marks the first time Switzerland has hosted an international women's tournament. In fact, it was a major area of concern that Switzerland might not be able to manage the crowds this event might draw. Parc Saint-Jacques has a capacity of less than 40,000, after all. For comparison, Wembley Stadium, host of the finals for the 2022 Euro,s could hold 90,000 people.
According to the New York Times, Switzerland was even asked to remove their bid at one point, being told "England was such a success, we cannot go to a small country now."
According to the report, a large part of Switzerland's pitch to host the tournament allegedly came from a local rapper who performed a two-to-three minute rap to the UEFA committee around a cardboard cutout of Swiss tennis star Roger Federer, which had fallen to the floor early during the performance.
Somehow that was enough to change the committee's minds, granting Switzerland the opportunity to host the tournament.
Has Switzerland ever won the tournament?
No. In fact, they've never advanced past the group stage. Despite the tournament existing since 1984, they've only participated twice (2017 and 2022).
Switzerland holds a 1-2-3 record across their two tournament appearances, with their lone win coming against Iceland in 2017.
Who is in Switzerland's group for 2025?
Switzerland is part of Group A in the 2025 UEFA Women's Euro tournament, playing alongside Norway, Iceland, and Finland. The Swiss started play against Norway on July 2, then will meet Iceland on Sunday, July 6 at 3 p.m. ET, and Finland on Thursday, July 10 at 3 p.m. ET, to determine group stage standings.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2025 Euros: Swiss city honoring tournament with women's soccer lights
Source: AOL Sports
