Millie Bright, Jenni Hermoso and the biggest women's stars set to miss Euro 2025

The best goalkeeper on show at Euro 2022 and the 2023 Women's World Cup, Mary Earps won't be at this summer's Euros after announcing her international retirement just weeks before the tournament was set to begin. Earps had been locked in a tight battle with Hannah Hampton to be the Lionesses No.1, but called it quits after being told by Sarina Wiegman that she would be the back-up goalkeeper in Switzerland.

"I've spent a long time making this decision and it's not one I've made lightly," Earps said in a statement. "For me, ultimately this is the right time for me to step aside and give the younger generation an opportunity to thrive." It's a big blow for the Lionesses, even if the 32-year-old wasn't set to start, as it leaves Hampton as the only capped goalkeeper in the squad - and she has never played at a major tournament.

There were some big decisions made by France boss Laurent Bonadei when he announced his Euros squad. Eugenie Le Sommer, who won her 200th cap in April, was out, as was Kenza Dali, despite showing some good form for the San Diego Wave this year. The most shocking omission of all, though, was that of Wendie Renard.

Renard was first made captain of Les Bleues back in 2013, two years after her international debut, and despite a tense relationship with former head coach Corinna Diacre that saw her lose the armband briefly, she has remained skipper for most of the time since. Renard has also become one of the best centre-backs in the world over the past decade, helping Lyon to win eight Champions League titles because of her quality on the ball, well-timed defending and aerial prowess - in both boxes.

However, none of that will be on show at Euro 2025, after Bonadei chose to drop Renard altogether. "As Einstein said: 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.' I want different results for this team so I have gone with a different selection," the coach said of his decision. It's hard not to feel like it is the wrong one, though, with the 34-year-old still among the best in the world in her position.

It was just a couple of weeks before last summer's Olympic Games that Lena Oberdorf was given the devastating news that she had suffered an ACL injury, thus ruling her out of the tournament. It was a cruel blow for both the player and Germany, for whom she is a vital cog as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

Even more gutting is that Oberdorf still hasn't recovered from that injury and, as a result, she isn't fit enough to play for her country at this summer's Euros either. It was at this tournament in 2022 that the midfielder really came to the fore, winning its Best Young Player award after helping Germany reach the final. However, she won't be on hand to try and take the team one step further in Switzerland, despite her best efforts to get back on the pitch in time.

Despite being an important player for Spain as they won their first Women's World Cup title back in 2023, and featuring in La Roja's run to the semi-finals of last year's Olympic Games, Jenni Hermoso will not represent her country at this summer's Euros. The Tigres forward, who recently testified in her sexual assault case against Luis Rubiales, hasn't been called up by Montse Tome since October of last year, with the coach citing "sporting reasons" for her omission.

“I truly have a clear conscience, too, and even more so when I remove environments with such bad energy from my life," Hermoso wrote on X after Spain's squad was announced. "Management? That's what others should learn to do; that part is too big for them. I'm tweeting because it's the only way left to have a 'conversation'. She should focus on making Spain European champions, although they could do it alone, and probably much better."

When England won the Euros three years ago, the centre-back partnership of Leah Williamson and Millie Bright formed the bedrock of that success, with both players outstanding in a tournament that saw the Lionesses concede just twice in six games. However, Williamson will be lining up alongside someone else for Euro 2025, after Bright withdrew from selection before Wiegman had announced her squad.

At the time, the Chelsea captain had already pulled out of England's May squad and missed their final two Nations League group-stage fixtures, citing mental and physical fatigue. Once that camp concluded, though, she revealed that she was going to extend that break into the summer, making herself unavailable for the Euros.

It's a blow to the Lionesses, as Bright was the most outstanding English centre-back of this past season. She's also a real leader in this team and someone who has worn the armband for her country. The good news, at least, is that centre-back is a position the European champions are blessed with depth in.

Sweden's run to the semi-finals of the 2023 Women's World Cup saw Zecira Musovic propelled into the spotlight, after the goalkeeper put in a truly sensational performance against the United States in the round of 16 in particular. She made a record-breaking 11 saves throughout normal and extra-time before her country eventually progressed to the quarter-finals on penalties - but it'll be Jennifer Falk in between the sticks for the Swedes at this major tournament.

That's because Musovic announced in February that she is pregnant with her first child, "We've taken a big step towards one of our biggest dreams," Musovic wrote on Instagram of her news alongside her partner, ice hockey player Alen Bibic. "If everything goes as planned, we have another sports person on their way! Guys... I'm pregnant!"

Casual fans might tune in to watch Germany this summer and wonder where that dominant striker is who took Euro 2022 by storm. It's remarkable to think that tournament saw Alex Popp make her European Championship debut, with injuries always preventing her from playing in the competition despite her being a stalwart for her country since her debut in 2010.

In England, Popp made up for lost time, scoring six goals in five games to fire Germany to the final - only to have to withdraw from the showpiece at Wembley in the warm-up. It would have been heart-wrenching to watch from the sidelines as her team lost in extra-time to the Lionesses.

Popp won't be around to try and help her country lift the title in 2025, though, having announced her retirement towards the end of 2024. She went out on a high by being part of Germany's bronze medal-winning side at last summer's Olympic Games and got her big send-off in October, signing out as the ninth-most-capped player in the history of Germany's women's national team and the third-highest goal-scorer.

When England's Lionesses won their first major title at Euro 2022, Fran Kirby was at the heart of things. Starting all six games and scoring twice, the creative midfielder was a key player for the best team in Europe. However, while she was hoping to head out to Switzerland to help her country defend that title, she didn't make the cut for Wiegman's final squad.

In Kirby's mind, Euro 2025 was going to be her final tournament for England. The creative midfielder planned to hang up her boots on the international front once the summer was over, until she found out she wasn't in the squad. "It was like a dagger to my heart but also a weight off my shoulders all at the same time," she told BBC Sport.

As such, that retirement plan was brought forward, with Kirby announcing the end of her England days ahead of the tournament instead. "When I woke up in the morning after telling Sarina, I didn't feel any regret," Kirby added. "That's when I knew I'd made the right decision. I've been on this team for a long time, it's not going to be a shock that it was coming to an end. You get to a certain age and there are some really good youngsters that are coming through."

Playing at a major tournament in your home country is on the bucket list for most footballers and it always feels like a particularly special story when it happens for a player who is coming towards the end of their career. Ramona Bachmann is without a doubt one of the best women's footballers that Switzerland has ever produced, with the forward having won 19 trophies in four different countries across a career that has seen her represent clubs like Chelsea, Wolfsburg and Paris Saint-Germain. However, a devastating ACL injury, suffered only in June, has cruelly robbed the 34-year-old of the opportunity to play in this summer's Euros.

It's a setback that will deny Bachmann quite literally a once-in-a-career experience, with it also unclear if she will even play at a major tournament again now. After all, the World Cup is another two years away and Switzerland have only qualified for the event twice before.

While both the player and her team will hope not, there's a real chance that Fridolina Rolfo misses this summer's Euros after sustaining an ankle injury in Sweden's 6-1 win over Denmark in the Nations League on June 3. The Barcelona star does not require surgery but her expected time on the sidelines is between four and six weeks, which is quite a tight turnaround given the tournament begins on July 2.

Head coach Peter Gerhardsson has taken precautions and announced Matilda Vinberg as a reserve player who will head to Switzerland instead of Rolfo if indeed the 31-year-old cannot recover in time. He cited the need to have Vinberg there as someone "who can both contribute in training and be fully prepared to step into the squad if it turns out that Fridolina does not have time to be ready".

Rolfo's certainly facing a race against time and if she does indeed lose it, it will be a big blow to Sweden's hopes of success.