Vicky Lopez, Giulia Dragoni and nine NXGN wonderkids set to light up Women's Euro 2025

Veerle Buurman only made her senior Netherlands debut back in October, and yet she could well be a starter at this summer's Euros. Since being in the line-up for that friendly win over Denmark, a reward for great early form with PSV and some top performances in the youth national teams, the teenage centre-back has not dropped out of Andries Jonker's squad. She started, and scored (at both ends), against the United States in December, and was trusted against another top opponent, Germany, in February.

Jonker has a lot of options in the heart of defence. There is the experienced Sherida Spitse, the Dutch captain likely to hit 250 caps this year; Dominique Janssen who, like Spitse, can play at centre-back or in midfield; plus Caitlin Djikstra, who Buurman played well with against Germany. It's a competitive area of the park then, regardless of whether the Netherlands play with a back three or a back four.

It's clear, though, that Buurman is right in the mix to make the starting XI going into this summer's tournament, which says a lot about her composure, quality and physical capabilities at this early stage of her international career. With the 18-year-old having signed for Chelsea last year, before being loaned back to PSV for this current season, the Euros will be a good chance for the Blues' fans to see what she is all about, too, if she wins one of those starting berths.

Mayzee Davies might be yet to make her senior debut for Manchester City, but she's already having an impact on the international stage. A defender who spent time in the academies of Everton, Man City and Manchester United before returning to the Cityzens last year, Davies received her first Wales call-up in February 2024 and has since won four caps. The latest of those was a big one, too, granted a first start when the team travelled to Italy for their first game of the new Nations League campaign. How did she take to the occasion? Her Player of the Match accolade tells the story.

Having been involved in every national-team camp for over a year now, Davies has been slowly accruing experience in the environment and showing head coach Rhian Wilkinson why she deserves a chance. If she can continue in the manner she is, she could be exposed to some even bigger moments in Switzerland, as Wales prepare to face England, France and the Netherlands in the 'Group of Death'.

After going to the 2023 Women's World Cup as a 16-year-old, Giulia Dragoni will follow that up with a European Championship this summer. Under then-coach Milena Bertolini, she started every game at the former, which was big billing for someone so young and with just one senior cap before the tournament kicked off. The teenager has not been used as heavily as that under new boss Andrea Soncin, which may well be a good thing, but she is still expected to have a prominent role as the Azzurre look to make up for back-to-back group stage exits at major tournaments.

Dragoni has built up a lot of senior experience in the last 18 months or so, with a loan move from Barcelona to Roma helping her rack up the minutes that her development needs. Whether as a substitute or a starter, she will hope to bring her learnings from this past year to the table as Italy look to navigate a tough group that features Spain, Portugal and Belgium.

For now, it looks like Soncin sees the young midfielder as a valuable impact sub, with her determined dribbling, defence-splitting passes and dangerous long-range shooting all attractive traits to bring off the bench in a game. Dragoni will hope to spend the remaining months of the season convincing the coach that she should be a starter, though.

Although her first Wales call-up came a few months earlier, Mared Griffiths breakout moment in the senior game was actually with Manchester United, after she scored twice in their FA Cup win over Wolves in February despite only coming off the bench in the 81st minute. Her first was an opportunistic tap-in, showcasing the midfielder's goal-poaching instincts, and her second was a technically superb hit on the volley, making it a debut to remember.

Less than a couple of weeks later, Griffiths' Wales debut would follow, and Wilkinson was full of praise for the difference the 17-year-old made out in Italy, even if she couldn't stop the Dragons from falling to a narrow 1-0 defeat.

"I’m privileged to be on camp every time, I’m so grateful," she said just before being granted that first cap. "You don’t expect to be here and you shouldn’t take it for granted. You have to work hard because of the competition." Matched with her talent and form, that is the kind of attitude that could get the teenager on the plane to Switzerland.

As Vicky Lopez continues to grow into a star at Barcelona, she'll have her sights set on playing a prominent role with Spain this summer, too. As is the case in Catalunya, it won't be easy for her to get into the line-up as the competition in midfield - and out wide, where she can also shine - is fierce. But she has so much quality to offer, whether it is from the start or from the bench.

She's shown her talent throughout the youth national teams, winning the Golden Ball when Spain triumphed at the Under-17 Women's World Cup back in 2022, and knows all about the pressure of delivering on those big stages after being expected to do so for several years now - and always seeming to.

After being part of last summer's Olympic squad but not making an appearance, it feels like the Euros comes around at a better time in Lopez's development for her to make a genuine impact as Spain look to follow up their world title with a European one. She's already proven herself as a game-changer for Barcelona and it would be a surprise if she wasn't granted the opportunities to do so with La Roja, too.

This is going to be a huge tournament for Switzerland. It'll do wonders for the women's game in the country, it'll expose new audiences to the sport and likely increase the participation of young girls in football, boding well for future generations. The hosts can already be excited about the years to come, though, because of an 18-year-old named Sydney Schertenleib.

After breaking into the senior game with Zurich and then further enhancing her reputation at Grasshoppers, the versatile teenager signed for Barcelona last summer, where most expected her to spend a bit of time in the B team to start off with. By November, though, she was in the first team, and she's more or less remained there since.

It means Schertenleib, who can play in any role in midfield or in the front three, has been getting a world-class football education ahead of her country's home Euros, and that only increased her ability to make a mark in the national team. With her game-changing qualities and impressive efficiency in the final third, she is likely to be a starter when it all kicks off in July.

Sweden have a competitive squad that can boast some of Europe's finest players - and Felicia Schroder is doing her chances of being on the plane to Switzerland with them this summer no harm. After earning her first senior call-up back in July, but still awaiting her debut, Schroder has been banging in goals for club and country. The 17-year-old ended the 2024 Damallsvenskan season, which ran from April to November, with 12 goals despite making just 12 starts, and has netted six times in her last six appearances for Sweden's youth national teams.

With two more camps to come before Peter Gerdhardsson announces his Euro 2025 squad, Schroder will hope to be given the opportunity to show what she can do. With those to roll around when she is back in season with Hacken in Sweden's domestic league, she's likely to be firing on all cylinders, too.

Having taken youth national-team tournaments by storm for several years now, Alara Sehitler's emergence as a force in the senior game will not surprise anyone who has tracked her progress or watched her take to the field. A dominant midfielder when Germany triumphed at the U17 Euros back in 2022, despite her being just 15 years old at the time, she has since signed for Bayern Munich and started to get a look-in with Christian Wuck's senior national team.

As a coach of Germany's youth teams for 12 years before taking that job, it's no surprise that Wuck is willing to give Sehitler a chance, but there is surely no coach on the planet who would be able to overlook her talent if in his position. The teenager can score goals, create chances and do all the dirty work in the middle of the park, too. She could be Wuck's joker in the pack as he prepares to pick the squad for his first major tournament at senior level.

Though yet to make her competitive debut for the first team, Emilia Szymczak is already generating a lot of excitement among Barcelona fans. Signed from Gornik Leczna in the summer of 2023, having broken into the first team there when just 14 years old, the versatile midfielder has impressed in Barca's B team and broken in the Poland XI as a centre-back. Strong in duels and excellent in possession, she suits both positions very well.

It will be in defence that she announces herself to a huge stage this summer though, with her inclusion in that back line for her country having been extremely consistent in recent months. Szymczak missed Poland's February fixtures due to injury, but had started all four of their matches prior to that. She'll have her work cut out for her in Switzerland, with her team underdogs in a group that also features Germany, Denmark and Sweden, but such a challenge will also present the teenager with a great opportunity to showcase her ability.