Fourteen from FC Barcelona at Euro 2022

The UEFA Women's Euro 2022 gets going in England this coming July 6, with a record participation from FC Barcelona players. With 14 players, it is the second most represented club at the tournament, only surpassed by Juventus.

Two Barça players are in the Norwegian squad (Engen and Graham Hansen), while one is playing for Sweden (Rolfö), one for England (Lucy Bronze), one for Switzerland (Crnogorcevic) and no fewer than nine are lining up for Spain (Paredes, Aitana, Mariona, Guijarro, Paños, Alexia, Mapi León, Pereira and Pina).

More than ever

That’s some difference from 2005 and 2009, which Spain failed to qualify and where Barça had no representatives at all, and also on Euro 2013, where there were eight blaugranas, but all of them were there playing for Spain.

In 2017, the number of rose to 12, and in addition to the eight in the Spanish squad, Barça was also represented by Roddik Hansen (Denmark), Martens (Holland), Bussaglia (France) and Duggan (England).

Reflecting how women’s football at Barça and in Spain in general has made such progress in recent years, the club is now sending more players than ever.

Barça’s new signing Lucy Bronze will be appearing for the hosts, England, in the opening fixture against Austria at Old Trafford. In the same group, the Norwegian twosome open their campaign the day after against Northern Ireland in Southampton.

Spain’s first game is on July 8 against Finland in Milton Keynes. Germany and Denmark complete Group B.

Finally, on July 9, Crnogorcevic’s Switzerland have their first game in Leigh against Portugal, while Rolfö’s Sweden are in Brentford, London to face the defending champions Holland, featuring Lieke Martens, who recently departed FC Barcelona.

Group D, featuring France, Iceland, Belgium and Italy, is the only one with no Barça interest. The competition continues through to the final at Wembley on July 31.