Spain’s Women’s Team Enter Euro 2025 as Icons of Sporting Excellence and Equality
Spain’s national women’s football team, La Roja Femenina, prepares to kick off their campaign at UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 on Thursday evening. As reigning 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favourites, they carry not just hopes of sporting glory, but also the emblematic ongoing struggle for gender equality in football and beyond.
From Historic Victory to Institutional Reckoning
Their 2023 triumph was almost overshadowed by the now-infamous moment when Luis Rubiales, then head of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), kissed forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips—propelling a long-simmering feminist movement into global headlines.
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Filmmaker Joanna Pardos, whose Netflix documentary It’s All Over: The Kiss that Changed Spanish Football documents these events, described the incident not as an isolated event but the culmination of years of entrenched misogyny and mistreatment.
“Rubiales’ terrible behaviour … was like the tip of an iceberg,” Pardos said.
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| Jenni Hermoso, who plays for the Mexican team Tigres UANL, was not picked for Spain’s squad in this year’s Euros. |
Previously, during Hermoso’s protest alongside 14 other players, the squad voiced serious concerns about their then-coach, Jorge Vilda, citing poor tactics, rigid management, and substandard conditions.
Institutional Change and Legal Reckoning
After Rubiales refused to resign and attacked the movement as “false feminism,” public outrage intensified. Earlier this year, he was convicted of sexual assault, fined over €10,000, and banned from contacting Hermoso. Rubiales has appealed.
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| Luis Rubiales speaking to the press during the trial over the kiss. |
Meanwhile, the players successfully lobbied for improved flight times, nutritional standards, and investment in resources—now aligning their conditions with those enjoyed by the men’s national team. Two-time Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas praised the transformation, stressing that it took “a lot of effort and work by many people.”
Beyond Football: Ripples in Society
The scandal transcended sport. Prof. Helena Legido‑Quigley from Imperial College London noted how the episode ignited broader debates on power, consent, and institutional sexism. Her call for solidarity among women in other sectors led to more than 200 shared accounts of harassment in a single week.
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Yet, a counter-narrative emerged. Critics began pushing back against feminism’s legitimacy, attempting to discredit victims and stall institutional reform.
Governance Gaps and Cultural Change
Despite legal advances in Spain, observers warn that real-world compliance remains inconsistent. Mar Mas from the Association for Women in Professional Sports noted that regulation without enforcement is toothless, describing oversight as “traffic lights without fines.”
Absence of a Symbolic Figure
Controversially, Jenni Hermoso is not included in this Euro squad, despite being Spain’s all-time top scorer (57 goals, 123 caps). Coach Montse Tomé cited squad competition and a desire to protect Hermoso’s well-being—but critics, including Mas, view it as part of an ongoing pattern penalizing women who speak out.
Euro 2025: More Than a Tournament
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| The Spain national team’s head coach, Montse Tomé, during a Euro 2025 press conference. |
As Spain takes the field, their campaign carries dual significance: the pursuit of continental glory, and a continuation of a battle that has reshaped attitudes toward gender equity in sports. Their journey has already sparked national conversations and legal reforms—but whether institutional change will follow remains uncertain.
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Tags: Spain women’s football, Women’s Euro 2025, La Roja equality battle, Jenni Hermoso kiss scandal, Rubiales conviction, Spain women’s football protest, Aitana Bonmatí Euro 2025, Alexia Putellas conditions, women’s rights sport Spain
