- Route One Daily Brief
- Posts
- Euro Quarter-Final Projections
Euro Quarter-Final Projections
Messi exhibit released | Fifa vs Uefa tensions grow | Wrexham play second Aus friendly
GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, July. 15 - Euro 2025 projections as we reach the quarter-finals, tensions between Uefa and Fifa rise, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
TOP TALKING POINTS
Euro 2025 Projections
The Uefa Women’s Euro 2025 quarter-final line-up has been finalised. Norway play Italy on Wednesday, Sweden play England on Thursday, Spain play Switzerland on Friday, and France play Germany on Saturday. Dive deeper into the last eight teams here.
Spain, the reigning World Cup holders, are the 26.6% favourites to win the competition, according to Opta’s prediction model. Across three group stage matches, Spain scored 14 goals and conceded just three, helping them top their group for the first time at a Women’s Euro or World Cup. Current holders England are close behind, projected to have a 23% chance of winning the title. The two favourites are on opposite sides of the bracket (see here), setting up a potential showdown in the final if both advance.
France are third favourites (15.7%), Germany fourth (13%), Sweden fifth (9%), Italy sixth (5.5%), Norway seventh (4.8%), and Switzerland eighth (2.1%). The hosts, Switzerland, who have the lowest odds, are aiming to become the third straight host nation to win the tournament.
FIFA and UEFA Tensions
UEFA is increasingly concerned about Fifa’s growing influence in club football, particularly over the expansion of the Club World Cup and the threat it poses to the Champions League, according to sources speaking to The Athletic. Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin didn’t attend any matches at the Club World Cup amid the ongoing tensions between the two.
When asked why Ceferin was absent, The Athletic received a reply from an unnamed Uefa spokesperson: “In case it slipped your mind, Uefa and its president’s full attention is currently focused on the Women’s Euro. This is a major event for us, and understandably, it requires significant commitment and attention.” Ceferin has reportedly attended only one of the first 22 Women’s Euro matches, and the Club World Cup began a few weeks prior to the tournament’s kickoff.
On Saturday, Fifa president Gianni Infantino did not rule out expanding the Club World Cup to include more European clubs. He also declined to confirm whether the tournament would move from its current four-year cycle to a biennial format.
Messi’s Immersive Exhibit
A new digital installation honouring Lionel Messi’s favourite goal is now on display at Christie’s New York. Created by renowned artist Refik Anadol, the 20-by-12-foot monolith reimagines Messi’s 2009 Champions League final header (watch here) as part of an immersive experience titled Living Memory: Messi—A Goal in Life. The Inter Miami forward chose this goal as his favourite among the 870 he has scored across his career. See the exhibition here.
The AI-generated piece reconstructs Messi’s header in 3D, using player-tracking data, audio, and visual elements including his voice, and heartbeat, to create what the artist calls a “data sculpture.” See the artist’s explanation here.
Commissioned in collaboration with UNICEF, the piece will be auctioned for charity later this month, with bidding starting at $1.5m. The winning bidder will also receive a meet-and-greet with Messi. All proceeds will support education programmes across five Latin American and Caribbean countries. The exhibit is open to the public at Rockefeller Centre until July 22.
POLL
Do you think the Club World Cup could become more important than the UEFA Champions League?Leave your initials in your response if you'd like to be featured in tomorrow's edition. |
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Arsenal have agreed a deal in principle with Sporting CP to sign Viktor Gyokeres for a £54.7m fixed upfront fee plus £8.6m in add-ons (More) | Manchester United are being sued by former player Axel Tuanzebe for alleged medical negligence two years after leaving the club; the nature of the advice is unknown (More)
> The Premier League has held talks to introduce ‘Ref Cams’ next season to offer extra in-game footage to broadcasters (More); watch the best of Ref Cam at the Club World Cup (Watch)
> Luka Modric has landed in Italy as he prepares to sign with AC Milan after 13 seasons at Real Madrid (More)
Americas
> Cole Palmer admits to being surprised that United States president Donald Trump joined Chelsea on stage as they celebrated their Club World Cup success (More)
> Canada’s men national team have reached their highest Fifa world ranking at No. 28; Canada was ranked 49th when Jesse Marsch took over in May 2024 (More)
> St. Louis came back from a goal down to beat Portland 2-1 at home in the MLS Western Conference, as 14th-place St Louis have now earned points in four of their last five home matches (More)
> Brazil Women beat Venezuela 2-0 in their opening game of the Women’s Copa America as they aim for a ninth trophy (More)
Rest of the World
> Wrexham will play Sydney FC on Tuesday night (July 15) following their comfortable 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory in front of 37,000 on Friday (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think Crystal Palace should have been demoted from the Europa League for missing Uefa's restructuring deadline?
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes... (34%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope... (63%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (3%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 J.A: “They missed the deadline. If you don’t show up to take the test, you fail. If you don’t show up to your court hearing, you can still face charges… nothing about this is different. A deadline is a deadline.”
👍 A.B: “The rules are the rules, just because Palace have marketed themselves as plucky underdogs who deserve special treatment from their fans doesn’t mean that one of the 30 richest clubs in the world doesn’t have to play by the same rules as everyone else.”
🙅♂️ L.B: “It has been widely known that Textor was keen to sell his Palace shares for a fair while after not being given the influence that he had wanted in the club. Palace were not able to put his share into the blind trust, only he could have done that, and why would he have if he was keen to move on from the club, one of which didn’t seem likely to have been in contention for the Europa League place? Palace have earned their spot in the competition, and it is ridiculous that Lyon, considering their financial affairs are a shambles and have been for years now, have been able to have their punishment overturned and are rewarded by holding their place in the tournament.”
🙅♂️ L.H: “Despite holding around 40% shares in Palace, it is very clear that John Textor did not hold significant decision-making powers at the club. Also, Lyon’s financial wrongdoings should have resulted in relegation. Hopefully, it is still not too late for Uefa to see sense and lift the ban on Palace.”
Would you be interested in joining a Fantasy Premier League mini-league set up by us? |
EXTRA TIME
Every transfer in the men’s top five leagues. (Live Tracker)
… and grading the biggest signings of the summer.
Who profited most from Club World Cup’s $1bn prize pot?
The amateur English side who became first world champions.
Why are Arsenal breaking the women’s transfer record? (analysis)
Trump quips on changing ‘soccer’ to ‘football’.
Nottingham Forest unveil stunning new home kit.
GAME FACE ON
Guess the common football team from three players:
Theo Hernandez, Matheus Cunha, Renan Lodi.
Gabriel, Mike Maignan, Victor Osimhen.
Denzel Dumfries, Cody Gakpo, Noni Madueke.
Scroll below for the answer.
Answer
Atletico Madrid. Lille. PSV.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
I told my players that the Club World Cup will become just as, if not more, important than the Champions League.