Matches at Euro 2025 in Switzerland have largely been sold out, with swelling crowds cheering on global stars they recognize from Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea. At first glance, women's football has never been closer to men's football.

Beyond the ongoing battle for equal pay, there is however another glaring and striking difference between men's and women's international football in Europe. Most women's teams are significantly whiter than their male counterparts. While fans, players and football institutions strive to make the women's game inclusive, limited access to football in certain communities means Euro 2025 – at least on the pitch – doesn't really reflect many of the nations being represented.

Building inclusion – of all kinds

According to football fan research company Two Circles, European fans of women's football tend to be younger and more female than men's football. An open, comfortable atmosphere in the stands and outspoken players is a big part of the draw.

"I think it's a more inclusive environment in women's football. It's much friendlier. It doesn't feel as intimidating," Seray, an England fan visiting Switzerland from London, told DW.

Many fans want the diversity of the crowds and the inclusive nature of women's football to expand to the social and cultural backgrounds of the women playing the game at the highest level.

Just three years ago, hosts and winners England faced institutional criticism from prominent former players like Anita Asante and Alex Scott for failing to bring non-white players into the fold. That squad had just three players of Black ancestry, totalling just 13%. Three years on, that number has risen only slightly to 17%, according to Show Racism the Red Card. That is drastically less than the 64% that makes up the England men's squad.

Germany, where more than one in four people is either an immigrant or a descendant of an immigrant, had just a handful of players with immigrant roots even before Sara Doorsoun retired from international football and Nicole Anyomi was cut from the Euros roster.

Barriers to access mean England's team is significantly less diverse than it could be. They also mean that Germany's tournament squad, like many in the competition, looks little like the country's broader population.

"I'm here, I'm representing England, and I'm British Asian," one English fan in Zürich told DW. "I think diversity is very, very important."

France's football diversity approach

"My daughter plays football, we're into football," a French fan told DW prior to a Euro 2025 match. "It's important, especially to show every girl who wants to play football, that they feel like they could be part of the French team."

France is leaps and bounds above most European nations, boasting one of the tournament's most diverse squads.

"It's a point of pride to represent your country, regardless of whether it's the men's or women's team. We're all proud to be here and be able to represent France," midfielder Grace Geyoro, who was born in the DR Congo and raised in Orleans, France, said at a press conference.

French players expressed surprise when asked about the diversity in their squad, as many of them take it as a given and a simple reflection of French culture.

"It's not really something you think about," said France attacker Clara Mateo. "It's true that there's lots of diversity in the various regions of France, and that we're all united on the pitch."

According to the French FA, France has a dense web of clubs offering girls and women's football throughout the country, meaning an opportunity to play is never far.

"We know football is extremely developed all over France, so this can bring diversity to the team. Above all, it's an asset that we can really use," Mateo continued.

Breaking down barriers to entry

Many football associations are keen to make their football more accessible at the grassroots level, in the hope it will lead to more diversity at the elite level. The English FA, for instance, recently launched a four-year girls and women's football strategy where boosting diversity is a central plank.

Euro 2025 host Switzerland have launched something similar. ZüriKick is a program in Zürich offering free weekly football training to girls at schools, with accessibility to the whole city a major tenant of the project.

"One reason ZüriKick is built into the school program is to ensure easy access. Because sometimes its not so easy for girls with certain cultural backgrounds to just join a football club," Regula Schweizer, Project Lead for the Euros in Zürich, told DW.

"But to do something in the school environment is much more approachable, so they have an entry point, they feel welcome, and they know their surroundings," Schweizer added.

"It's very important everyone feels welcome in the program. Not everyone has to play football, but everyone should have the chance to try it out," she said.

Edited by: Jonathan Harding