Spain women will take on Portugal women in the Women's European Championships on Thursday, 3 July, as both nations get their campaigns underway.
Spain come into the tournament as the favourites to win it, which shouldn't come as a shock to anyone given they are the reigning World Cup and Nations League champions.
Portugal, meanwhile, come into the tournament in ropey form after a miserable Nations League campaign. A match against the world champions to start their Euros is something they could do without.
How the bookies view it: Spain start as firm favourites
Spain women start this match as huge favourite with the bookmakers, which is something they are going to have to get used to at this tournament. BoyleSports have priced a Spain win at 1/12, while a victory for Portugal has been priced as short as 22/1. The draw, which would be seen as a great result for Portugal, has been priced at 9/1.
Head to head: Advantage Spain
Spain women have enjoyed recent clashes with Portugal, winning the last five encounters between the two nations. The two most recent clashes took place in April 2025 in the UEFA Nations League. Spain won the first match 4-2 away in Portugal before defeating them 7-1 on home soil four days later.
Players to watch: Putellas out to prove a point
Alexia Putellas is back to her best and this tournament will mean more to her than most after she tore ligaments in her knee on the eve of the 2022 edition of the tournament in England.
That injury sidelined her for the entire tournament, weakening Spain significantly in the process. At the time, she was the reigning Ballon d'Or Feminin winner and given she was back to her 2021/22 levels for Barcelona during 2024/25, there is every chance she could win that prize again this year if she performs well at the Euros.
Last season, Putellas scored 22 goals and provided 16 assists for Barcelona in all competitions, which should make her the most feared player at the tournament.
Her club teammate, Kika Nazareth, will be who Portugal lean on this week, providing she is fit enough to play.
Predicted line-ups
As mentioned earlier, the biggest concern for Portugal women ahead of this one is the availability of Kika Nazareth. The Barcelona forward injured her ankle ligaments back in March and hasn't kicked a ball since. Spain women are expected to be without Aitana Bonmati, as she has only just been released from hospital after suffering from viral meningitis.
Spain women: Coll – Battle, Paredes, Aleixandri, Carmona – Guijarro, Paralluelo, Putellas – Castillo, Caldentey, Gonzalez
Portugal women: Morais – Borges, Correira, Costa, F. Pinto, Amado – Norton, Jacinto, T. Pinto – Nazareth, Silva
Anything else catch the eye?
Although Spain are clearly a potent force in attacking areas, there are question marks about their defensive strength. La Roja failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their UEFA Nations League group matches earlier this year, and they conceded three goals in their two wins over Portugal. Portugal to score over 0.5 goals has been priced at 5/4 by BoyleSports.
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