(Reuters) – Hosts England are predicted to win the upcoming Women’s European Championship due to their home advantage, according to a forecast by data analysts Nielsen’s Gracenote.
Despite being ranked sixth in Europe (eighth in the world) by governing body FIFA, England are the favourites to prevail ahead of Olympic silver medallists Sweden, the study showed.
If achieved, it would be England’s first-ever major tournament win and would give manager Sarina Wiegman her second successive European title, after she led the Netherlands to victory in 2017.
However, the most likely Euro 2022 final is Sweden v Netherlands which has a 7.4% chance of taking place, according to the simulations.
Gracenote used data from FIFA’s world rankings to estimate the results for every potential match scenario during the tournament, resulting in about one million simulations.
Germany, France and the Netherlands are also strong candidates for the title, and there is nearly 80% chance that this year’s European champions will come from this quintet, Gracenote added.
England face Austria at Old Trafford in the tournament opener on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
