100 days to go: 'Euro 2022 will be harder to win than the World Cup'

Excitement levels for a home European Championship in the summer increased on Monday when London marked 100 days until the competition with an unveiling of life-sized table football figures — hours before further sell-out crowds were announced.

With over half of the tournament's tickets already sold in a pre-sale, the final at Wembley — set to take place on 31 July — sold out within an hour of the general sale on Monday morning.

It means the showcase finale could surpass the record for any Euros match in a men's or women's tournament.

And while fans scrambled to buy tickets online, London's colourful Carnaby Street was decorated with life-sized figures of female players from around Europe as some of the competition's stars posed for photographs with the trophy.

It is set to be the biggest Euros in women's football history — not just because of the demand for tickets but because the quality of competition has increased hugely in recent years.

«I think it's actually harder to win a Euros now than a World Cup,» France international and Everton midfielder Kenza Dali told BBC Sport.

«In Europe the level is very close. At a World Cup you have some games where the gap is massive sometimes. At the Euros you can't pick a team and say they will win the Euros.

»There's Spain, England, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands… a lot of teams! It's really exciting. There's big competition and it's in a country which is big for football. Who is going to win?"

England are hoping to become European champions for the first time, having lost finals in 1984 and 2009.

They were knocked out in the semi-finals of the 2017 Euros by hosts the Netherlands, who went on to lift the trophy by beating Denmark in the final.

Chelsea defender Jess Carter said it is