Here we are, then: the 2022 Women's European Championship is about to reach its pinnacle and you can only be excited by what you are about to watch.
It is not often that the best four teams — in this case, England, Sweden, Germany and France — make the last four together in a major tournament. Often you have surprises, disappointments, overachievers, minnows and so on. Not this time. This time, we have what we've all been waiting for since the tournament draw was made: the four group winners facing each other in a dream pair of semifinals which will lead to a marquee final, regardless of who makes it to Wembley on July 31.
But let's not get too carried away. Let's first enjoy our two main dishes before our dessert: England vs. Sweden on Tuesday (LIVE 3 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN+) and France vs. Germany on Wednesday (LIVE 3 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN+). The four best teams in Europe and the four best teams in this tournament without a doubt.
Imagine the Wimbledon semifinals with Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray at their best. Imagine the last NCCA March Madness Final Four with the four top seeds Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke and Villanova. Imagine two laps to go in a Formula 1 Grand Prix with Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso all still racing for the checkered flag. This is what we are talking about here. Football excellence, the game at its best, with the season's biggest prize at stake.
And the narratives are all perfect as well. The drama, the excitement and the storylines are there for us to enjoy. England, on home soil, getting closer, finally, to a first major triumph since the 1966 men's World Cup. Sweden, the best losing side of the 21st century, always in the
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