Chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulated the DFB women via tweet. He’s coming to Wembley for the final against England on Sunday. The semi-final against France achieved record TV ratings.
Scholz hopes to be able to experience the title win live in the stadium in London. “That was a great achievement,” wrote the SPD politician on Thursday night (07/28/2022) on Twitter. “I’m looking forward to going to London and supporting the German team in their dream final against the hosts England at Wembley.”
Record quota on TV – almost half of all viewers were there
The team of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg had previously beaten France 2-1 (1-1) in the semi-finals of the European Championships in Milton Keynes. The game achieved record ratings on German television. An average of 12.187 million people watched the entry into the EM final on ZDF on Wednesday evening and accounted for a market share of 47.2 percent. This means that almost half of all television viewers in the evening watched football.
According to AGF video research, the transmission was the most successful TV show of the day. It achieved the highest reach of a women’s European Championship game on German television to date. The top value so far was the live broadcast of the 2-0 victory of the DFB women against Austria with 9.5 million (market share 38.2 percent) in the first. The highest value of the previous European Championship was the game against Russia at 7.06 million.
Faeser: “What goals”
In addition to Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD), DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and DFB Managing Director Oliver Bierhoff were there live in the stadium against France. The performance of the German women also impressed them. “FINALE!! Unbelievable, what an exciting game I was able to witness up close in Milton Keynes yesterday. What goals, @alexpopp11! #GERFRA #weuro2022 @dfb_frauen,” tweeted Faeser.
Neuendorf: More visibility than at Wembley is not possible
Neuendorf praised the MVT team as “ambassadors for women’s football overall”. “We’ve always said we want more visibility for women’s football and you really can’t get more visibility than Wembley in front of 90,000.” Bierhoff feels “the conviction, the fun of achieving something” in the German soccer players, he said on ZDF. “We’re overjoyed, not just because of the results, but how the team have been performing here all these weeks, what energy they exude, what determination, what willpower.” One senses that “now they also want to take this last step”.
If the title were won, the DFB would have to pay out a record bonus
Should the case arise that the DFB women – unlike the German footballers in 1966 – win against England in Wembley, the DFB would also have a go at it. The players’ council around captain Alexandra Popp has negotiated a record bonus of 60,000 euros per player in the event of winning the title. 30,000 euros for each kicker are already booked with the entry into the final. Before the EM 2017, 37,500 euros had been awarded for the title – however, the DFB team failed five years ago in the quarter-finals.
According to Bierhoff, the players’ loved ones were also thought of. For the “dream final”, the DFB organized a plane for families and friends to London.
Press reviews from England
- “The Guardians”: “England versus Germany, in the final of the European Championship, in the sold-out Wembley Stadium. Loved, hated, it’s a game that draws the attention of the host nation like no other, in no other sport, in any arena. With all the breathtaking Moments that England’s players experienced on their way to the final, there will be no one as good as Popp at Wembley on Sunday. Popp is unstoppable.”
- “Daily Mail”: “Here come the Germans! England meet a familiar opponent in the final of the Euro 2022 on Sunday after the eight-time European champions beat France 2-1 thanks to two relentlessly completed goals from Alexandra Popp.”
- “The Sun”: “POPP STAR. England meet Germany in the final of EURO 2022 after captain Alexandra Popp gave her side a two-goal lead against France.”
- “Evening Standard”: “Germany are delivering on the big stage again. Just a month ago, Popp seemed to have a cursed relationship with this competition. Now, thanks to their goals, Germany are just one win away from reclaiming the title.”