France cannot ´be afraid of anyone´ in tough Euro 2025 group, says Mateo

Clara Mateo says France cannot “be afraid of anyone” after being drawn into a tough group for Euro 2025.

Les Bleus have been drawn in the same group as England, Wales and the Netherlands and are set for a heavyweight Group D opener against the reigning European champions.

France have reached the knockout stages of the Euros in each of the last four editions, though they have never tasted success in the competition.

In fact, of the teams that have never made the final, France have played more matches than any other nation (26) – though they did reach the semi-final for the first time in the last edition before losing to Germany.

Despite the tough test ahead of them, Mateo, who has made 31 appearances for the national team, believes France are up to the task.

“Yes, it’s true that the group is going to be complicated,” Mateo told Stats Perform. “But we also know that to win a competition, you can’t be afraid of anyone, you have to beat everyone.

“So, we’ll be getting to the heart of the matter very quickly. England, Wales and the Netherlands are going to be different but interesting encounters. And we know it’s going to be tough.

“But as I said, you have to beat everyone to win a trophy. So, we’ll take one match at a time, and then we’ll do our best to get out of this group.”

GROUP D #WEURO2025 pic.twitter.com/h2FsbCrwZs

— UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 (@WEURO2025) December 16, 2024

Since Euro 2022, France reached the quarter-finals of both the Women’s World Cup and the Olympics, on home soil in Paris, while they also finished as runners-up at the inaugural Women’s Nations League, losing to Spain in the final.

Mateo’s Paris FC team-mate Daphne Corboz has never made an appearance for the national team, despite receiving her first call-up in 2018, though she is sure France will be ready for the challenge by July.

“Yes, it’s a difficult group, but in these tournaments, you have to get through,” she added. “Not always, but to win, you have to beat the best.

“Unfortunately for France, it comes quite early. But I think they’ll be ready, and they’ll do everything they can to get through this Euro, which I hope will be a great celebration of women’s football.”