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Lionesses to repeat Euro success? What happens to Manchester City and Liverpool trio? Football storylines in 2025

After an eventful 2024 in football, 2025 promises to be no different. As we enter the new year, Pete Sharland takes a look at some of the biggest storylines that will be expected to dominate the news cycle throughout the year. From big teams struggling, to the European Championship, with a new Club World Cup in-between, there is something for everyone as the football never, ever stops!

Arteta insists Arsenal will continue to fight for title despite gap to Liverpool

Video credit: SNTV

Football in 2024 was, in so many ways, truly extraordinary - a year that will live long in the memory for those of us who love the beautiful game.

If you want to take a trip down memory lane, make sure to check out my colleague Ibrahim Mustapha's round up of the biggest stories, both in England and across the world.

For this article, we will take a look at what is to come in 2025, both in terms of scheduled events and some of the storylines we’ll be keeping a close eye on.

Champions League

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Without any further ado, let’s get to it.

Champions League football... in January?!

The first one on this list is also the first on the calendar, with decisive Champions League and Europa League games in just a few weeks towards the end of January. You can watch them live on TNT Sports and discovery+ in the UK.

No two ways about it: it is going to be extremely weird to watch continental games in January, but it is also going to be interesting to see how much drama and jeopardy these final two game weeks produce with the extra League Phase matches.

One of the key talking points will be the surprise names who are poised to qualify automatically for the knockouts and avoid the play-offs. Aston Villa, Brest and Lille are all currently in the Champions League top eight, ahead of some bigger (and noticeably richer) teams.

Highlights: Liverpool dominate Real Madrid at fiery Anfield as Mbappe woes continue

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As for winners? Liverpool are looking like the best side in Europe right now, but teams like Arsenal, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich will all be going into the new year believing they can make a run. Perhaps we will end up with a first-time winner.

In the Europa League, one team we will be keeping an eye on is Athletic Club. The Basques are playing some of the best football in Europe and the final will be played at the iconic San Mames. If they make it all the way, there won’t be a bigger or better party in all of football in 2025.

Can Lionesses repeat glory at Euro 2025?

The biggest international tournament this year will be the Women’s European Championship, which takes place in Switzerland this summer.

All eyes will be on England and Spain, the defending European and World champions respectively, and two of the best three teams in the world, along with the USA. Because of the quirky qualifying rules with Team GB, the Lionesses had to sit out the Olympics last year and, after an up-and-down period, will be looking to show the kind of form which won them the trophy in 2022.

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Aside from those two favourites, it should prove to be a fascinating tournament. Germany no longer have legendary forward Alexandra Popp, but their squad is still packed with talent and should be able to welcome back Lena Oberdorf from her devastating knee injury. France, Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands are all looking strong too.

An early dark(ish) horse? For us, it might be Norway. Players like Guro Reiten, Frida Maanum and Elisabeth Terland have had fantastic seasons in the WSL so far and the likes of Ingrid Syrstad Engen, Caroline Graham Hansen and Ada Hegerberg remain some of the best in the world in their positions. The worry will always be whether they can keep opponents out, but with a relatively easy group they should be poised to make a run.

Elsewhere, internationally, we have the delayed WAFCON finally taking place in Morocco as well as the Copa America Femenina in Ecuador. Don’t miss them!

Will women’s game see first £1 million player?

As women’s football grows and more money comes in from increased TV revenue, it stands to reason that the transfer record will keep being broken. The current record belongs to Racheal Kundananji who joined NWSL expansion side Bay FC in February 2024 for a widely reported fee of around $860,000 (£685,000). The deal marked the third time in 18 months that the record had been broken after Keira Walsh’s move to Barcelona and then Mayra Ramirez’s move to Chelsea.

The next barrier is, of course, the £1 million mark (or euros or dollars depending on your preference). There were reports last summer that Arsenal and Chelsea were contemplating breaching that barrier for Walsh (or at least coming close) but nothing came to pass.

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It feels inevitable that 2025 might be the year that this fee is paid, be that in pounds, euros or dollars. Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Lyon, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are all seriously investing in their clubs and would have the resources to pay that kind of price. Not to mention the number of clubs within the NWSL who will feel the pressure to spend after the impact that someone like Barbra Banda (second-highest transfer of all time) had on 2024 champions Orlando Pride.

Who will that be? Now that’s hard to say. Will a big European club launch audacious bids for Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson or Naomi Girma? What about if one of Barcelona’s big stars chooses to leave? There are certainly options, but nothing concrete, yet.

On the pitch, this season’s Champions League promises to be one of the most intriguing. Not only did Manchester City show that holders Barcelona can be beaten, but there is an argument to be had that the quarter-final field is the strongest it has ever been, with Barcelona, Real Madrid, Lyon, Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea vying for glory.

Sonia Bompastor, Head Coach of Chelsea poses for a photograph her Barclays Manager of the Month Award at Chelsea Training Ground on December 06, 2024 in Cobham, England

Image credit: Getty Images

Across the pond, the NWSL continues to only grow and grow, as does the Liga MX Femenil, and we will see an inaugural winner of the CONCACAF Champions League crowned in May. Across the world, the game is taking big steps and, despite various roadblocks along the way, there is just so much to be excited about.

How many of Salah, Trent and VVD will leave?

Liverpool’s men's team have had an incredible first half of the season and Arne Slot and his players deserve immense credit. As we said above, they look like one of the best teams in Europe, which was not what was expected after Jurgen Klopp stepped aside.

However, it’s hard to talk about Liverpool without talking about the elephant in the room, or rather three elephants. All three of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah are currently free to negotiate pre-contracts ahead of their deals at Anfield expiring in the summer. It seems all but certain that Alexander-Arnold will move to Real Madrid to link up with good friend Jude Bellingham, but recent reports have indicated that perhaps the other two could stay after all. If Slot and Liverpool can end up keeping two out of three, it will be a massive victory.

Mbappe, Salah, Gyokeres and more star in the top 20 UEFA Champions League Goals of 2024

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What happens with Pep and City?

Speaking of big Premier League clubs with headaches to deal with, we come to the defending English champions. Not only are City and their manager Pep Guardiola in their worst run of form in the Spaniard’s time in England, but they also have the looming threat of the Premier League’s case against them, with the verdict due in 2025.

Guardiola has been adamant that he will stay with the club no matter the result, but will the club start to think about other options if he can’t turn things around? It seems crazy that a team would so quickly dispense with the services of one of the greatest managers of all time, but English football is its own special kind of crazy...

Highlights: Duran, Rogers add to Man City’s misery as champions lose again

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Can Forest and other surprise packages keep pace?

And again, speaking of, is there a more surprising story in Europe’s big leagues this season than Nottingham Forest? We can’t think of one. However, we once again do have a few teams who are punching way above their weight, an interesting recent trend. Aside from Forest, we have Bournemouth and Fulham pushing for European football in England, Mainz in fifth in Germany, Atletico pushing for another title in Spain with Mallorca sitting in the European places and Atalanta locked in a title fight in Serie A. Can they all keep the pace? It’s going to be fascinating to find out.

Nottingham Forest v Fulham highlights as hosts earn crucial victory

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Can anyone save Man Utd?

Don’t forget about big clubs struggling either. The headline here is, of course, Manchester United, where Ruben Amorim seemingly now realises the true scale of the massive rebuild job he has agreed to. If Amorim cannot save Manchester United, what hope is there for this once great club?

They are not alone, however, with Spurs blowing hot and cold with each passing fixture and a real risk that Everton’s long stay in the top flight might come to an end. On a similar note, in Spain, Valencia’s sad fall from grace might ultimately culminate in relegation, whilst Sevilla are also in trouble. The Bundesliga is going mostly to script but in the 2. Bundesliga there are real worries about Schalke possibly getting relegated to the third tier. In Italy, Roma are only just recovering from a catastrophic start as both they and a stuttering AC Milan will go into the new year with new managers. In addition, former French champions Montpellier currently sit bottom of Ligue 1. It will be interesting to see which of these teams can reverse their fortunes in 2025.

Highlights: Hojlund spares Onana blushes with late winner for Man Utd at Plzen

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Club World Cup

The latest iteration of the Club World Cup sees a revamped tournament with 32 teams in 11 cities across the United States. On the face of it, this feels like a good idea, bringing a larger number of fanbases together in a quieter period in the calendar to try and create the kind of vibe you get in international tournaments.

Of course, the caveat to this is "who cares about the Club World Cup?" and ultimately, that is still a huge question for the most part. Yes, watching South American teams beat their richer European counterparts was always fun, but in reality, very few people have ever cared about this tournament.

Can this new format change that? Well, if it does not, then it is likely nothing will. Hosting it every four years seems simultaneously weird and sensible, but should ultimately mean it matters more. Also, we have some truly huge fanbases represented (which should help) and, of course, a wide selection of great players - including a certain Lionel Messi - for this first edition.

Watch UEFA Champions League and Premier League football live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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Thoughts?