Football Fever Instead of Series Marathon: Women's Euro 2025 Shakes Up TV Schedule Considerably!
From July 2 to July 27, everything revolves around the UEFA Women's European Championship 2025 in Switzerland. And the best (or worst, depending on who you ask): ARD and ZDF will broadcast ALL 31 games live on television! Yes, you heard right. This means pure football action, but also that many familiar faces from your evening program will have to take a forced break. Get ready for weeks full of schedule changes!
Why You Won't See Your Favorite Series
The public broadcaster is going all out. For the first time, all games of the tournament will be shown in full length – except for a few parallel matches on the third group match day, which will be streamed. It all kicks off on July 2 with Iceland against Finland at 6 PM and host Switzerland against Norway at 9 PM, live on ARD. So if you want to watch your usual series or shows, you need to pay close attention now.
Germany's Games: The Key Dates
Particularly the appearances of the DFB team will cause massive shifts in primetime. If you want to cheer on the German women, make sure to note these dates:
Friday, July 4: Germany – Poland (9 PM, ARD) Tuesday, July 8: Germany – Denmark (6 PM, ARD) Saturday, July 12: Germany – Sweden (9 PM, ZDF)
If Germany advances past the group stage, you will see the quarter-finals on ZDF and a possible semi-final on ARD. A German final on July 27 would then be broadcast on ZDF. It's getting exciting!
What Has to Make Way on ZDF
ZDF also has to make some sacrifices. Particularly the popular "SOKO" crime series are affected by the 6 PM games. Say goodbye temporarily to "SOKO Stuttgart" (July 3), "SOKO Munich" (July 5), "SOKO Potsdam" (July 7), and "SOKO Wismar" (July 9). And in the evening? There are even more changes: Feature films (July 3, 7, 10), Saturday crime shows (July 5 and 12, the latter being the Germany-Sweden game), and even "Aktenzeichen XY... Unsolved" or "XY Solved" on July 9 have to make way. And if Germany reaches the final, even the "ZDF Herzkino" will be canceled on July 27. Tough, but heartfelt!
These ARD Hits Are Affected
ARD is making no exceptions either. For the 6 PM games, you will have to do without the quiz show "Gefragt – Gejagt" (July 2, 4, 8). On Sunday, July 6, the "Report from Berlin" will also not be broadcast. And in the evening? It affects the "Film Wednesday on ARD" (July 2), the feature films on Friday (July 4, the Germany-Poland game and July 11), as well as "Polizeiruf 110" or "Tatort" on Sundays (July 6 and 13). Even "In aller Freundschaft" has to take a break on Tuesday, July 8. A real shock for all fans!
The Knockout Stage: The Great Unknown
The changes mentioned so far only affect the group stage. But beware: From the quarter-finals (July 17 to 20), it gets even more exciting! The exact game times are not yet fixed, as they depend on the tournament's progress. This means that in the second half of the European Championship, further spontaneous program changes could come your way. Especially the primetime games of the knockout stage will cause a stir here. If Germany is no longer in the tournament, these games will probably only be available via livestream. So, staying tuned is worth it!
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.