Unless there is an exit to a Eurocup heavily tinged with Barça

BarcelonaThe Women's Euro Cup kicks off this Thursday with Iceland vs. Finland (6 p.m.). Sixteen teams will battle it out to face Finland in the final on July 27th at Sankt Jakob-Park in Basel, with Spain one of the main contenders for the title. Montse Tomé's team will be looking to lift the only trophy they have yet to win after winning the Nations League and the World Cup. England and France are the other two big names to watch.

In a season of stagnation for men's football, with no Olympic Games, Copa América, Euro Cup, or World Cup for national teams, Switzerland will host this international women's tournament in July. Barça, the national treble winners and European runners-up, will be contributing a total of 18 players to the tournament, spread across seven national teams (Spain, Poland, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland).

Spain has the most Barça players, with 11 players. Montse Tomé's team debuts this Thursday (9 p.m.) against Kika Nazareth's Portugal. Laia Aleixandri, the newest addition to Pere Romeu's team, is expected to be one of the starters. The opening match will be without Irene Paredes, who is suspended from qualifying matches, and Aitana Bonmatí. The reigning Ballon d'Or winner, after being hospitalized with viral meningitis, has already returned to the training camp in Switzerland and completed part of his training session just this Thursday. Therefore, his presence against Portugal is almost ruled out.

On the other hand, Cata Coll, Ona Batlle, Alexia Putellas, and Patri Guijarro are also expected to start. However, it remains to be seen what role Jana Fernández, Salma Paralluelo, Vicky López, and Claudia Pina, one of this season's revelations. In the same group as the Spanish and Portuguese national teams are also Italy, without the injured Giulia Dragoni (a Barça player who has been loaned to Roma), and Belgium.

Bayern Munich, with 16 players at the Euro, are in second place among the most represented clubs, and Chelsea (15) complete the podium. Juventus are fourth (14), while to find the current Champions League champion, Arsenal, on this list, must drop to fifth place (12). The Spanish league is one of the most represented. In total, 38 players (including Emilia Szymczak of Barça's reserve team) have traveled to Switzerland.

The Catalan who plays for the host team

This number has grown in recent days with the call-up of Laia Ballesté. The Catalan center-back, who is part of Espanyol's squad, has been called up by Switzerland (she has dual nationality) to replace Luana Bühler, who is suffering from knee problems.

Ballesté, 26, was born in L'Ampolla (Tarragona), but her mother is Swiss, which allows her to play matches for the national team coached by Pia Sundhage. The center back was already called up during the April strike, where she made her debut against Iceland in a Nations League match. She has played 24 matches for Espanyol this season. Aside from Ballesté, there are eight other Catalans at the Euros: Esther Sullastres (Sevilla), Ona Batlle (Barça), Jana Fernández (Barça), Laia Aleixandri (Barça), Leila Ouahabi (Manchester City), Aitana Bonmatí (Barça), Alexia Putellas (Barça), and Claudia Pina (Barça).

More Barça players in the other groups

All four groups in the first phase have at least one Barça player. Norway has Graham Hansen and Ingrid Engen, a Barça player until a few days ago, in its ranks. Switzerland, meanwhile, has one of the discoveries of the year: Sydney Schertenleib. Both players have been drawn with Finland and Iceland, respectively.

The Catalan team's top scorer, Ewa Pajor, will also be eligible for the European Championship after achieving a historic milestone with Poland's qualification for the first time. Emilia Szymczak, from the reserve team, is also in the squad. The Polish national team will face Germany, Denmark, and Sweden, where Fridolina Rolfö will be playing. Finally, the last group, considered the most difficult, consists of England, with former Barça players Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh; the Netherlands, with Esmee Brugts; France; and Wales, which on paper is the Cinderella of the group.

The battle for the Ballon d'Or, between Catalans and a Mallorcan

The European Championship will also serve to decide who will take home this year's Ballon d'Or. On paper, two of the three favorites are Catalans: Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí, who will be seeking their third award for best player, while Mallorca's Mariona Caldentey, a European champion with Arsenal, will try to break the Barça dominance: they have won the last four editions.