Lize Kop spoke of the ‘special feeling’ as she prepares to compete at her first UEFA Women’s Euros next month.
The European Championships, which are being held in Switzerland for the first time, will kick off on Wednesday (2 July) as Eveliina Summanen’s and Olga Ahtinen’s Finland take on Iceland in the tournament opener.
Competing in Group D, alongside holders England, France and Wales, the Netherlands and Lize have a slightly longer wait to get their tournament underway – facing Wales in the first game on Saturday 5 July at Swissporarena in Lucerne.
Joining us back in January from Leicester City, the shot stopper has featured in the last two FIFA World Cups for her country – 2023 and 2019 – but this summer will be the first time she is involved in a Euro Finals squad.
With the tournament just around the corner, the 27-year-old spoke to us about her excitement to represent her nation across the next four weeks.
“It’s always special to represent my country and, for me, I haven’t been to the Euros yet in my career, so it makes it feel even more unique,” she told us.
“The significant moments for me are things you work on as a team and you get success out of it. When you feel the team growing in the tournament, it’s a special feeling.”
While it’s set to be a busy couple of weeks for Lize and her nation, playing three group games in eight days, our number one highlighted the importance to rest and recover in the downtime.
“I love to talk with my friends about other things than football, go for a walk, get a coffee somewhere, do some mediations or work a bit on school, while also making sure to call home,” Lize added.