Key events
That’s my power hour in the chair done and dusted. We’re only four hours away from kickoff now and Emillia Hawkins is back to ramp up the anticipation levels.
Sarina Wiegman has made her name as a ruthless decision-maker, but she may well let loose and get the party started if England do the business in Basel tonight.
Midfielder Keira Walsh has spoken effusively about her manager.
“She probably shows her excitement a little bit more after games than she used to do,” she said. “When you see on the side she’s dancing and singing and we didn’t see that so much when she first came in. But, in terms of how she delivers tactics and how she manages, I think she is very, very similar.”
Tom Garry
The view from our reporter in Basel:
The historic old town squares in the centre of Basel are all heaving with England fans enjoying beers, some lunch and even kicking a ball around in some cases, but the rain is now plummeting down on their party. It looks like the white and blue kits are in the majority over the red Spain kits.
The England fans are out in force in Basel today and the gentle ribbing of Spain has begun in earnest.
Nobody asked, but here’s the XI that I’d pick if I was Sarina Wiegman this evening:
Hampton; Bronze, Williamson, Greenwood, Carter; Walsh, Stanway, Toone; Kelly, Russo, Hemp.
Kelly starting, leave Agyemang as an impact sub, slight tweak to the back four. There you go.
Just a gentle reminder of the other major sporting events we’re covering this afternoon. Get across them.
Surely every single screen in the country needs to be showing the final at 5pm today? Apparently not, as William Lane reveals on email.
Uproar in Sheffield this morning as Tramlines festival aren’t showing the final (a no re-entry policy complicates matters further).
CMAT and leave for the footie, or watch the final and rush in for Kasabian assuming no extra time. Or bin off the whole thing and hunker down in a pub somewhere.
Some difficult decisions need to be made…
Do the right thing, William!
Let’s have some England team selection debate then, shall we?
There’s been a lot of chat about whether super-subs Chloe Kelly and/or Michelle Agyemang should come into the starting lineup.
Should Lauren James retain her starting spot? We believe she is injury-free, so is fit enough to do so. Will (or should) Wiegman make any adjustments to her defence?
It’s a game of opinions, so let’s hear yours.
Uefa’s director of women’s football Nadine Kessler says the 16-team Euro 2025 has been a big success even without making a profit, and that there aren’t any plans to expand the tournament in the short-term.
Let’s hear a bit from Sarina Wiegman on the pressure, or maybe lack thereof, involved in playing major finals. She’s been in a few as a manager, this her fifth in Euros and World Cups with England and the Netherlands, plus numerous others.
Every tournament of course you want to perform and there are expectations but you also have expectations from yourself.
I just know that going into a final is already very, very special. There are only two teams that can make the final so if you talk about pressure, that’s not really a pressure, that’s very special.
When you got to a final you really want to win it too. We’re happy that we’re in the final and we really want to win it and we’re going to do everything to make that happen.
Thanks Emillia.
I enjoyed the name Douglas Bootle earlier. Sounds like a Pro Evolution Soccer version of my own name.
I’m off for a break now so Dominic Booth will be with you for the next hour.
England v Spain: last three meetings
Spain 2 England 1, 3 June 2025, Barcelona
England were knocked out of the Nations League after going ahead through Alessia Russo in the 21st minute. In the second half, Spain’s Clàudia Pina made an instant impact from the bench, scoring two minutes after coming on, then doubled her tally 10 minutes later as Spain secured victory in the 70th minute. The Lionesses would have qualified for the semi-finals at Spain’s expense with a win.
England 1 Spain 0, 26 Feb 2025, London
A Wembley crowd of 46,550 watched England defeat Spain in the teams’ first meeting since the World Cup final, in Nations League A Group 3. Jess Park’s 33rd-minute goal secured victory for the Lionesses. Lucía García’s first-half attempt that rattled the crossbar and second-half chances for the winger Salma Paralluelo were the highlights of Spain’s attacking play but England held on.
Spain 1 England 0, 20 August 2023, Sydney
Spain became world champions with a dominant performance. Lauren Hemp hit the bar from outside of the box early on but that was the pinnacle of England’s first-half chances and Olga Carmona ensured Spain went into the break ahead with a clinical finish past Mary Earps. Earps produced a fantastic 70th-minute penalty save from Jenni Hermoso and made further saves to keep England in the game but Spain deserved their win. Eze Obasi
David Flood is at Latitude Festival this weekend but will be watching the football later. He says:
“Two years ago I wandered Latitude asking if they would be showing the final but no luck. This year they have listened and are showing it on 2 screens. Sadly I will miss Alison Moyer and Mika. And please no extra time or penalties otherwise there’ll be no Elbow!
“And Gareth Malone and the Latitude choir will be singing a special rendition of Its Coming Home!”
Roger Kirkby says:
“This is the most famous song about Switzerland in the world. There’s not a guitarist on the planet that can’t play it. The Swiss missed a trick here, as they should have made it their National Anthem for the duration of the tournament. No more military marching bands for them, oh no. If their players had lined-up in front of this mob, they would have been unbeatable.”
Leah Williamson says England do not want their legacy to be a “flash in the pan” as they prepare to defend their European title against Spain.
Just a reminder that kick-off is at 5pm BST (6pm CEST) today.
So, where could today’s final be won and lost? Sophie Downey has looked into it…
Douglas Bootle has messaged in from Basel:
“The final will be my 4th England game of the tournament – my niece is here too – I’ve lived in Basel for 25 years and the active/mindful inclusivity of the fans is transformational for Switzerland.”
Sofia Cianfarani has messaged in from France to say:
“Regardless of tonight’s result, it is a great day to reflect on the triumphant rise of women’s football in England over the past few years. Some family friends are staying with me this weekend. When I asked whether we would be watching the game, they looked at me with profound disgust at the suggestion that we could be doing anything else.
“Seeing their three young children – two boys and one girl, all of whom play football themselves – be just as excited and knowledgeable about this final as they were about the men’s in 2024 is truly wonderful and gives me great hope for the future. In his article earlier today, Philipp Lahm praised the growing competitiveness of women’s football across Europe, and it’s clear that the sport is evolving rapidly. However, as a Brit who has lived in France for most of my life, I must say that attitudes still have a long way to go in some places. I believe that those places may look to England as a brilliant example of successfully promoting the women’s game – not as some ode to diversity, but simply as football.”
Peter Flint has praised referee Stéphanie Frappart ahead of tonight’s match:
“We mustn’t forget what an important bearing the referee can have on a match – a bad official can really disrupt the flow of a game. I hope I’m not jinxing her by saying that Stéphanie Frappart has been the standout official at the tournament so far.
“Early on I said that, unless France make the final, she should officiate it – I think she will strike the right balance between letting the game happen while not putting up with any nonsense.”
England midfielder Ella Toone spoke to the media on Friday. She insisted the Lionesses are not feeling any outside pressure ahead of the final. The Manchester United star said: “We have our own little bubble and when we’re on camp we stay in that little bubble. We don’t know too much about what’s going on at home. We don’t have that pressure on ourselves, the only pressure we have is the one that you put on yourself individually. We’re all very competitive athletes who want to win and want to play well every single game.
“When we came into this tournament we said that we wanted to make the nation proud and I think we’ve done that already. We’ve reached a final for the third time in a row and that’s something we can hold our heads high and be proud of. We know that no matter what we do we’re already inspiring the next generation of girls and boys starting out on their journeys. So no pressure, we’re definitely blocking that out and we’ll make sure we prepare properly for the game on Sunday.”
Spain’s road to the final
Spain 5-0 Portugal
Spain 6-2 Belgium
Italy 1-3 Spain
Spain 2-0 Switzerland
Germany 0-1aet Spain
On the 2027 Women’s World Cup broadcast deal, Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, said: “BBC Sport has been a longstanding champion of women’s football, helping to elevate the game to where it is today – a sport experiencing unprecedented growth in popularity and reach across BBC Sport platforms. From domestic leagues to major international tournaments, we’ve brought the defining moments to millions across the UK already, including this summer’s Women’s Euro. Extending our partnership with FIFA alongside ITV ensures that the drama and spectacle of the Women’s World Cup remains free-to-air, continuing to inspire audiences across the UK, and bring in new fans of the game.”
On the 2027 Women’s World Cup broadcast deal, Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said: “ITV is proud to play a key role in supporting the tremendous growth of women’s football in the UK. ITV Sport is the home of the Lionesses and it’s vital we ensure tournaments like the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 remains free-to-air for generations of football fans to enjoy, with support of the game at an all time high.
“ITV’s coverage of the Lionesses victory over Italy in the UEFA Women’s EUROs 2025 Semi-Final delivered ITV’s biggest peak audience of the year with 10.2 million people tuning in, highlighting the brilliant support and interest in women’s football. The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 is sure to be another standout tournament and we look forward to continuing our relationship with both FIFA and the BBC.”
BBC and ITV confirm 2027 World Cup broadcast deal
BBC Sport and ITV have secured the rights to broadcast the 2027 Women’s World Cup, ensuring that the biggest tournament in women’s football remains free-to-air for UK audiences.
The 32-team tournament in Brazil will kick-off on 24 June 2027 and will conclude on Sunday 25 July.
BBC Sport will show games across TV and BBC iPlayer, with ITV set to deliver coverage across across ITV1, ITV4 and ITVX.
England’s road to the final
We recently asked fans to get in touch and send us their experiences from Euro 2025 and their views of the tournament. We received some brilliant responses, so I’ll be sharing them throughout the day, starting with this one:
‘It’s been a great for family connection’
“I am watching the England games at home on TV with my 15-year-old son in Mexico City. My daughter has attended games so we’ve kept in touch with her at the stadium and watched along together on FaceTime. We watched all of the two tournaments together, so it’s been a great way of keeping the family connection going.
“The highlight has been England scoring two goals in quick succession to draw level with Sweden – and absolutely anything that Chloe Kelly does! That said, Spain have been the standout performers so far and I think they’ll beat England in the final.
“This tournament has been a real step up. The quality from all participating teams has improved. At the last Euros, England were clear favourites but this time around there have been five or six teams that could have won the tournament. Healthy competition is good competition!”
Andy, Mexico
Here’s your guide to the Euro 2025 final:
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We are lucky enough to have the US Women’s National team head coach and former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes on board as a columnist this month. Here is what she had to say in her latest column…
Lester Broom emailed in to say:
“The Women’s Euros have been a glorious feast of Football, and should remind the Men’s game, that it’s not cool to swear at officials, have punch ups, or drink too much, but I think that’s expecting too much, and all of these things will continue. Meanwhile the Women’s game will continue to flourish as it gives a much better experience for children on Match Day, just as the WSL does in the UK.”
Today’s match officials:
Referee: Stéphanie Frappart
Assistant referees: Camille Soriano, Francesca di Monte
Fourth official: Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi
Reserve assistant referee: Susanne Küng
VAR: Willy Delajod
Assistant VAR: Christian Dingert
VAR supervisor: Dennis Higler
Peter Lansley has messaged in to say:
“It’s exciting however you watch the Lionesses from home but there’s a tricky dilemma here: do you keep watching it (humanly) solo, debating potential substitutions with Jude (the dog), so that you can immerse yourself wholly in the game and the unfolding tactical narrative, or invite the neighbours round who started watching casually at their homes until this stage when they now think it would be great to get together as we do for the men’s tournaments. But you know they’ll then start asking stuff like ‘How would this England team get on against a men’s team?’ and ‘Why do so many of them have ponytails?’.
“Still, England competing in finals is fantastic and worth sharing. Extending more people’s consciousness of the women’s game incrementally helps.
“Also, can we just hear for it for Dan Ashworth, Sir Trevor Brooking, Kelly Simmons and all those who made SGP our national football hub. Since then, and over the past six years, England have been to five senior finals, men and women, and the men’s U21s have twice won their Euros. More kids are playing enjoyable, safe and better quality football. It’s not a coincidence.”
While retaining their title is the big aim for the Lionesses this summer, their run to the Euro 2025 final in Switzerland has already delivered a broader success – another huge uplift in visibility for the women’s game, at elite and grassroots level.
England and Spain will both wear their home kits today in the final. Spain are set to wear red shorts.
Wolfgang Hamann is heading to the match in Basel this evening:
“I’ll be in the stadium watching with a new found friend from Costa Rica. We met at one of the quarter finals, she put me in touch with another friend from Chile who I took to the Germany – Spain game because my son had to return home early. Football really does bring the world together.”
Jonathan Liew
After the traumatic fallout from their 2023 World Cup triumph, Spain are fighting for more than just a trophy today…
As always, I want to hear from you today! Feel free to message me with any thoughts, feelings, score predictions and all that jazz. Also, let me know your plans for the final! Where are you watching from? Are you in Switzerland? Heading to Boxpark? Or will you be watching from home? Let me know!
Richard Lapworth has messaged in to say:
“Wow. So excited. Let’s hope the “proper English” show up. Spain are going to be so good going forward. England expects… and prays for victory. Go Lionesses!”
Suzanne Wrack
Few could have predicted the rollercoaster of emotions England would take us on across five games, and trying to guess an outcome of a mouthwatering final between the European Championship holders and World Cup winners is futile as a result…
England fans, if anything is going to get you excited ahead of the match, it’s this…
Lauren James is expected to be available for England this evening after completing a full training session with no issues yesterday, meaning the Lionesses should have a full squad going into the clash.
Spain are also expected to have a full 23-player squad available for the match.
Preamble
Today is the day.
England face Spain this evening in the Euro 2025 final, a rematch of the 2023 World Cup final of which La Roja clinched a 1-0 win. Spain go into the clash having won each of their five games at the tournament so far, while the Lionesses have lost one and endured two near-misses along the way.
Nevertheless, England captain Leah Williamson is confident that her team can deliver on the biggest European stage once again.
I’ll be with you throughout the day, counting down to kick-off and bringing you the latest from Switzerland.
Join me!
