…As European champions faces World champions in Basel, Switzerland
It will be a battle of two champions today as European champions, England battle Spain, the reigning World champions in Sunday’s Euro 2025 final in Basel, Switzerland.
England will be seeking redemption in Sunday’s final when they take on Spain in a repeat of the World Cup final two years ago.
Sarina Wiegman’s side are in their third successive major final after winning Euro 2022 before Spain beat them to become world champions in 2023.
It is the first time Spain’s women, who were knocked out in the quarter-finals in 2022 by England, have reached a European Championship final.
The Lionesses are hoping to become the first team in the history of English football to win a major trophy on foreign soil when they line up in Sunday’s final.
It will be just the second time the same teams have met in back-to-back women’s World Cup and European Championship finals, after Germany faced Sweden in 2001 and 2003.
They have played each other three times previously at the Euros, with England winning the last two meetings in 2017 and 2022.
The two nations also met in this year’s Women’s Nations League, where England won 1-0 at Wembley in February before Spain beat the Lionesses 2-1 in Barcelona in June.
However, Sunday’s final will be a test of both coaches’ tactics and football knowledge, as England’s Sarina Wiegman come face-to-face against Spain’s Montserrat Tomé.
“We’ve played each other a lot over the last couple of years. You always have learnings. They will have learned from us.
“Sunday is a new situation so hopefully we can exploit some of the weaknesses they have too. I just know that going into a final is already very, very special,” said Wiegman.
Spain arrived in Switzerland as the pre-tournament favourites, with Opta predicting they had a 25 percent chance of winning the title.
“We don’t like the idea of being favourites. We know what it takes to be here, what we suffered, we have to be focused,” Irene Paredes, Spain captain said.
Spain could become the first European nation to lift the World Cup and the Euros at back-to-back tournaments since Germany won five in a row between 2001 and 2009.
“We are a team who don’t see this game as a pressure but as an opportunity to continue writing history, do something big and to let people enjoy,” Paredes added.
However, La Roja underlined their credentials as favourites further by storming past Portugal, Belgium and Italy by an aggregate score of 14-3.
They saw off host Switzerland in the quarter-finals before moving past Germany thanks to an extra-time winner as they beat the eight-time European champions for the first time in their history.
“During the whole tournament we have been writing history.
“Getting to semis and the final for the first time, beating Germany for the first time. We have been accomplishing objectives and that’s the reason we’re here,” Tome said.
However, England captain Leah Williamson said the Lionesses are aware of what it means to the nation to win the Euros back-to-back and will do everything they can to bring home the trophy.
“The opportunity and what’s on offer is the best thing in football.
“We wanted to be here until the end and have a chance to win the trophy. We don’t carry the weight of it – but we’re aware of it because it means the same to us,” Williamson said.
The Lionesses captain who was not part of England’s defeat to Spain in the World Cup final because of an anterior cruciate ligament injury, said England is not the underdog.
“They are fantastic footballing team and they are the best at what they do and we’re very much aware of that.
“We need to be at our best to beat Spain. I think they need to be at their best to beat us too. There is a lot of respect between the two teams.
“I would be hesitant to say there’s an underdog in this scenario. It’s not an easy job. We will prepare ourselves as best we can for that challenge,” said Williamson despite Spain being the pre-tournament favourites.
The world champions are the highest-ranked side in the competition and have not lost a game at Euro 2025.
England are ranked fifth in the world and lost their opening group game against France.
They needed a penalty shootout to overcome Sweden in the quarter-finals and scored a last-minute goal in extra time to beat Italy in the semi-final.se
