That’s all from me today! We’ll be back tomorrow with more build-up to the main event on Sunday.
What’s happening this weekend? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
Be sure to click here for all of the Euro 2025 results so far.
England have been busy in training ahead of Sunday’s final.
More on Lauren James:
England sweating on the fitness of Lauren James
England do not know whether Lauren James will be available for Sunday’s Euro 2025 final, Sarina Wiegman has said, as the Lionesses wait nervously on the Chelsea forward’s fitness.
James, who was withdrawn at half-time in England’s semi-final win over Italy after sustaining an ankle injury, has started all five of the defending champions’ matches in Switzerland but is a doubt for their showdown with Spain.
“She’s still recovering,” Wiegman said on Friday. “She’s doing things on the [training] pitch and we have two more days so we’re going to give her time.
“We don’t know yet [if she’ll be ready], but that’s what we’re going to go for – [aiming for] 23 players available for the game on Sunday.”
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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
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So, where could Sunday’s final be won and lost? Sophie Downey has looked into it…
Just two matches at Euro 2025 this summer failed to sell out. Furthermore, approximately 35% of tickets were purchased by international fans and over 160 nationalities have been represented among the overall ticket holders.
New Women's Euro attendance record set
Ahead of Sunday’s final, a record 623,088 spectators have already attended Euro 2025, surpassing the previous total attendance record of 574,875 from Euro 2022 in England.
On the aftermath of the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, where Spain’s win was overshadowed by the unsolicited kiss from Luis Rubiales on Jenni Hermoso, Ella Toone said: “That was a difficult period for the Spanish players. What they did in the World Cup for that to be the main talking point was tough for them. Something they shouldn’t have had to go through. They should’ve celebrated what was an amazing tournament for them.
“Both of us want to win. They have their reasons and we have ours. You don’t know what to expect but we have so much respect for them. We have belief in ourselves as well to step up and put on a good performance.”
Asked about the prospect of England getting a bank holiday if the Lionesses win Euro 2025, Ella Toone said: “I’m not looking too far ahead. That would be great for everyone back home I guess. It’s great that the pubs have been opening until 1 I’ve heard. But yeah, our focus is just on the game but whatever happens after that then great.”
On the ‘Proper England’ mentality the Lionesses have been speaking about throughout the tournament, Ella Toone said: “We’ve spoken about that ‘proper English performance’ throughout this tournament. We have it in us all individually and as a team, we want to fight, we want to not stop running. You’ve seen that in games where sometimes you might think that we’re down and out and it’s 90-odd minutes and someone comes on and we have one moment and take it. That’s what it’s all about, it’s the squad depth, it’s players having that belief that players can come on and change the game. It’s all in us individually that we’re competitive and we want to win and we know what it takes to win in tournaments. That’s what we’ve managed to do and that’s how we’ve made it to three consecutive finals.”
Asked about Sarina Wiegman’s influence, Ella Toone said: “I think we’ve nearly killed her twice this tournament! She said we’ve definitely aged her. But, you know, that’s five consecutive tournament finals now for Sarina and that’s just unbelievable. We know we’re in good hands, we know she’s a manager who can take teams right to the final. She’s done a few good speeches this tournament to be fair. But she’s a great manager, she’s someone who we all have a lot of belief in. When we go onto the pitch we fight for each other, but we fight for her and the staff too, and the fans. It’s an unbelievable achievement for Sarina and for the team too.”
England midfielder Ella Toone is currently speaking to the media. She insists 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.”
The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final takes place tomorrow. Tournament hosts Morocco face nine-time champions Nigeria at Rabat’s Stade Olympique.
The third-place match between Ghana and South Africa is scheduled for tonight at 8pm BST.
If you can’t wait for the Euro 2025 final on Sunday, be sure to give those games a watch!
Thanks David. I just completed the quiz and also got 11 out of 15 – happy with that!
And on that bombshell, I’ll hand you back to Emillia Hawkins for more build-up. Thanks for reading.
Hopefully it’s England in white and Spain in red on Sunday. Yes, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to double take when both England (dark blue) and Italy (green and white with vine branches) wore their away kits in the semi-final. Apparently, that was due to the massive clash of both sides having blue shorts had they worn their usual gear.
On uefa.com, it says this:
“Both finalists may wear their first-choice colours, but if there is a clash then the team designated as the away side must use an alternative kit.”
‘May’ sounds ominous. England’s first-choice kit has some red in it. Nothing is as upsetting as watching Brazil play in blue instead of yellow but let’s please not muck about for Sunday’s final. I’m probably feeling a bit sensitive having been denied entry onto a golf course this week due to having black socks instead of the ‘correct’ white ones. Seriously.
Women’s Football Weekly is out! Make sure you give it a listen between now and Sunday’s final. Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack and Sophie Downey to break down the blockbuster showdown in Basel.
The panel examines how both sides have developed since their World Cup final clash two years ago, the key tactical battles that could determine the match, and whether Sarina Wiegman’s England can embrace the underdog role. Plus, how will the Lionesses cope with injuries, and can Spain’s midfield prowess unlock another trophy?
Sticking with goals, we’ve seen a record 104 so far in Euro 2025. That’s a hefty average of 3.47 per game, so one every 26 minutes. Breaking it down into 15-minute chunks and the most popular time for goals to be netted is between 76 and 90 minutes. That points to late drama in Sunday’s final.
One quirk of Euro 2025 is the lack of a dominant goalscorer. A tally of six won the last three editions but in Switzerland the leading scorer, Spain’s Esther Gonzalez, tops the standings with just four.
The stats from the England camp are particularly interesting. Beth Mead (6) was joint-top scorer in 2022 while Jodie Taylor (6) won the Golden Boot in 2017.
But in the Lionesses’ run to the final, they’ve had 11 (vidiprinter ‘eleven’) different scorers: Keira Walsh, Lauren James, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, Aggie Beever-Jones, Lucy Bronze, Michelle Agyemang and Chloe Kelly. Of those, Toone, Agyemang, James and Stanway have all scored twice.
Then again, Spain have seen 10 different players wheel away in celebration. Gonzalez (4) and Alexia Putellas (3) have shared seven of their tournament-leading 17 goals. England have netted 15 times.
Talking of niche, here’s a story about Yana Daniëls and her unlikely route to becoming a part of Euro 2025 after all.
“She did not make the Belgium squad to feature in the tournament but instead she has handcrafted the boxes for every player-of-the-match trophy in a converted Wirral garage, with wood from Arrowe Park.”
It’s not going well for Newcastle in the transfer window. Here’s the latest snub. Hopefully, James Trafford gets more game time than Scott Carson. And perhaps here’s one to think about – players with surnames shared by stadiums of derby rivals. Quite niche I’d suspect.
Thanks Emillia. So, 11 out of 15 for me in the quiz. Got lucky with a couple maybe.
Updated
With that, it’s time to hand over the reins to David Tindall while I grab a quick break.
How much sport have you consumed this week? Take our sports quiz of the week and let me know how you get on!
“There is an unwritten rule in Spanish football which says that when Patri Guijarro plays well, so do Spain and Barcelona. Undervalued and indispensable in a midfield triangle with the two Ballon d’Or winners, the Mallorca native has become essential for club and country…”
Just a reminder that Sunday’s Euro 2025 final kicks off at 5pm BST and 6pm CEST. Be sure to join us for minute-by-minute coverage!
Marcus Rashford completed a loan move to Barcelona earlier this week. Having fallen out of favour at Manchester United, he now faces a huge amount of pressure to impress in Spain…
Christian Eriksen has received an approach from Championship club Wrexham, according to the Daily Mail.
The 33-year-old’s representative Martin Schoots said: “Wrexham are really upgrading everything both on and off the field, and it is a hugely impressive project, as you can see from the presence of people like [CEO] Michael Williamson there.
“But Christian still wants to play in a first-tier competition and he absolutely wants to stay in Western Europe. There are some contacts going on but it has to suit both sides.”
Speaking of ‘goalkeeper timeouts’ in football – across the men’s and women’s game – what are your thoughts on them? Do you think they should be prevented in some way? If so, what would be the best way to go about doing that? Let me know!
Charles Antaki has messaged in to say:
“The choice of Stéphanie Frappart to referee the final looks a good one; she’s become a fairly familiar figure in Champions League games, and has certainly done a good job so far here in the games I’ve seen. A couple of other refs have seemed rather pedantic at times. She has the appropriate don’t-mess-with-me glare but seems willing to just get on with it. Sadly, though, neither she or any of the other refs are going to be able to stop goalkeepers feigning injury to get their team some emergency coaching…”
Son Heung-min is a target for Los Angeles FC and they have made their interest in him known to Tottenham. The London club have yet to receive any bids for Son but they can expect one from LAFC, which would leave their highest-profile player with a decision to make.
Speaking of transfers, you can keep up to date with all the latest moves in the top leagues with our transfer interactives.
Some transfer news for you now as multiple reports are claiming that Viktor Gyökeres will undergo his Arsenal medical tomorrow. It has also been reported that he is expected to wear the iconic No14 shirt, previously held by the likes of Thierry Henry, Theo Walcott and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
A trial that allows fans to drink alcohol while in the stands is being expanded to include 14 Women’s Super League and WSL 2 clubs from the new season, including all of the top-flight’s ‘big four’ teams.
Every club across both divisions was offered the chance to take part. The full list of clubs whose home games will be included in the trial are:
It follows a four-club trial that began in the second half of last season, enabling fans to drink from the stands the second-tier clubs Birmingham City, Bristol City, Newcastle United and Southampton, which saw 19 league fixtures included. No safety incidents were reported from any of those games. A subsequent fan survey found that 66% were in support of the trial going forwards, the league have said.
Drinking in view of the pitch is prohibited in men’s professional football in England and Wales, under the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act of 1985, but the women’s professional game is not covered by that legislation.
The WSL clubs included are:
Arsenal (Emirates Stadium)
Chelsea (Kingsmeadow & Stamford Bridge)*
Everton (Goodison Park)
Liverpool (St Helens & Anfield)
London City Lionesses (Hayes Lane)*
Manchester City (Joie Stadium)
Manchester United (Leigh Sports Village & Old Trafford)
The WSL2 clubs included are:
Birmingham City (St Andrew’s)
Bristol City (Ashton Gate)
Crystal Palace (Sutton United)
Newcastle United (St James’ Park)*
Sheffield United (Bramall Lane)
Sunderland (Stadium of Light)
Southampton (St Mary’s Stadium)
The latest edition of our Moving the Goalposts newsletter dropped yesterday. Be sure to give it a read.
If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to our Moving the Goalposts newsletter for regular updates on women’s football. You’ll receive stories, features and interviews straight to your inbox twice a week. If there’s any time to sign up, it’s now!
“There is a counterfactual history of England’s Euro 2025 to be written in which Chloe Kelly does not post her astonishing social media tirade against Manchester City at the end of January. In which she does not get the move to Arsenal that rescues her career, does not win back her England place, does not rescue the quarter-final against Sweden or score the winning goal against Italy. And – quite frankly – it is a history in which England’s players are watching Sunday’s final from their sofas…”
The officials for Sunday’s final were announced last night:
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
Keira Walsh has said she hopes Spain’s players are able to “just enjoy the game of football” when they face England in the Euro 2025 final on Sunday after their World Cup final victory two years ago was overshadowed by Luis Rubiales’s actions afterwards.
Reflecting on England’s 2023 World Cup final defeat to Spain, Keira Walsh said: “Obviously it was a massive disappointment. From a collective we probably feel like we didn’t have our best performance that day. But as a football player you can become too emotional and if you pull too much on that then you can be too emotional. This is a new game, new team, we know what we bring in this tournament so we’re going to keep doing that and focus on the positives, not try and draw on that too much.
“Obviously we think about it a little bit but, for us, we’ll put it to the side and focus on Sunday. As I said, we’ve got so many new players in this team who are really confident and can bring so many new things to this team which is exciting, so we can just focus on the positives.”
On the rivalry between England and Spain, Keira Walsh said: “It is a rivalry. There is respect between the teams and they play incredible football. We know that we can do on our day as well so it’s going to be an exciting game and hopefully it’s a good one for the fans to watch.”
England midfielder Keira Walsh spoke to the media yesterday to preview Sunday’s final. She said: “There’s a lot of respect between both the teams. I think the most important thing for them is that they can enjoy this final. There’s no controversy surrounding it. The girls deserve to be there, they play incredible football. So first and foremost, for them as human beings is that they can go out there and actually enjoy this game.”
England will have had one recovery day more than Spain when Sunday’s final arrives. Could that increase their chances of winning the European title again?
Tom Garry has looked into it…
WSL2 fixtures announced
The 2025-26 fixtures for the WSL2 – formerly known as the Women’s Championship – have also been released. Here are the games taking place on the opening weekend of the campaign, starting September 5:
Sheffield United v Sunderland (5/9)
Southampton v Ipswich (6/9)
Birmingham v Bristol City (7/9)
Charlton v Crystal Palace (7/9)
Nottingham Forest v Newcastle (7/9)
Portsmouth v Durham (7/9)
Here are the WSL games scheduled for the final week of the season, set to take place on the 16th or 17th May 2026:
Brighton v Tottenham
Chelsea v Manchester United
Everton v Leicester
Liverpool v Arsenal
London City Lionesses v Aston Villa
West Ham v Manchester City
Sky Sports is intending to schedule the majority of its live Women’s Super League matches at noon on Sundays in the new season, the Guardian understands, as the division seeks to establish a new regular slot.
WSL fixtures announced
The WSL fixtures for the 2025-26 season have been announced this morning. Here are the games taking place on the opening weekend of the campaign, starting September 5:
Chelsea v Manchester City (5/9)
Arsenal v London City Lionesses (6/9)
Brighton v Aston Villa (7/9)
Liverpool v Everton (7/9)
Manchester United v Leicester (7/9)
Tottenham v West Ham (7/9)
Preamble
The countdown to the Euro 2025 final is on. There are just two days to go before England take on Spain in Basel. Preparations for the showpiece event are underway with both teams set for their penultimate training sessions. I’ll be bringing you all the latest from Switzerland throughout the day, along with news and transfer updates from the wider football world.
Join me!
