Leah Williamson makes England vow as Lionesses celebrate Euros win in style
Leah Williamson insists England's days of fighting for titles are far from over, with the back-to-back Euros winners preparing for the 2027 World Cup. Lionesses captain Williamson has now skippered the side to two straight European Championships victories.
She lifted the trophy once more at Tuesday's celebration parade in central London, and told fans there was plenty more to come. "I've been crying all the way down The Mall," Williamson said on stage at the Queen Victoria Memorial.
"This is unbelievable, probably one of the best things we've been a part of." She added: "My message is, everything we do, obviously we do some things for ourselves and the team, we do it for the country, we do it for young girls.
'This job never existed 30 years ago. We're making history with everything we do. "Thank you so much for being with us, staying with us. This is not done yet."
England did things the hard way at Euro 2025 in Switzerland but successfully defended the title they won on home soil three years ago. Williamson's Arsenal team-mate Chloe Kelly was England's saviour throughout the knockout stages as they came from behind to beat Sweden, Italy and Spain - with all three matches going to extra-time and two decided on penalties.
"There are loads of ways to win a football match,' Williamson added. 'We repeatedly did it the hard way. But you can see how much we care about playing for England and how much we love it.
"2022 was a fairytale. This feels really hard-earned. We're really proud of ourselves."
England boss Sarina Wiegman has a contract until the end of the 2027 World Cup, which will be held in Brazil. The draw for the European qualifying phase will be held in November, with the first qualifying matches themselves taking place in February next year.
England made it all the way to the final of the last World Cup, which was held in Australia and New Zealand. Spain won the trophy on that occasion, but the Lionesses got their revenge on Sunday in Basel.
"Pressure? What pressure?' said Kelly, who scored the winning penalty in the final. 'It feels so good to stand with these girls and all the backroom staff. Thank you to everyone who turned out.
"It's so special. This medal is so special. Everyone knows exactly what it takes to win it. But it's so hard to win. Sarina has done it so many times. It's so special. I'm so proud to be English."
Wiegman pointed to the quality running through the squad after England bounced back from losing their opening game to end up lifting the trophy. 'There is a huge pool of talent in this team,' Wiegman said.
'We want to play to our strengths always. The bonding of this team in this tournament made the absolute difference.
'Everybody was ready to step up and support each other. It was just amazing to be a part of."
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