England victory parade: fans to join Lionesses in London after Euro 2025 triumph

The Guardian

4 days ago

Update:
Date: 2025-07-29T10:36:43.000Z
Title: Murshida Uddin
Content: Bus procession along the Mall to start at 12.10pm BST
How England did it | Switzerland delivered | Mail Yara
Yara El-Shaboury (now) and
John Brewin (later)
Tue 29 Jul 2025 11.36 BST
First published on Tue 29 Jul 2025 09.57 BST
11.36am BST
11:36
is at the scene to report:
At the start of the Mall, just before the Lionesses reach Buckingham Palace, thousands of fans have gathered all adorned with the flag of England and shirts of their favourite players. It also looks like the former Lioness Jill Scott is setting the scene on top of the bus.
The FA are putting on quite the performance for us while we wait for the team to come out – the England mascot is dancing to some classics and really energising the crowd!
11.30am BST
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Not long now until the bus parade begins! Remember, the procession along the Mall is expected to start at 12.10pm BST before a ceremony in front of Buckingham Palace, which will be hosted by Alex Scott, the former England player.
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Then there is Hannah Hampton, who was born with strabismus, or a squint, meaning that when she was looking at an object with one eye, the other would be looking in another direction. She had three operations by the age of three but they were not completely successful, saying she would try to pour juice into a glass and miss if she was not holding it. Because of the condition, she was told by doctors she would not be able to play football.
During a medical check-up at Stoke City, when Hampton was 12, doctors diagnosed another problem. She had impaired depth perception, meaning she struggles to tell how far away objects are.
From Stoke City to Aston Villa and Chelsea, Hampton has certainly learned. After countless bloody noses and broken fingers from stopping the ball too near her face, or having her hands in the wrong position, she made a conscious effort to alter her hand position. It hasn't stopped all the blood: in extra time against Sweden, a collision left her with absorbent tissue up her right nostril.
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This squad is made up of so many great characters who also happen to be great at football. There is Chloe Kelly, who has now scored a winner and a penalty winner in two separate European finals. It is an incredible turnaround from a player who contemplated leaving the sport earlier in the year after troubles with her former club side, Manchester City.
The 27-year-old forward has an aura about her, an unbridled self-confidence that she can make an impact no matter the circumstances and no matter the time she has to do it. It is the reason why there was little panic when Lauren James was forced off with her troublesome ankle injury in the first half. Many teams would have fallen apart at the sight of one of their key creative players having to depart early. England adjusted seamlessly as Kelly entered to pose a completely different threat for Spain's backline.
Made for the big moments ✨ pic.twitter.com/8qRxMYJb1C
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Priority access to grassroots football pitches for girls and women will be more than doubled under plans announced by the government after England's success at Euro 2025.
As part of its 'Plan for Change', prime time slots dedicated to women's and girls' teams at government-funded facilities across England will be increased over the next five years to meet the expected increased demand resulting from England's dramatic penalty shootout win over Spain in Basel on Sunday.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will also honour England's second consecutive European Championship title by dedicating flagship sites and pitches to the Lionesses, helping to celebrate their own journeys from grassroots players to international success.
Having set out a £400m investment in new grassroots facilities, which was announced in June 2025, a new grants scheme – in partnership with the Premier League and the Football Association, to be delivered by the Football Foundation – will focus on creating welcoming, safe and accessible amenities for women and girls at existing grassroots sports sites.
The Government will be introducing a new approach to school sport, working alongside schools and national governing bodies to make sure all children have access to high quality sport – with girls and boys provided the same opportunities to play sport at school.
A new Women's Sport taskforce will bring together leaders from across sport and academia, to focus on finding solutions to challenges facing women and girls in sport – from female athlete health to building a more diverse and dynamic workforce.
The Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, said: 'Today we are taking decisive action to ensure that the incredible success of the Lionesses creates a lasting legacy for women and girls in sport.
'This isn't just about celebrating today's achievements – it is about building the foundations through our Plan for Change by removing barriers to participation.
'From ensuring every girl has equal access to sport in schools through our new partnership model, to creating facilities where women and girls can thrive, we are investing in the champions of tomorrow.'
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And then back home. Nike pulled out the stops for the plane with the word Home branded on the wing, the H made up of the roman numeral two to represent back-to-back Euro wins. Fans waited at Southend airport before the players were whisked away by coach to 10 Downing Street for a special reception. They were hosted by Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister as Keir Starmer had been in Scotland for talks with the US President, Donald Trump.
We're home.
It's home.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿❤️ pic.twitter.com/WVucZNUawy
Updated
at 10.41am BST
10.22am BST
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The win was history making. It was the first time England had won a major tournament away from home. The Lionesses also became the first senior English side to defend their title – and they did it by coming from behind at half-time – the first time that had been done before at the women's Euros.
The celebrations went long into the early hours of the morning – as expected. Songs by Natasha Bedingfield, Heather Small and Gala all featured on a night of sing-alongs, dancing and drinking as the team, the staff and their loved ones soaked in the moment. A cavapoo called Reggie was at the heart of it all.
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Let's cast our mind back to two days ago. England v Spain. Defending Euro champions v world champions. And what a game it was. Mariona Caldentey gave the Spanish the lead but Sarina Wiegman's side have shown time and time again that when they are down, they are never out. Alessia Russo pulled one back before a nervy extra-time sent it to penalties.
It was a poor start for England, Beth Mead missing her spot kick after a retake due to double contact. But the Spanish were clearly ill-prepared for penalties, with Hannah Hampton coming up big to make saves against Caldentey and the Ballon d'Or holder Aitana Bonmatí. Tied at 2-1, Chloe Kelly stepped up and scored the winning penalty into the top corner after her signature bouncy run-up. Cue the scenes.
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Hello and welcome to our live coverage of England's victory parade celebrating their triumphant Euro 2025 defence in Switzerland after a penalty shootout win against the world champions Spain.
Yesterday the Lionesses were greeted by fans as they landed back in the UK before attending a reception at Downing Street hosted by Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister.
Today an even bigger jubilant crowd will be able to celebrate with the team. The open-top bus procession along the Mall will begin at 12:10 BST before a ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace. Attendance for fans is free.
Join me for all the latest and feel free to send your thoughts on the Lionesses win, what you plan to wear to the parade and anything else you want to share. The email can be found at the top of this blog.