King and Queen congratulate Lionesses as they reach Euro 2025 final
Charles said in a statement: 'My wife and I join all our family in wishing you, the proud Lionesses, our warmest congratulations on reaching the final of the Uefa Euro tournament.
'Your journey to this stage has been nothing short of remarkable, showcasing the skill, determination (and test of nerve!) for which your team is so rightly celebrated.
'Knowing the Lionesses' fighting spirit, I suspect we are in for another thrilling encounter on Sunday.
'Your achievements continue to inspire countless girls and women across the nation, proving once again that with dedication and teamwork, anything is possible.
'Good luck, England. May you roar to victory once more. Charles R.'
A message from The King to Sarina Wiegman, the mighty @Lionesses and all in their support team, following their success in this evening's Women's Euros semi-final.#WEURO2025 pic.twitter.com/KqjjnOsm7H
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 22, 2025
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer posted on social media 'what a performance', adding: 'Into the final and inspiring the nation. Let's bring it home.'
England, in their sixth straight appearance in the final four of a major tournament, were on the brink of elimination when 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang came off the bench and rescued Sarina Wiegman's side with a second-half stoppage-time equaliser.
England were given a penalty late in the second period of extra time and, though Chloe Kelly's initial attempt was saved, the Arsenal forward made no mistake when she buried the rebound.
They will face Spain or Germany in the final in Basel, Switzerland, on Sunday.
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Daily Mirror
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Prince William will be joined by two key royals as he supports Lionesses on major trip
The Prince of Wales is set to be joined by two other major royals when he arrives in Switzerland to watch England take on Spain in the Euro 2025 final Prince William is set to be joined by two other key royals when he watches the Lionesses take on Spain in the Women's Euros final on Sunday, it has been revealed. England's Lionesses soared into final as Chloe Kelly scored in the 119th minute as their nail-biting match against Italy went into extra time during Tuesday's semi-final. William, patron of the Football Association, announced he would be travelling to Basel for the finale earlier this week, sharing that he is excited to cheer on the Lionesses in their bid for glory. And now it has been revealed, that the Spanish team will also have some royal support, with Spanish heir to the throne Princess Leonor is also planning to be at the match. The Spanish royal household has confirmed to local media that Leonor will be joined by her younger sister, Infanta Sofia, 18, in a rare joint appearance for their daughters of Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain - making a royal reunion likely. Sofia joined her mum Letizia in Australia in 2023 when the Spanish team won the World Cup, beating England in the final Earlier in the current tournament, William, who is an avid football fan, travelled to Switzerland to watch the England women's team in their group match against the Netherlands, which they won 4-0. Before the team headed off for the championships, he visited the team at their St George's Park training ground, where he told them: "The men's team could definitely learn off your camaraderie and your team environment. 'You're brilliant together, you create a very unique unit that is rare in lots of other sports. So hold onto that, treasure that, build on it, because it's one of your greatest assets." William previously presented the England women's team with the trophy when they won the 2022 Women's Euros after beating Germany at Wembley. However, he came in for heavy criticism when in 2023, he did not travel to Australia to support the team when they reached the World Cup final against Spain the following year, which they ultimately lost. William's announcement that he will journey to Switzerland for the final match comes after King Charles also issued a statement to send his congratulations to the Lionesses after reaching the final. In a statement posted on social media, the King said: 'My wife and I join all our family in wishing you, the proud Lionesses, our warmest congratulations on reaching the final of the Uefa Euro tournament. 'Your journey to this stage has been nothing short of remarkable, showcasing the skill, determination (and test of nerve!) for which your team is so rightly celebrated. Knowing the Lionesses' fighting spirit, I suspect we are in for another thrilling encounter on Sunday. 'Your achievements continue to inspire countless girls and women across the nation, proving once again that with dedication and teamwork, anything is possible. Good luck, England. May you roar to victory once more. Charles R."
The Independent
18 minutes ago
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Sarina Wiegman v Montse Tome – managers battling for Euro 2025 glory
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Telegraph
19 minutes ago
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England vs Spain: When is it and your ultimate guide to the Women's Euro 2025 final
England are through to the Euro 2025 final after beating Italy 2-1 in extra time. They will have the chance to defend their title as champions of Europe against Spain in Sunday's final. Spain are on the hunt for their first European Championship, having beaten Engalnd to win the World Cup in 2023, in a match overshadowed by the behaviour of Luis Rubiales afterwards. Final details Lionesses' journey to the final Ticket information Latest news Our experts pick their England team to face Spain What date is the Euro 2025 final? Sunday, July 27. The Lionesses have had slightly longer to prepare, given that their semi-final was on Tuesday; Spain's was on Wednesday. What time does it start? The kick-off is scheduled for 5pm BST, or 6pm local time in Switzerland. What TV channel is it on? The final will be shown live on BBC One and simultaneously on ITV1 (as well as their respective digital offerings), with coverage starting from 4pm on both channels. What stadium is it in? Basel's St Jakob-Park, the largest football stadium in Switzerland and home to FC Basel, the Swiss champions. This ground hosted Switzerland against Norway on the opening night of the tournament, with a turnout of 34,063. The capacity is about 37,500. Can I still get tickets? A very limited number of tickets for the final may be available either on the official Uefa ticketing website or the resale website. Initially, tickets were offered for sale at 30, 60 or 90 Swiss francs – the equivalent of £28, £56 or £84. Euro 2025 has now exceeded the record overall attendance levels set at Euro 2022. In that tournament, a total of 574,875 fans visited England's stadiums. This year, the total was 574,117 before England's semi-final. How did the Lionesses get to the final? Group stage France 2 England 1 England 4 Netherlands 0 England 6 Wales 1 England finished second in the so-called 'group of death' with six points. France finished above the Lionesses after winning all three of their matches. Quarter-final Sweden 2 England 2 (England won 3-2 on penalties) Semi-final England 2 Italy 1 (aet) How did England's semi-final play out? What is the prize money? All 16 teams earned £1.6m in qualifying for the Euros, but the maximum prize money a team can win is £4.4m if they win every game. The only team able to win this maximum sum is Spain as Germany and England both lost in the group stages. There is a £1.5m bonus for the winner on top of their winnings from the previous games and the runners-up will take home almost £700,000 for their efforts. The total prize money is £35.5m, which is an increase of 156 per cent on Euro 2022. England manager Sarina Wiegman is 'not for sale', the Football Association has insisted. Wiegman has led the Lionesses to a third successive major tournament final and has the chance to do what no England manager has done before by winning a trophy on foreign soil. She is contracted with the FA until the end of the 2027 World Cup and, while her future beyond that tournament is uncertain, the governing body's chief executive Mark Bullingham is adamant she is not going anywhere before then. 'We are committed to her until 2027 and she is committed to us,' Bullingham said. 'We have a new [coaching] team coming in for her. We haven't quite started working on the plans for [post] 2027 but I know her focus, hopefully after success on Sunday, will shift quite quickly to 2027.' Asked how much it would take to prise Wiegman away from England, Bullingham replied: 'She's not for sale. No price at all.' Bullingham added that it is unlikely any manager will ever be able to repeat Wiegman's achievements. Sunday's match in Basel will be Wiegman's fifth successive final, having reached two with Netherlands before she joined England in 2021. 'When I spoke before the tournament I said we were lucky to have her and I still feel that way,' said Bullingham. 'I think she has been incredible and her record of managing in five tournaments and reaching five finals is phenomenal. I don't believe anyone has been anywhere near that in the past and I think it will be really hard to do that in the future. She's a really special coach and we're delighted to have her with us.' Our experts pick their England team to face Spain Who should Sarina Wiegman pick in her starting XI for the match in Basel? This is the team that lined up for the semi-final against Italy: There is likely to be at least one injury-enforced change after Lauren James was replaced at half-time because of an ankle injury. Our experts have there say on whether Wiegman should stick or twist for the final, with changes highlighted with a red shirt... As much as I am tempted to change formation and personnel, the final will be a completely different game to the last two England have played. England will need maximum concentration for 90 minutes against Spain and suddenly switching to a more unfamiliar 3-5-2 would not be advisable. You then need to have players off the bench who can make a difference and Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang are undoubtedly their trump cards. You do not want to show them too early, but Wiegman cannot afford to wait as long as she did against Italy to throw them on. The defence will remain the weak point but there is little Wiegman can do to change it now. She will have to persist with the same back four, with the possibility of switching to three at the back if they need a goal. Something has to change in either personnel or formation if England are going to retain their Euros crown. They have stumbled their way through both the quarter-final and semi-final, somehow winning both games when they have been seconds away from defeat. In short, England have not played well and have survived on guts and instincts alone. I would switch to 3-5-2, with a back three of Alex Greenwood, Leah Williamson and Esme Morgan. You could then play Lauren Hemp as left wing-back and Lucy Bronze on the other side. Hemp has the tenacity and physicality of a full-back. That would give you five players in midfield, which should lessen the risks of that area being over run. The injury to Lauren James, who was taken off at half-time against Italy, makes this formation even more appealing. Up top, Michelle Agyemang surely has to start alongside Alessia Russo. The 19-year-old has scored three goals in four games for England and has troubled every defence she has played against. Stubborn Sarina will stick to her selection guns so the spine of the team is largely the same. Esme Morgan performed well under considerable pressure against Italy and maintains her place because Jess Carter's lack of pace remains an issue, although it is not an isolated problem. The Lionesses' defence has been carved open far too easily in this tournament and in the white heat of a final they might not have so many get-out-of-jail-free cards. I have thrown on Grace Clinton for Keira Walsh; Walsh has not had the same impact as in 2022 because teams have figured her out, while Cinton is something of an unknown quantity for opposition. Doubts over Lauren James' fitness means Beth Mead starts, while Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang retain their status as super subs – but must be introduced sooner. It is well known that Sarina Wiegman likes to stick to what she knows and given the injury to Lauren James it is unlikely she will want to risk changing things up too much for the final. Although the temptation would be to start Michelle Agyemang and Chloe Kelly given their contributions in the semi-final, they are best suited to being impact players off the bench although Wiegman may choose to put them on earlier rather than later. I would start Beth Mead given James' likely absence. Given Jess Carter's performance against Sweden, it is hard to see her earning a starting place back against Spain or Germany. Sarina Wiegman's line-ups have not been the problem but rather how the players have been utilised. The back-line needs to be more organised and attacking players need to catch their opponents on counter-attacks. I would leave the back-line unchanged, allowing Esme Morgan to acclimatise to her role in the 4-3-3 formation; her performance against Italy showed promise. Lucy Bronze has been outstanding in this tournament, so I would not want to move her forward. It is Michelle Agyemang's time to step up as a starter, with questions over Lauren James' fitness. After saving her team twice in the knock-out stages, Agyemang will be confident and is exactly the kind of player that can utilise Alessia Russo's tireless delivery into the box.
