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Daily Mirror
18 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
England's Euro 2025 winners to lose major chunk of prize money after return home
England lifted the European Championship trophy for the second time in three years after overcoming Spain in Sunday's final - but a large chunk of their prize money could be taken away from them Sunday night's triumph made it two European Championship crowns in three years for the Lionesses as they outlasted Spain in Switzerland. But England's Euro 2025 stars face losing a major portion of their prize money due to the tax payable on their earnings. The Lionesses had to rally from behind in the final after Mariona Caldentey netted the opener for Spain in the first half. Alessia Russo levelled the score just before the hour mark, pushing the match into extra time and eventually penalties. Lionesses' goalkeeper Hannah Hampton saved two penalties in the shootout, with Chloe Kelly scoring the decisive penalty that sent England fans into raptures - as Richard Keys now calls for a major change to penalty shootouts. Prior to the tournament, UEFA announced a record £34million in prize money available for the 16 competing nations. A whopping £4.4m was set aside for the champions, inclusive of performance bonuses, with participating teams obliged to distribute between 30 per cent and 40 per cent of their prize money among the players. The Lionesses had also agreed upon a bonus structure with the FA ahead of Euro 2025, which would see England stars collectively receive a payout of £1.75m if they won the trophy. Following England's victory, leading audit, tax and business advisory firm, Blick Rothenberg, disclosed that over three quarters of a million pounds could be deducted from the Lionesses' prize fund and paid to HMRC. Robert Salter, a director at the firm, commented: "The Lionesses will be delighted with their win at Euro 2025 for what it represents and the hard work that went into it. But they will have a hefty tax bill to pay to HMRC on their prize money, at a combined total tax and National Insurance Contributions (NIC) liability of roughly £788,900 for the whole squad. "Although the Lionesses are not earning as much as their male counterparts, the average per player bonuses of £73,000 each will ensure that all of the squad's players become liable to an effective marginal tax rate of 47 per cent - 45 per cent income tax and 2 per cent NIC on their income above the £125,140 per annum threshold, meaning they could be paying around £34,300 each in tax." He further stated: "In addition to the tax and NIC payable on the winning bonuses by the players personally, the FA should be liable to employers' NIC on the prize bonuses, which will cost the FA c £255,000 more. "Many players are also making significant amounts through marketing, appearance fees and image rights, which are also liable to tax. "Their earnings from this are likely to increase significantly over the coming months given their success and the ongoing growth in the profile of the women's game, meaning HMRC will be getting even more tax 'wins' in the future." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
England footballers to lose major part of Euro 2025 prize money post-final win
England clinched their second European Championship title in three years after defeating Spain in Sunday's final. However, a significant portion of their prize money could be deducted due to the tax payable on their earnings. The Lionesses had to rally from behind in the Euro 2025 final after Mariona Caldentey netted the opener for Spain in the first half. Alessia Russo levelled the score just before the hour mark, pushing the match into extra time and eventually penalties. Lionesses' goalkeeper Hannah Hampton saved two penalties in the shootout, with Chloe Kelly scoring the decisive penalty that sent England fans into raptures. Prior to the tournament, UEFA announced a record £34million in prize money available to the 16 competing nations. A whopping £4.4m was set aside for the champions, including performance bonuses, with participating teams obliged to distribute between 30 per cent and 40 per cent of their prize money among the players, reports the Express. According to The Guardian, the Lionesses agreed on a bonus structure with the FA ahead of Euro 2025, which would see England stars collectively receive a payout of £1.75m if they won the trophy. Following England's victory, leading audit, tax and business advisory firm, Blick Rothenberg, revealed that over three quarters of a million pounds could be deducted from the Lionesses' prize fund and paid to HMRC. England Lionesses stars will be forced to give up a large chunk of their Euro 2025 prize money (Image: GETTY) Robert Salter, a director at the firm, commented: "The Lionesses will be thrilled with their victory at Euro 2025 for what it symbolises and the hard work that went into achieving it. "However, they will face a substantial tax bill to HMRC on their prize money, with a combined total tax and National Insurance Contributions (NIC) liability of approximately £788,900 for the entire team. "Despite the Lionesses not earning as much as their male counterparts, the average bonuses per player of £73,000 each will ensure that all squad members are subject to an effective marginal tax rate of 47 per cent - 45 per cent income tax and 2 per cent NIC on their income above the £125,140 per annum threshold, meaning they could be paying around £34,300 each in tax." He further noted: "In addition to the tax and NIC payable on the winning bonuses by the players personally, the FA should be liable to employers' NIC on the prize bonuses, which will cost the FA roughly £255,000 more. "Many players are also earning significant amounts through marketing, appearance fees and image rights, which are also taxable. "Their earnings from these sources are likely to surge considerably over the coming months given their success and the ongoing rise in the profile of women's football, meaning HMRC will be reaping even more tax 'wins' in the future."
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Is Chloe Kelly the first player to score the decisive goal at two major finals?
'Chloe Kelly scored the goal that won Euro 2022 and the penalty that won Euro 2025. Including penalty shootouts, has anybody else scored the winner in two major international tournaments? And which women have dominated a whole competition?' asks Emma Pollard. For a player who has never started a knockout match at a major tournament, Chloe Kelly has had … a reasonable impact. She scored the winner against Germany in extra time in 2022, and the winning penalty in the shootout against Spain on Sunday. Kelly also set up Alessia Russo's equaliser in the final, played a key role in both goals against Sweden in the quarter-finals, kept England in the tournament with a nerveless penalty in the subsequent shootout, and then scored a 119th-minute winner against Italy in the semi-finals. We're not done. In 2023, Kelly scored the winning penalty in the shootout against Nigeria in the World Cup last 16. If you include the Finalissima against Brazil earlier the same year, Kelly has scored the winning penalty in three shootouts for England. That's more than every other man and woman in England combined. Eric Dier (Colombia, World Cup 2018) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (Switzerland, Euro 2024) are the only players to do it once. Kelly's substitute role means she hasn't dominated a World Cup or European Championship finals like Carli Lloyd in 2015 or, in the men's game, Diego Maradona at Mexico '86. But she is the first player to score the decisive goal – shootouts included – in two World Cup or European Championship finals. Hers is a modern kind of glory: from the bench, often involving extra time and penalties. Some greats of the women's game have stolen the show in different ways. Germany's Birgit Prinz scored in – and you'll like this – five finals between 1995 and 2009. Germany won them all, four in the Euros (1995, 1997, 2005, 2009) and one World Cup in 2007. Prinz was also part of the team that won Euro 2001, more of which below, but failed to score in the final. To find a recent example of a player grabbing the headlines at the business end of a tournament, you only need to go back a couple of years. The Spain left-back Olga Carmona followed an 89th-minute winner against Sweden in the World Cup semi-final by rifling in the only goal of the final against England. The most dominant performance across a whole knockout stage probably belongs to the aforementioned Carli Lloyd. In 2015, she was player of the match in all four of the USWNT's knockout games. She scored in all four, too, including the only goal against China in the quarter-finals, the opener against Germany in the semis – and a hat-trick inside the first 16 minutes of the final against Japan. For overall impact, that's very difficult to beat. A few other players are worthy of mention, though: Pia Sundhage (Sweden, Euro 1984) Semi-final first leg: scored Sweden's second equaliser in 3-2 win away to Italy Semi-final second leg: scored both goals in 2-1 win (5-3 agg) Final: scored Sweden's only goal across the two legs against England, which ended 1-1 on aggregate, then scored the winning penalty in the shootout (NB: The tournament began at the semi-final stage) Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands, Euro 2017) Quarter-final: second goal in 2-0 win over Sweden Semi-final: opening goal in 3-0 hammering of England Final: equalised in the 10th minute v Denmark, then scored in the 89th minute to seal a 4-2 win Megan Rapinoe (USA, World Cup 2019) Last 16: scored two penalties in 2-1 win against Spain Quarter-final: scored both goals in 2-1 win over hosts France Semi-final: didn't play v England due to injury Final: opened the scoring from the spot in 2-0 win over the Netherlands Those are the best examples we could find from the Women's Euros and World Cup. But if you have any from other tournaments – or we've missed something obvious – please get in touch. 'Excluding added time, England were ahead for one minute in the knockout rounds of Euro 2025,' notes Chris Williams. 'Assuming this is a record, how does it compare to previous tournaments?' Kelly's 119th-minute goal against Italy put England ahead for the only time in their three knockout games against Sweden, Italy and Spain. Including added time, they led for four minutes 52 seconds out of approximately six and a half hours. We'll focus on here on how that compares to previous major women's tournaments. We don't have the added time for previous tournaments so, for purposes of comparison, we've counted each match as lasting 90 or 120 minutes. Before this tournament, the winners of the women's Euros who spent the least time in front were Germany in 2001. They were ahead for a total of 33 minutes, but the context was very different. While England played 360 minutes of knockout football in this tournament, Germany played only 188 in 2001. There are two reasons for that: there were no quarter-finals and the final was decided by a golden goal. Germany won both their knockout matches 1-0. Sandra Smisek scored after 57 minutes against Norway, giving Germany a lead that lasted 33 minutes. The final against Sweden was settled by an iconic golden goal from Claudia Müller in the eighth minute of extra time. The moment she put Germany ahead, the tournament was over. Quarter-finals were introduced to the Euros in 2009. Since then, and before this year, this year the team who spent the least time in front were … England in 2022. The total was 107 minutes on that occasion: 24 in extra time v Spain, 56 v Sweden and 27 in the final against Germany. The briefest frontrunners among the World Cup winners are Japan's class of 2011, who were ahead for a combined total of 42 minutes out of a possible 330 across three knockout games. In the quarter-final against the holders Germany, Karina Maruyama scored the only goal after 108 minutes. Japan then came from behind to beat Sweden 3-1 in the semi-finals, a match in which they led for the last half-hour. In the final against the United States, Japan twice came from behind to draw 2-2, with Homare Sawa scoring in the 117th minute to take the match to penalties. Japan won the shootout 3-1. When the music stopped, they were in the winning chair. Any suggestions from further afield? Mail us with your answers. 'At the age of 19, is Michelle Agyemang the youngest England player to win an individual award at a major tournament?' wonders Alex Smith. Agyemang's impact on Euro 2025 had gone into English football folklore even before the tournament was over. The Arsenal forward still hasn't started an international match but was a threat from the bench in every game and scored dramatic equalisers against Sweden and Italy in the quarter- and semi-finals. Her story resembles that of Michael Owen, who was even younger when he took France '98 by storm at the age of 18. Owen won Fifa's young player of the tournament award after scoring against Romania and Argentina. 'In my mind, Owen was the only good thing to come out of France 98,' said Diego Maradona a few years later. 'He had speed, cunning and balls.' As far as we're aware, the other England players to receive official individual awards were all in their 20s and 30s: Golden BallBeth Mead (aged 27, Euro 2022) Silver BallLucy Bronze (27, World Cup 2019) Golden BootHarry Kane (24, World Cup 2018) Gary Lineker (25, World Cup 1986) Beth Mead (27, Euro 2022, shared with Germany's Alexandra Popp) Jodie Taylor (31, Euro 2017) Bronze BootEllen White (30, World Cup 2019) Golden GloveMary Earps (29, World Cup 2023) Best young playerMichael Owen (18, World Cup 1998) Michelle Agyemang (19, Euro 2025) 'Are the Lionesses the first team to win a major international tournament after going behind in every knockout game?' asks Danielle Patterson. We had a similar question last year, when England's men's team beat Slovakia, Switzerland and the Netherlands after conceding the first goal. They didn't go on to win Euro 2024 – spoiler alert – and the only example we could find at that stage was China in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup. This is how they did it. Quarter-final China 3-1 Vietnam (from 1-0 down) Semi-final China 2-2 Japan (4-3 pens; China's second equaliser came in the 119th minute) Final China 3-2 South Korea (China were 2-0 down after 67 minutes before a spectacular fightback culminated in Xiao Yuyi scoring an injury-time winner) We looked at other comeback kings and queens who didn't go on to lift the trophy; the link is worth clicking just for the story for the crazy story of Jürgen Klinsmann's South Korea at last year AFC Men's Asian Cup. 'Lucy Bronze revealed after Sunday's final that she had played throughout Euro 2025 with a fractured tibia,' writes Tom Walters. 'What other examples are there of footballers playing some or all of a major international tournament with serious injuries?' 'England's two backup keepers at Euro 2025, Anna Moorhouse and Khiara Keating, have just won a major trophy despite both having zero caps,' notes Tim Spargo. 'Has this happened before?' 'With Hugo Ekitiké joining Liverpool, which other players with palindromic surnames have featured in the Premier League (and beyond)?' wonders Michael Martin. 'Lauren James (four) and brother Reece (two) have won six trophies between them in the 2024-25 season. Have any other sets of siblings won more in a single campaign?' asks Magnus Blair. 'We all love it when a goalie comes up for a last-minute set piece,' states Simon Buckton, correctly. 'But has a goalkeeper ever been flagged for offside – or better still, had a goal disallowed for offside?' 'Port Vale have played Everton at Priory Road, Anfield, Goodison Park and now the Hill Dickinson Stadium,' notes Kevin Doran. 'Is there an example of any other team having played another team at four or more home grounds?' 'This week I'm savouring a veritable feast of Luxo-British football in the Conference League: Differdange v The New Saints, followed by Strassen v Dundee United,' writes Martin Davies. 'Both games will take place at Differdange's stadium. Have two British teams played European ties in the same stadium within 48 hours of each other before, or am I going to witness a first?' Mail us with your questions and answers
Rhyl Journal
3 days ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
England return home to cheers after European Championship success
The Lionesses successfully defended their European crown with a 3-1 penalty shootout victory over Spain in the tournament's showpiece in Basel on Sunday. Welcome home, #Lionesses! 👋 — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 28, 2025 Alessia Russo cancelled out the opener from Arsenal team-mate Mariona Caldentey and after drawing 1-1 following extra time, an entertaining final ultimately boiled down to penalties. Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton made two brilliant saves in the shootout before Chloe Kelly fired home from the spot to ensure England retained their European title. The Lionesses left their team hotel in Zurich on Monday morning with skipper Leah Williamson carefully escorting the trophy to the bus. After almost a month of competition in Switzerland, the team's aeroplane branded with the word 'home' touched down at Southend Airport on Monday afternoon. Holding the trophy, Williamson was first to step off the plane alongside head coach Sarina Wiegman. Outside of the airport, crowds were lined up to welcome the team and the trophy back home. The Lionesses are set to celebrate their win with a reception at Downing Street later on Monday, hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and sports minister Stephanie Peacock. A homecoming open-top bus parade follows in central London on Tuesday, where there will be a procession along The Mall and the celebration will finish with a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace.
Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Times
Wiegman must fix defence but has attacking talent to win elusive World Cup
England are so lucky to have Sarina Wiegman. She has transformed women's football in our country, brought people together and is an inspiration. Winning three Euros in a row — the first of which came with the Netherlands before her two titles with England — is a ridiculous streak. Wiegman is too good a head coach to stand still. The Dutchwoman has two years remaining on her contract and will have her sights set on football's ultimate prize: the World Cup in 2027 in Brazil. This title is the missing piece for Wiegman and England. Neither has won the World Cup, with Wiegman losing the final in 2019 as the Netherlands head coach before her England side were runners-up in 2023 to Spain. I hope the Lionesses are focused only on enjoying their Euro 2025 triumph at the moment. Whenever the party finishes, they should assess their road to the World Cup and realise that they are in a good position, but not a perfect one. Their attacking depth is superb. Alessia Russo, 26, and Michelle Agyemang, 19, showed their abilities with crucial goals during the Euros knockout stage, and the formula of Russo starting before Agyemang wreaks havoc off the bench worked well at the Euros. However, England also have Aggie Beever-Jones, who has worked so hard to get minutes in Chelsea's dominant side. Beever-Jones, 22, is a dynamic, versatile forward and scored at the Euros herself. In the wide forward positions, England have the likes of Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, Lauren James and Beth Mead. Mead will be 32 by the next World Cup and can still make an impact at that age, while the other three should be somewhere close to their prime. England have problems to address elsewhere. I would love Lucy Bronze to continue for ever but she is 33 and, even though she played the entire Euros with a broken tibia and may well have another tournament or two in her, there has to be some succession planning at right back. Wiegman must work out whether Maya Le Tissier or Naomi Layzell, two young players who are usually centre backs for their clubs, can deputise for Bronze. Elsewhere, England desperately need to find a natural, left-footed left back after looking vulnerable in this position throughout the Euros. They could do with the new generation of midfielders coming through as well. However, these are not huge concerns. The FA and Wiegman have developed the production line well, and the player pool will get wider year on year. In a player like Agyemang, who thrived at the Euros, youngsters now have a clear example of what is possible through the pathway. The work at age-group level is bulletproofing England's senior team for the future, and we are set for a very happy decade at least. England were at 10 Downing Street on Monday evening. Players from left: Ella Toone, Russo, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood, Beth Mead, Chloe Kelly, Wiegman, Beever-Jones, Khiara Keating, Georgia Stanway, Lauren James, Keira Walsh, Agyemang, Williamson, Hannah Hampton, Bronze, Anna Moorhouse and Esme Morgan ANTHONY HARVEY/SHUTTERSTOCK The squad will not be overhauled in the next two years, so England must do more than blood young players to stay on top. It is really hard to have the same desire to win once you have tasted success, meaning England must consciously maintain their motivation. Opponents always relish beating England, and their Euros double will only make the target on their backs bigger. Between now and the World Cup, fans may have to tolerate the odd poor result as Wiegman experiments with her line-up. It would be worth giving opportunities to players such as Beever-Jones, Grace Clinton and Jess Park even if it reduces England's chances of winning in the short term. Wiegman will need to evolve, because her long-time assistant, Arjan Veurink, is leaving to take charge of the Netherlands. This departure is a significant blow. Yet with Wiegman in charge, England will keep improving. She is the best head coach around and her Euros record proves that she can win with different squads. Once we get to the World Cup, the volatility and pressure of a major tournament have to be navigated. Can there be any doubt that England will rise to this challenge after their performances in Switzerland? There were so many brilliant individual displays in the final against Spain. Hannah Hampton was a huge presence in the penalty shoot-out and I liked how she put her research on her left sleeve, rather than a water bottle, which meant nobody could tamper with her notes. Hampton has vindicated Wiegman's decision to make her the No 1 ahead of Mary Earps. Kelly has an aura as well, while Russo epitomised resilience and deserved her goal. Hemp and Keira Walsh covered so much space and kept their composure when fatigued. In defence, Bronze was heroic, and I loved Jess Carter's celebration after thwarting Aitana Bonmatí at the end of extra time. This reaction set the tone for the penalties. In the shoot-out, I was delighted to see Alex Greenwood score. I know how much having a penalty saved in the quarter-final hurt her and this moment of personal redemption would have meant everything. Wiegman got her tactics right once again. Bringing on Agyemang at the same time as Claudia Pina, who had tormented England off the bench in the Nations League last month, stopped the momentum shifting Spain's way. Wiegman has also made England obsessed with defending, and this mentality helped them to deal with Spain's barrage of wide attacks. It was a terrific performance from a fantastic team. Wiegman and England have work to do, but they have the personnel, resources and proven pedigree to capture that elusive World Cup in 2027.
