We may witness the making of history in July 2025. Never before has a senior English football side successfully defended a major trophy. Sir Alf Ramsay’s 1966 World Cup heroes fell short when dumped out at the quarter-final stage in Mexico in 1970. Since then, no side – male or female – has had the opportunity. Until now.
Step forward, Sarina Wiegman and the mighty Lionesses. Three years have passed since Chloe Kelly sent a sellout Wembley Stadium into raptures with that extra-time winner over Germany to win the Euros. With the action switching to the picture-perfect surroundings of Switzerland, can the heroines of 2022 do it again?
The Story Since 2022
Following that landmark success at the Euros, or to give it its full title, the 2022 UEFA European Women’s Football Championship, England performed with credit at the 2023 World Cup. The Lionesses didn’t manage to win in Australia/New Zealand, but they came close, losing 1-0 to Spain in the final.
After that excellent World Cup effort, England performed below expectations in the UEFA Nations League. There were highlights, including a 6-0 battering of Scotland, but the Lionesses failed to progress beyond the Group stage.
Qualification for Euro 2025 also featured a few bumps in the road, including a home defeat at the hands of France and two draws with Sweden. All of which added up to a second-place finish behind Group winners France.
England’s final significant preparation came at the latest edition of the UEFA Nations League earlier in 2025. They again failed to advance beyond the Group Stage, but a 1-0 win over World Champions Spain served as a reminder that The Lionesses are capable of beating anyone on their day.
In Sarina We Trust
BREAKING: Sarina Wiegman has been named FIFA’s The Best Women’s Coach! 👏🏆 pic.twitter.com/krYBEIdpo6
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 15, 2024
Taken as a whole, England’s recent form is a notch below that of other leading nations – most notably Spain. However, the defending champions have reasons to head to Switzerland with belief.
As talented as the squad is, one of England’s biggest advantages sits in the dugout. Widely regarded as one of the finest coaches in the women’s game, Sarina Wiegman is aiming for a third successive Euros title. Victorious with her home nation, the Netherlands, in 2017 and then England in 2022, she will join Tina Theune as the only coach to win three in a row if she leads her troops to success in the final at St Jakub-Park on 27th July.
Returning Stars Bolster Confidence
On the playing front, Euro 2022’s joint top scorer Beth Mead is back and banging in the goals following the ACL injury which saw her miss the 2023 World Cup. However, the best news is the return of Lauren James from injury.
The sister of Chelsea full-back Reece James, 23-year-old Lauren boasts a combination of goals, creativity, and work rate unmatched by any other midfielder in the competition. If England reach the final, expect James to play a significant role.
Biggest Rivals
Of course, no one wins the Euros without overcoming a selection of the best sides on the planet. If England don’t lift the trophy in 2025, the prize is most likely to fall to one of the following nations:
- Spain – Reigning World Champions and ranked number two in the world, Spain are hot favourites to lift the trophy at a general price of 7/4. England lie second in the betting at around 4/1. It is easy to make a compelling case for La Roja, but they have yet to win a knockout game at the Euros. In 2022, Spain topped the betting market ahead of second favourites England. We all know how that turned out.
- Germany – Whilst Spain have yet to lift this trophy, Germany are experts at getting the job done. From 11 appearances at the finals, the Germans have made off with the trophy on eight occasions. Barring a surprise defeat in Iceland, Germany roared through qualifying, winning five of six games and hitting 17 goals in the process. At odds of 5/1, this youthful outfit could go close.
- France – With the creativity of Sandy Baltimore, Delphine Cascarino, and Kadidiatou Diani, plus prolific striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto, the French possess an enviable array of attacking talent. Whilst not as settled in their system as the other fancied sides, this dangerous outfit is a threat to anyone if they make it out of the Group Phase.
Group D Opponents
Every tournament has one. In 2025, England has the misfortune of taking their place in the “Group of Death”, alongside:
- Netherlands – Ranked sixth in the world, three spots below England, the Netherlands are managed by Andries Jonker, former assistant to Luis van Gaal at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. With 99 international goals, Vivianne Miedema leads the line for this talented attacking outfit. However, the Dutch won only twice in qualifying and can be vulnerable at the back.
- France – Grouped with England in Qualifying, France renews rivalry with England in Group D. Having lost to France 2-1 at St. James’ Park, the Lionesses gained their revenge when winning by that same scoreline in Saint-Étienne. Those results suggest that England and France may be tough to split, as does the fifth-place position of France in the global rankings.
- Wales – One of two debutantes at the tournament, Wales have a nightmare assignment. Ranked 20th in Europe, they did well to make it through the playoffs but are the rank outsiders to progress. However, they could potentially eliminate neighbours England on Match Day 3.
England Group Fixtures and TV Info
- France vs England – July 5, 8pm, ITV
- England vs Netherlands – July 9, 5pm, BBC
- England vs Wales – July 13, 8pm, ITV
Route to the Final
Whilst no straightforward task, England are favourites with the bookmakers to top Group D. If they do so, they are likely to face Sweden in the quarter-finals before a semi-final showdown with Spain. Get through that, and a repeat of the 2022 England vs Germany Final could be on the cards.
Finishing second in Group D is likely to tee up a huge quarter-final encounter with Germany, with Norway or Italy lying in wait in the semi-finals. England would be favoured to win the last-four clash to set up a potential rerun of the 2023 World Cup Final against Spain.