Blogs

Women's EURO 2025 Final Preview: Lineups, Form & Key Battles

The Lionesses have qualified for Sunday's Women's European Championship final in a bid to become only the second country to defend their crown, after Germany won consecutively from 1995 to 2013.

In their path lies Spain, a rematch of the 2023 World Cup Final where the Spaniards ran out deserved 1-0 winners.

Can Sarina Weigman win her third Euros in a row and extract revenge for her English side, or will La Roja prove too much in the final once more?

Road To the Final

England: I don't think even they know how they've got this far, but by hook or by crook (with late magic from Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang), the Lionesses are one step away from retaining their trophy.

Their run has been far from easy however, with France and Sweden inside the Top 10 World Rankings plus the 2017 winners Netherlands all having been in their way.

Despite losing 2-1 in their opener to the French which set alarm bells ringing amidst fears of being grouped, they quickly recovered to embarrass the Dutch 4-0 and put six past Wales to sit second in their group.

This set-up a crunch-clash with Sweden - who were fresh from their 4-1 crushing of Germany - and the Scandinavians looked to be cruising to the semi-finals until two goals in three minutes late on from Lucy Bronze and Agyemang forced extra-time.

Spot-kicks was the outcome after a goalless extra-time period, where a 3-2 win from 12 yards for England will live long in the memory for the nine penalties missed.

The 36% conversion rate during the Sweden-England penalty shootout was the worst combined rate in UEFA Women's EURO history 😳

England had 7 penalty shots on target while Sweden had 4. pic.twitter.com/0m31ukxFFI
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 18, 2025

They were then heavy favourites against the Italians in the final four but looked to be heading home in devastating fashion as they trailed heading into injury time, before another Agyemang goal off the bench saved the nation; Kelly netted the rebound from her saved penalty in extra-time to earn victory.

Spain: La Roja certainly had an easier path with Italy, Portugal and Belgium in their group - the highest ranked at 13th - as they eased to first place.

From there, they met the hosts Switzerland - who are ranked 23rd in the World and lower than their group opponents - and dispatched of them with two goals in six second-half minutes.

A much tougher test awaited them in the semi-final in the form of eight-time winners Germany, however the usual magic from the best women's player Aitana Bonmati in midfield plus the defensive experience of Ona Batlle and Irene Parades helped keep them at arms length.

After a cagey affair typical of a semi-final clash between titans, it was the current Ballon D'or winner who scored the game's only goal as she caught Ann-Katrin Berger napping at her near post.

The goal that booked Spain's place in their first ever Women's Euros final 👏 pic.twitter.com/yOBZNxVrbl
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 23, 2025

Predicted Team News

Lauren James faced a race against time to be fit for the final, with Weigman confirming earlier today in her press conference that she has won the race.

That being said, James was one of England's top underperformers against Italy and probably deserved to be brought off irrespective of her ankle injury, so might lose her place in the starting lineup.

Once again, the impact of Kelly and Agyeman as substitutes has put huge pressure on the manager for them to start, but the Dutchman might decide keep them as 'super subs' - After all, it was Kelly's goal from the bench that won England the last Euros.

Spain have remained unchanged so far in the knockout stages and will probably stick to the same side once again, however the likes of Salma Paralluelo and Athenea del Castillo have continued to impress when given the opportunity.

Predicted England XI (4231): Hampton, Greenwood, Carter, Williamson, Bronze, Walsh, Stanway, Toone, Hemp, Kelly, Russo

Predicted Spain XI (433): Coll, Carmona, Mendez, Paredes, Batlle, Guijarro, Bonmati, Putellas, Caldentey, Pina, Gonzalez

Where Will the Game be Won And Lost?

The midfield is usually the main talking point ahead of a game and so often the side that takes control of the middle of the park wins the football match - but this might not be the case this time.

Whilst the likes of Walsh and Stanway posses an abundance of talent that their careers at Barcelona, Chelsea and Bayern Munich prove, coming up against a country that traditionally always dominates the ball might change the way they have to play - and on top of that, a midfield with the two best players in the world.

England will have to choose their moment to press Spain's Ballon D'or midfielders and on the other occasions would be wise to sit in shape and cut out the passing lanes to Esther Gonzalez, a striker that loves receiving the ball into feet and turning.

Should the Lionesses stick too tight to Bonmati, Putellas and even others such as Pina and Guijaro in an attempt to make them ineffective, they risk being outdone on the turn or with a skill move that will then leave huge spaces between the midfield and defence that can easily be exploited.

Germany have already showed success in staying in a compact shape and choosing when to apply pressure, which then leads to an explosion on the counter attack to catch Spain's high line off-guard.

England will more than suit this tactic as wingers such as Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, Kelly or Beth Mead have the speed to lead a quick break away that can be supported by Ella Toone, Stanway and Alessia Russo in central areas.

Another huge English headache will be at the back, as Leah Williamson's partnerships with Jess Carter and Esme Morgan have been uncharacteristically poor, with high-profile errors particularly in high-stake matches against Sweden and Italy costing the team so far this tournament.

Claudia Pina, Gonzalez, Caldente, Paralluelo and Athenea only need one sniff at goal to punish the opposition, and the Lionesses can't afford any slip-ups in a game as crucial as this.

Head-to-Head Record

The two countries have met six times since the turn of the decade, with the most recent encounters coming in the UEFA Nations League earlier this year.

Of the six clashes, the World Cup winners hold the advantage with three wins to England's two, plus a singular 0-0 draw in between.

Yet, the Lionesses were the team to knock La Roja out of the last Euros - 2-1 at the quarter-final stage courtesy of Georgia Stanway's extra-time winner - and England remain the last opponent to beat Spain dating from their 1-0 Nations League win in February.

Spain 2-1 England - 03.06.25 - UEFA Women's Nations LeagueEngland 1-0 Spain - 26.02.25 - UEFA Women's Nations LeagueSpain 1-0 England - 20.08.23 - FIFA World Cup FinalEngland 2-1 Spain - 20.07.22 - UEFA Women's EurosEngland 0-0 Spain - 20.02.22 - FriendlyEngland 0-1 Spain - 11.03.20 - Friendly

Who Are the Bookies Favouring?

Highbet have given Spain the nod with a 58% probability of winning the match at 1.71, compared to England at 4.40 and a draw after 120 minutes at 3.50.

However, with penalties in consideration, England's chances rise to 2.87 (35% chance of winning), likely due to them having already won from the spot this tournament.

Leah Williamson says there's no "clear underdog" in tomorrow's match-up.

🍿👀#WEURO2025 pic.twitter.com/jk3BgxI4DC
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 26, 2025

Kwiff are going for a similar outcome, with Spain to win within 120 minutes currently at 1.70 and England back on 4.20.

They also reckon there is a 56% chance of more than 2.5 goals to be scored, meaning we should hopefully be in for an entertaining match.

Where Can I Watch?

Having split the broadcasting rights across the whole tournament so far, the UK's two main free-to-air programmes will come together to share the privileges.

Both BBC and ITV are showing the game on their main channels, as well as their on-demand services ITVX and BBC iPlayer.

Coverage will start on ITV1 at 15:30 with BBC One's pre-match show to begin just after at 15:40, ahead of a 17:00 kick-off.

Stadium Information

The match will take in St. Jakob-Park, the largest stadium in Switzerland with a capacity of 34250 and is home to FC Basel.

Both teams are yet to play in the stadium, which has hosted crucial matches before such as the quarter and semi-finals of the Men's Euros 2008 plus the 2016 Europa League final between Sevilla and Liverpool.

Referee Information

The woman to officiate the final will be Stephanie Frappart of France.

Having been a FIFA listed official since 2009, Frappart has refereed at five international tournaments so far, including the Men's 2022 Qatar World Cup and the 2015, 2019 and 2023 Women's Editions.

The first woman to ever referee a Men's Champions League match back in 2020, the highlight of her career came back in 2019 as she was in charge of the 2019 Women's World Cup final between USA and the Netherlands.