Triumphant Lionesses of England will celebrate retaining the Euros with an open-top bus parade after beating Spain in a dramatic penalty shootout.
The Lionesses, led by Sarina Wiegman, won back-to-back European titles and became the first England football team to win a major trophy on foreign soil as they defeated the team that beat them in their last major final two years ago.
Chloe Kelly’s spot-kick, along with two huge saves from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, sealed a 3-1 shootout win in Basel, Switzerland. The dramatic victory prompted celebrations across the country and from the stands, where the Prince of Wales and his daughter Princess Charlotte were watching, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also sent the team his congratulations after the win.
Before the penalties, England had battled back from a goal down, with Alessia Russo equalising in the 57th minute, following Spain’s 25th-minute opener, leaving the score 1-1 at the end of extra time. The Lionesses had to cope with injury problems along the way, losing Lauren James and Lucy Bronze during the final – the latter later revealing she played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia.
Congratulatory messages have since poured in for Wiegman’s side, including from King Charles, who wrote on social media: “For more years than I care to remember, England fans have sung that famous chant ‘football’s coming home’. As you return home with the trophy you won at Wembley three years ago, it is a source of great pride that, through sporting skill and awesome teamwork, the Lionesses have made those words ring true.”
He added: “The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can!. Charles R.”
The Prince of Wales later posted that he ‘couldn’t be prouder of the team’, while Starmer hailed the victorious Lionesses as ‘history makers’.
The Football Association announced shortly after the final that the Lionesses’ homecoming would be honoured with an open-top bus parade in central London on Tuesday, 29 July, culminating in a ceremony outside Buckingham Palace.
King congratulates Lionesses
The King has congratulated the Lionesses on winning Euro 2025, saying: “The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can!”
In a post on the Royal Family X account, the King said: “This brings you, your manager and all your support team my most heartfelt congratulations on winning the Euros 2025.
“For more years than I care to remember, England fans have sung that famous chant ‘football’s coming home’.
“As you return home with the trophy you won at Wembley three years ago, it is a source of great pride that, through sporting skill and awesome teamwork, the Lionesses have made those words ring true. For this, you have my whole family’s warmest appreciation and admiration.”
Williamson hails England’s mentality
Captain Leah Williamson says she’s in “total disbelief” after England’s victory.
“It just felt like it was going to be our day,” she tells the BBC.
Williamson admits it’s been a difficult tournament for the Lionesses and people doubted them, but she hailed the “relentless” mentality of her
