England are hoping to be only the second side to defend the Women’s Euro Championship title after Germany, with Sarina Wiegman eyeing a third straight major tournament final as the team’s manager. However, the Lionesses face a crunching group stage with plucky France, Wiegman’s former employers Netherlands and fellow British side Wales looking to derail their chances early. The team is also missing key stars and has fitness issues in the squad, but looks strong enough to mount another significant title challenge in Switzerland with their journey beginning on July 6, 2025. England announced their 23-player final squad a month before the tournament, with a lot of players holding title-winning experience at Wembley from three years ago.
History
This will be the tenth appearance for England in the UEFA Women’s Euro Championship and for the seventh straight time. The Lionesses have entered the competition final three times in 1984, 2009 and 2022, winning the last edition in dominant fashion on home soil, beating the record champions Germany 2-1 in extra-time. The team scored an incredible 22 goals and conceded only twice on the course of lifting the trophy by winning every game. The success was historical as it was their first piece of major silverware for the side, with Sarina Weigman being the first coach to win the trophy more than once.
Qualification for Euro 2025
England were a little disappointing in the Euro qualifying campaign as they came second to France, their opponents in the finals also, albeit finishing in the automatic qualifying spot. Their goalless draw away against third-place Sweden in the final game cost them the top spot, even though they finished three points above them with 11 overall from six games. The Lionesses weren’t free-scoring in the qualifiers, managing eight goals, the same as France, with Alessia Russo the top scorer for the side with three goals.
Form
Wiegman’s side has been inconsistent lately, which has cost them their place in the Nations League finals by losing to World Champions Spain prior to the Euros. They lost to Belgium and drew against Portugal, two low-ranked sides, in the tournament, even though they won every game at home and claimed five victories out of 10 games since qualifying for the tournament. The team failed to score just once in that period in the goalless draw against the USA last November, netting 22 goals and conceding 10 times. England will be determined to return to winning ways in the pre-tournament friendly against Jamaica a week before the Euros.
England Squad for Euro 2025
Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Khiara Keating (Manchester City), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride)
Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham FC), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Grace Clinton (Manchester United), Jess Park (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Chelsea)
Forwards: Michelle Agyemang (Brighton & Hove Albion, loan from Arsenal), Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Arsenal, loan from Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Alessia Russo (Arsenal)
Head Coach: Sarina Wiegman
England faced several challenges ahead of the squad selection for Euro 2025, as members of the 2022 title-winning squad, Mary Earps and Fran Kirby, retired from international duties, while Millie Bright withdrew due to personal reasons. Still, the squad is pretty stacked with 13 members retained from the triumph three years ago, including the tournament’s Golden Boot winner, Beth Mead, who scored a joint-record six goals in a single tournament. The vastly experienced Lucy Bronze is set for her seventh major tournament for the Lionesses and her fourth consecutive European Championship. On the other hand, there are new prospects to look at with eight players appearing at their first major tournament, including teenage sensation, Michelle Agyemang, who received just 10 minutes of her international career, albeit scoring on her debut. The interesting inclusion in the squad has been World Cup star Lauren James, who was out for the last two months with a hamstring injury. Sophie Baggaley, Laura Blindkilde Brown, Missy Bo Kearns and Lucy Parker were named as standby players and will train with the squad until 30th June 2025.
Strength
The strength for England is the same as the last Euros, with a great blend of talent across all areas of the pitch and an added advantage of tournament-winning experience this time. The Lionesses again have the right balance in the squad, with tournament debutants and experienced heads making them a feared opposition again. There is another key factor for the team’s depth in quality, with far more options on the forward line than in previous tournaments. Of course, they have their guidance behind the Euro 2022 triumph and being Women’s World Cup finalists in Sarina Weigman, who is the major factor again for the side dreaming of retaining the trophy.
Weakness
There are no significant weaknesses for the side if they don’t feel the loss of the trio Earps, Kirby and Bright, even after having good options to replace them. The squad might find a continuity issue with several players missing a chunk of the past season with injury, including Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly and most recently, Lauren James, with the three making important contributions in the past two major tournaments. While they should be good enough to make it to the knockout stage, being in a group of death with France and the Netherlands is always tricky and might decrease their chance of winning the group if they drop their level.
How will England lineup at Euro 2025?
Sarina Weigman will be fielding England in her preferred and successful 4-3-3 formation with a wealth of options for the starting eleven. After Earp's retirement, Hannah Hampton will be the undisputed number one in between the sticks. Without Millie Bright, Alex Greenwood is the likely candidate for the centre-back pairing with Leah Williamson, who captained the Lionesses to Euro 2022 success and wants to repeat it. Like Greenwood, Esme Morgan's versatility could be key, but the Dutch manager will prefer tournament experience as the choice for starters. Niamh Charles has been operating at the left flank ahead of Jess Carter in the last few games, but the latter could easily be the first choice, as has been in the previous two major competitions for England. That could be true for Ella Toone, who could start in midfield alongside the unshakable pair of Stanway and Walsh, but faces competition from energetic and versatile Jess Park depending on the situation. Up front, Hemp, Russo and Mead should be making a fine trio with a host of forwards to back them up.
England's Euro 2025 opponents and fixtures
Group D
France
England
Wales
Netherlands
Group D Fixtures
6 July 2025
France vs England - Letzigrund, Zurich (00:30)
9 July 2025
England vs Netherlands - Letzigrund, Zurich (21:30)
14 July 2025
England vs Wales - Kybunpark, St. Gallen (00:30)
Prediction
England are certainly the favourites to repeat their 2022 feat at Wembley if they can navigate their way out of the ‘group of death’ properly. Clubbed with France and the Netherlands alongside underdogs Wales, England know it will be a tall task to win it, but are likely to claim the top spot, provided they begin strongly against France and take a victory against former winners Netherlands who has not been in good shape ahead of Euros amid facing Wales in their opener. The latter is also a safety net for the Lionesses in the final group game if results don’t go their way, but they will want to win the group to avoid facing Germany in the quarterfinals, who are likely to win Group C. Otherwise, Denmark or Sweden could be their opposition. England is set to face strong opposition in the semifinals, and their mentality will be tested to see if they can harness their potential to win the trophy once again.
