England created more history for themselves as they successfully defended the Women’s Euro Championship crown in the 2025 edition held in Switzerland. The Lionesses took sweet revenge for their Women’s World Cup final loss to Spain by beating them 3-1 on penalties after scores were unchanged during 120 minutes of play. Mariona Caldentey put La Roja into the lead in a dominant first half and it looked like they had their hands on the prize. However, Sarina Wiegman's side proved again that they don’t have to be perfect but precise at the time of asking, with Alessia Russo heading in the equaliser in the 57th minute. Although Beth Mead and Leah Williamson missed their penalties in the tie-breaker, goalkeeper Hannah Hampton made two crucial saves, ensuring they didn't pay for it, as Chloe Kelly scored the winning penalty. It was a remarkable achievement for England that demonstrated their resilience and determination to defend their honour, which they accomplished in a much smoother manner three years ago.
Considering the team was on the brink of an early elimination after losing to eventual group winners France in their tournament opener, this success makes it even more special than the previous one. England turned back the result with a huge 4-0 win over the Netherlands before slamming Wales 6-1 to secure their place in the quarterfinals, where they faced the latest scare.
The Lionesses fought from two goals down to beat Sweden on penalties and went on to make two more comebacks to retain the silverware. First in the semifinals, where they had to overturn a 33rd-minute Italian lead with Michelle Agyemang being the hero again at the death before Chloe Kelly grabbed the winner from the rebound of her saved penalty in extra time. The now Arsenal winger did not miss from the spot when the chance came again as she became the winning goal scorer in back-to-back Women’s Euro finals.
Here are the records set by England in UEFA Women's Euro 2025:
Second Team to Retain the Title
England became only the second team in Women's Euro history to successfully defend their title, a feat achieved only by Germany before in the competition's history. The Lionesses also became the first senior English team, men’s or women’s, to win a major tournament on foreign soil. The other two major silverware, the 1966 FIFA Men’s World Cup and the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, were won by England in their home.
Mastermind
Manager Sarina Wiegman extended her record by coaching her third Women’s Euro triumph, winning with the Netherlands in 2017 and with England in 2022 and 2025, maintaining a 100% winning record in Euro finals. She has now coached a record 17 Women’s EURO finals matches. By reaching the Women’s Euro 2025, the Dutch coach has already overseen a fifth straight major competition final, an unprecedented record.
Milestone
Lucy Bronze made history by becoming the first Lioness to reach 36 major tournament appearances, surpassing Jill Scott’s record of 35 during the semi-final against Italy. She achieved this despite playing the entire tournament with a fractured tibia, revealed post-tournament.
Penalty heroes
The Lionesses had to go through several tough phases of the game to lift the Women’s Euro title again, including penalty shootouts. However, they were decisive in those tie-breakers to secure victories that ultimately resulted in gaining the prize. No other side had managed to win multiple penalty shootouts in a single tournament in women’s Euro history before England, which reflected their incredible mentality in high-pressure situations. They triumphed in a dramatic shootout against Sweden in the quarter-finals, winning it 3-2 and then against Spain in the final itself in Basel with a less chaotic 3-1 win.
Scoring habit
England scored in all five matches, extending their streak to 11 consecutive Women’s Euro matches with at least one goal since 2022. They have scored 38 times in that period in the tournament with an average of an outstanding 3.4 goals per match.
Comeback queens
In the quarterfinal tie against Sweden, England also set a new record as the first team to come back from a two-goal deficit in a Women's Euro knockout game. The Nordic country went 2-0 up inside 25 minutes, but Wiegman’s side did not lose hope. With 11 minutes left on the clock, Lucy Bronze equalised in the 79th minute, and substitute Michelle Agyemang scored the winner in the 81st minute, allowing her team to triumph 3-2 on penalties.
All Around
England had 11 different goal scorers across the tournament (Lauren James, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, Aggie Beever-Jones, Lucy Bronze, Michelle Agyemang, Chloe Kelly, Keira Walsh), setting a new Women’s Euro record for the most individual scorers by a team in a single tournament.
Most in a Single Match
Six of those scorers scored in England’s 6-1 victory over Wales in the final group stage game, setting a record for the most individual goal scorers in a single Women’s Euro match. Georgia Stanway opened the scoring in the 13th minute from the spot with Ella Toone extending the lead in the 21st minute. Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo scored in quick succession close to the half-time whistle, while the rest of the strikes came from Beth Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones, the latter becoming the youngest Lionesses to score in the competition.
Super subs
England’s strength in the Women’s Euro 2025 was also from the bench that had ten goal involvements from substitutes (five goals, five assists), the most on record for a single Women’s Euro tournament since 2013. The substitutes made all the difference in the knock-out stages for the Lionesses, with Agyemang scoring two crucial levellers in the quarter-finals and semifinals respectively, while another super sub, Kelly, scored the match winner in the latter and also provided the all-important assist in the final for Russo to turn the tie around against Spain. Although her tournament-winning penalty in the shootout does not count in the tally, it was another important contribution from a player off the bench.
