England were crowned champions of the 2025 Women’s European Championship after defeating Spain 3-1 on penalties following a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
The Lionesses avenged their 1-0 loss to Spain in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final, coming from behind to reclaim their place as the queens of Europe.
Spain struck first through Arsenal forward Mariona Caldentey, who opened the scoring in the 25th minute. England responded in the second half, with another Arsenal player, Alessia Russo, levelling the score in the 57th minute.
Both teams created scoring chances in regular time, but neither managed to find a winner, forcing the match into extra time and eventually a penalty shootout.
England’s Bethany Mead missed the opening penalty, while Spain’s and Barcelona’s Patricia Guijarro converted hers. However, the tide quickly turned.
The Lionesses scored their next two penalties through Alex Greenwood and Niamh Charles, while captain Leah Williamson missed hers. On the other side, Spain faltered under pressure — Caldentey, Aitana Bonmatí, and Salma Paralluelo all missed their spot-kicks.
Arsenal’s Chloe Kelly, who famously netted the winning goal in the 2022 final against Germany, stepped up once again and scored the decisive penalty to seal the victory.
With this triumph, England successfully defended their title and became only the second team in history to win back-to-back UEFA Women’s European Championships, joining record-holders Germany, who have claimed the title eight times.
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