Euro 2025 final: England and Spain meet again, but how have each changed since 2023 World Cup final?

The stage is set for an epic 2025 UEFA Women’s Euro final on Sunday between reigning champs England and reignign World Cup winners Spain. A championship game two years in the making will pair two of Europe’s giants for the continent’s biggest crown. The match at St. Jakob-Park in Switzerland will serve as both a rematch and standard-bearer for the current state of women’s football in Europe as Spain and England square off just two years following the FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup final.

Spain, 2023 World Cup champions, will place their technical mastery against England, 2022 Euro champions, and tournament lionhearts. The margins for error between the two sides are slim but just enough for each squad to feel confident about their chances. 

Both sides have been the top attacking teams this tournament, scoring 32 goals, with 17 for Spain and 15 for England, and 21 different goal scorers between the two nations, with England (11) edging out Spain (10) by one player. On the defensive end, Spain have three shutouts with two clean sheets in the knockout rounds and have only allowed three goals. England have conceded six goals and have one clean sheet in the tournament.

England enter the final after two extra-time knockout matches — a quarterfinal penalty kick shootout against Sweden, and an extra-time victory against Italy in the semifinal, with sparks off the bench in Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang. Spain, meanwhile, eliminated host nation Switzerland in the quarterfinal and defeated Germany for the first time in its program history during the semifinal.

Now, the two nations meet 707 days following their 2023 World Cup meeting with another trophy on the line. Spain look to win their first-ever Euro title, while England eye history with a potential repeat, which would be the first in over a decade.

Here are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:

How to watch and odds

• Date: Sunday, July 27 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
• Location: St. Jakob-Park — Basel, Switzerland
• TV: FOX | Stream: Fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
• Odds: Spain -135; Draw +270; England +333

Last meetings

The Big One, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final: There were plenty of high stakes as the two sides met during the 2023 World Cup final. England was considered the heavy favorites following their 2022 Euro win, and Spain was seen as a team motivated to prove its federation and coaching staff for better conditions. The match played out to a narrow scoreline, with Spain the victors, 1-0, with a goal by defender Olga Carmona.

The Most Recent One, 2025 UEFA Nations League: The two sides have met since their World Cup match. They split two games earlier this year, more one-goal victories, during the 2025 UEFA Nations League. England got the better of Spain, 1-0, with a goal by Jess Park back in February, while Spain returned the favor in June. Spain’s 2-1 win kicked off their sizzling summer, as Claudia Pina scored two goals off the bench and eliminated England from the competition.

How have England changes since the final?

England’s 2022 Euro championship immediately launched the Lionesses into conversations around global elite programs and further set expectations for them at the 2023 World Cup. They ended up as runners-up in the 2023 final, and the build-up toward the 2025 Euro has seen the retirements of multiple key figures from the 2022 roster. Still, there are 14 players on England’s Euro roster who were on the 2023 World Cup squad, eight of whom were starters during the World Cup final. 

Former Lionesses striker Ellen White, midfielder Fran Kirby, defender Rachel Daly, and goalkeeper Mary Earps were key players during England’s magical Euro run but absences for this year’s tournament — with Earps announcing her departure in May, just two months ahead of the competition. During their current run, the group has had to manage injuries along the way. Forward Lauren James is nursing an ankle injury from the semifinal, and her status is in flux, while Leah Williamson and Lucy Bronze are playing through leg injuries as well.

Head coach Sarina Wiegman has faced some criticism about stale tactics and a lack of rotations and late-game substitutions, but as nerve-rattling as the late-game heroics from Agyemang and Kelly have been, the coaching methodology has worked. This squad has emerged as the tournament lionhearts for their efforts.  

England are chasing a bit of history of their own, not only as title holders looking to repeat, but also as the first team to ever win a Euro after losing their opening match. They rallied through the group stage and knockout rounds to reach the final, and if they’ve expended this much energy and emotion, they’ll empty the tank with just one more game to lift the title. 

How have Spain changed since the final?

Similarly to England, Spain’s World Cup victory helped reset the program among the top three FIFA-ranked teams after being rated outside the top five before their 2023 World Cup run. Their Euro participants feature 11 players from the World Cup-winning roster, either eight starters from the final returning. Spain’s key personnel changes from the 2023 World Cup to the 2025 Euro truly begin at the federation and coaching level. 

Their World Cup win was overshadowed, however. Former RFEF president Luis Rubiales initiated a non-consensual kiss with player Jenni Hermoso on the medal podium, and his close ties to former manager Jorge Vilda — who players revolted against ahead of and after the World Cup due to his coaching style and leadership methods — led to his firing and also the coach’s eventual dismissal.

Montse Tome has been the head coach of the group since September 2023, and the program settled for a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Olympics after making their debut at the Summer Games. The former player turned coach faced criticisms for her lineup choices and somewhat predictable tactics during the competition, but making it this far is no small feat.

Spain’s midfield mastery with the trio of Aitana Bonmatí, Alexia Putellas, and Patri Guijarro continues to set the standard for their possession-based play, while forward Esther Gonzalez leads the team, and Euros, in the Golden Boot race. With plenty of holdovers from the World Cup final, Claudia Pina emerged as a bench player to a sure starter, and she has shown off her relentless efforts in attacking play and as a set-piece service threat. 

The team is making its first appearance in the Euro final and will aim to become the eighth different country to win the tournament. If they win, they will join Germany as the only nations to immediately follow a World Cup win with a Euro title. The Netherlands are the only team in the last 30 years to win the Euro (2017) in their first final appearance.

Predicted lineups

England: Hannah Hampton; Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Esme Morgan, Alex Greenwood; Georgia Stanway, Kiera Walsh, Ella Toone; Beth Mead, Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo

Spain: Cata Coll; Ona Batlle, Irene Paredes, Laia Aleixandri, Olga Carmona; Aitana Bonmati, Patri Guijarro, Alexia Putellas; Mariona Caldentey, Claudia Pina, Esther Gonzalez

Prediction

There will be little that separates the two sides on the pitch, meaning the tactical matchups will be all the more intriguing. Could this be the game that England finally runs out of gas and personnel? Probably not, but it might make stretches of the game difficult for them to chase if they can’t figure out how to play over Spain’s midfield. Each team will score, but Spain will be the victors in extra time. Pick: Spain 2, England 1