England v Spain live: Leah Williamson wants Lionesses to ‘continue their legacy’ in Euro 2025 final | OneFootball

Close

Lionesses seen laughing and in high spirits during last training session before Euros final

England captain Leah Williamson said the Lionesses are determined to not be a “flash in the pan” and “continue their legacy” as they prepare to face world champions Spain in the Euro 2025 final in Basel.

Sarina Wiegman’s side have the historic opportunity to become the first England team in history to defend a major tournament title, as they go in search of back-to-back European crowns after their Euro 2022 win three years ago.

"You don't want to be a flash in the pan, a memory, and before 2022 we said it was the start of something,” captain Williamson said. “So we're still trying to play our role. We know how powerful that is. I hope it continues to grow, the respect for women's football, for women, and women's sport in general."

Williamson did not think the Lionesses will be underdogs against world champions Spain, in what is a rematch of the 2023 World Cup final in Sydney. England will be out for revenge after Spain’s 1-0 win, while Spain are determined to enjoy the moment after their victory was overshadowed by Luis Rubiales.

England required miraculous escapes to defeat Sweden and then Italy in the knockout stages, with Michelle Agyemang’s dramatic equaliser and Chloe Kelly’s penalty rebound firing the Lionesses into a third consecutive final.

There were some concern over forward Lauren James after she picked up a knock to her ankle during the win over Italy. But the 23-year-old trained on the eve of the final and Wiegman has confirmed that she has all 23 players available on Sunday.

Spain's captain speaks ahead of Euro 2025 final

Spain captain Irene Parades ahead of facing England in the Euro 2025 final.

“England is one of the best national teams in the world. They deserve to be in the final. We will have players tomorrow who share clubs and we have played each other several times. They have made us suffer, we do the same. It will be a balanced game. All the respect tomorrow.

“The team is here in an important moment. We are mature at all levels. We are in a good shape and have a good combination of players, which helps in order to be in a final. We are calm, we are cool, we are enjoying football. We don’t see pressure - we see this as an opportunity to continue writing history.”