‘We know how powerful this stage is’ – Leah Williamson on Euro 2025 legacy ahead of final | OneFootball

England captain Leah Williamson hopes the Lionesses’ continued success at Euro 2025 can continue to shape women’s football in England.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s final, where the Lionesses face Spain, Williamson spoke of the importance of the team being on the “powerful” European stage.

As England go into the final in Basel looking to retain their European crown, the Arsenal defender hopes to build on the legacy of their 2022 success and the wider impact it had on women’s sport.

“The landscape keeps changing and we are trying to change with it and that’s a really hard thing to do,” the 28-year-old said. “That proves the investment and the quality of the game in England is continuing to rise.

“You don’t want to be a flash in the pan, a memory. When we spoke before 2022, we said it was the start of something and we are still trying to play our role in that as well.

“Being here and being on this stage, we know how powerful that is and I hope it continues to grow. I hope the respect for the women’s game, the respect for women and women’s sport continues and we can try our best to continue to elevate that.”

Sunday’s final will be a rematch of the 2023 World Cup final, where Spain came out victorious in a tournament which Williamson did not feature in, due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury which ruled her out.

Instead, she was left cheering her team on from the stands, alongside former Lioness Jill Scott in Sydney.

“It was awful,” Williamson added. “Once you’re part of a team, I know how tired you are when you get to that stage, and how much a tournament takes out of you – and to be completely useless, that probably bothered me the most.

“But to sit with the families and know what they go through – that actually makes me reflect on this tournament and we haven’t been very kind to them at all.

“But that feels like a really long time ago, which is probably a benefit to the whole squad. But anybody would give anything to be a part of their team when they’re going through moments like that, it was tough.

“The only plus was sitting next to Jill and sharing it with somebody who knew what it felt like.”

When asked how she will spend the final few hours before kick off, Williamson said: “I’ll be playing Monopoly Deal with the girls and having a nap, always.”