Wiegman reflects on 'crazy' EURO 2025

The day after the Lionesses’ historic victory over Spain in the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Final, head coach Sarina Wiegman reflected on what has been an action-packed summer, filled with memories to cherish.

And although the England boss admitted she was somewhat sleep deprived, it was all worth it to see her side retain their European crown and lift the trophy in Basel.

“I feel very good,” said Wiegman. “I feel a little bit tired because we didn’t get that much sleep but I feel most of all, a lot of pride of the team.”

A new-look team playing the ‘proper English way’ marched on the tournament in Switzerland, with a mix of experienced players with multiple tournaments under their belt standing shoulder-to-shoulder with those who were experiencing their very first.

“This new England, going into a new tournament and then finishing again with the cup, that's just incredible,” continued Wiegman. “The bonding in this team has been incredible. I think that gave us the edge – I think we were the best bonded team.

“Everyone was ready to play, everyone showed up and everyone has had a contribution to the team on and off the pitch.

“For the wider public, not everyone has been visible because of not having that many minutes or having no minutes but everyone had such a contribution to the team.”

For the third time in England’s tournament, extra time was needed to separate the two teams, with the Final decided by a shoot-out – the second time the Lionesses faced that same scenario in the knockout stages, with Wiegman’s team seeing off Sweden on penalties in the quarter-final.

And although it called on every last ounce of the team’s resolve, the Lionesses triumphed on spot kicks.

“Three times going into extra time, that’s crazy,” explained Wiegman. “I feel this tournament was cray and chaos on the pitch. Off the pitch, everything was pretty calm.

“Also in the three games, we came from behind – we came from 1-0 or even 2-0 down. I think that shows so much quality of the players.

“The team showed so much resilience but also belief – belief that we can turn things around and we can win by any means. That’s also the words they used. That’s what we showed over and over again.”

The Lionesses will touch back down on home soil today, with a homecoming event in London planned for Tuesday 29 July to mark England’s triumph – the details of which can be found here.

“I’m really looking forward to going back to England and come together there and celebrate,” noted Wiegman. “It’s nice to be with the team for two more days and then some time off.

“The fans have been amazing. I think we always have a very good crowd and we never, ever take that for granted. If you look at this tournament, how many English fans came to the stadiums and we were always in the stands in a huge overload.

“That’s incredible that all these people took the effort to come and watch us to Switzerland but also the people at home – we’ve seen some things coming on the socials.”

Now, the England boss is looking forward to basking in European glory with her team, with the homecoming ceremony including an open-top bus procession along The Mall, culminating with a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace tomorrow.

“During the tournament, we go the group stage, then you go to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final and you have these really small, like an hour, nice celebrations, you be happy with what we have accomplished and then move on,” said Wiegman.

“But now, when you win the final – and it was so tough and such a tight game and everyone was so exhausted – the relief and the happiness was so huge that we were ready to celebrate.

“I’ve seen a lot of dancing, a lot of singing, happy people, happy players, happy families.”