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Ameé Ruszkai5 Jul 2025OpinionEnglandWomen's EUROS. WiegmanA. RussoL. WilliamsonWOMEN'S FOOTBALLFEATURESFrance vs England

Alessia Russo's goal-scoring form, Sarina Wiegman's tournament magic and six reasons why England's Lionesses can defend their title at Euro 2025

Grouped with France, the Netherlands and Wales, things won't be easy for the European champions, but there are many reasons to believe

This summer, for the first time, England's Lionesses will head to a major tournament as the defending champions. Three years after Chloe Kelly's extra-time strike defeated Germany at Wembley, Sarina Wiegman's side head to Switzerland looking to retain their European Championship title, with the manager herself looking to win this tournament for the third time in a row, having also lifted the 2017 trophy with the Netherlands.

It's not going to be easy. England have been drawn in the 'group of death', alongside France, the Netherlands and Wales, which will be a difficult pool to escape from full stop. Squeeze through in second, though, rather than topping the table, and it's extremely likely that their quarter-final opponent will be Spain, the team that beat them in the Women's World Cup final two years ago.

Further complicating the Lionesses' title defence is the loss of two key players, in Mary Earps and Millie Bright. Wiegman wanted both to be part of her squad this summer, but neither will be, with Earps' retiring from international duty just a week before the England squad was named and Bright withdrawing from selection in order to prioritise her mental and physical well-being.

But it's not all bad news. This is still a fantastic team, one capable of great things, as GOAL breaks down six reasons why the Lionesses can successfully defend their title at Euro 2025...

  • Experienced squad

    One of the main reasons England have the ability to win Euro 2025 is because their squad is packed with players who know exactly how to get over the line on this stage. No fewer than 13 names involved this summer were part of the side that triumphed in 2022, with them well-versed in the demands and pressure that comes with this sort of occasion.

    It's not just at international level that these players know how to handle those factors, either. So many of them deal with that sort of stuff week in, week out at club level, representing the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Manchester United. It's the best position this England team has ever been in in terms of high-level experience.

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    World-class talent

    It's not just that the players in this England squad are experienced - they're also extremely talented. Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Alex Greenwood, Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway, Lauren James and Lauren Hemp can all lay claim to being among the very best players in their positions in the world, and it is quality like that which can win games on the biggest stages.

    This is a great team that works well as a group and so often that delivers results. But in the moments that it doesn't, in the moments when England need someone to step up and deliver a bit of magic in order to get over the line, they have that as well.

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    In-form Russo

    Among the top-quality players in that squad is Alessia Russo, who is still making in-roads when it comes to being one of the best strikers in the world, but who comes into this Euros off the back of her best-ever season. The Arsenal star earned a share of the Women's Super League Golden Boot and was central to the Gunners' Champions League triumph, with so many other areas of her game thriving alongside her much improved goal-scoring.

    That success hasn't been limited to club level, either. Russo's increased clinical touch has also been on show for England, with a deadly finish against Spain at the start of last month perfectly illustrating the confidence she has in front of goal right now. That's going to be absolutely vital to the Lionesses' chances of success.

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    Injury fortunes

    A few months ago, if someone wanted to compile a list of reasons why England wouldn't win Euro 2025, injuries would've surely been one of the first to come to mind. Hemp underwent knee surgery in November, Greenwood followed suit a month later, and then Stanway joined the club at the end of January, all before James' season ended prematurely in April thanks to a hamstring issue. There were less than three months before the Euros was set to begin when all four were serious doubts for the tournament.

    All would've been huge losses for different reasons: the attack, and its depth, would've been seriously weakened without Hemp and James; Greenwood is perhaps England's best centre-back, while Bright's subsequent withdrawal would've only intensified issues there; and had Stanway missed out, there would've been a lot of pressure on young Grace Clinton in a midfield role she's still learning.

    Fortunately, then, all four have recovered in time. It's a huge break for an England side that has not had its rub of the green in recent years, with all of Williamson, Fran Kirby and Beth Mead having missed the World Cup in 2023. This time, they've got a much fuller squad to work with.

  • Wiegman's magic

    There is no manager at Euro 2025 more proven at delivering success in major tournaments than Wiegman. In the last eight years, the Dutchwoman has won two European titles and reached two World Cup finals, and with two different teams. Having first done it with the Netherlands, winning Euro 2017 and reaching the 2019 World Cup final, a monumental achievement given the relative lack of success for the Oranje prior to that, she's since taken England through the glass ceiling and delivered their first major title at Euro 2022.

    Perhaps the best example of how good Wiegman is in these situations, though, came at the World Cup in 2023. In terms of performance, the Lionesses underwhelmed in their first two group games, which were 1-0 wins against Haiti and Denmark, so the England boss decided to switch things up. She did so dramatically, too, changing to a 3-5-2 system that her team had never played in. Yet, it worked brilliantly and was a big reason why the Lionesses reached the final.

    What tricks will Wiegman have up her sleeve for Euro 2025? We won't know until we see them, but the tournament master is sure to have a few things prepared.

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    Questions elsewhere

    Amid all these positives, there are, of course, still concerns around England. There are concerns around some of the poor results and performances that have cropped up in the last two years, there are concerns that the Lionesses will dearly miss some of their big absentees and there are concerns that some of the key players in this squad are only recently back from injury. Will they be ready for the demands Euro 2025 brings?

    But, the good news is, every single team at this tournament has concerns and caveats around their title credentials. Spain underwhelmed dramatically at the Olympics last year, amid questions of just how good a coach Montse Tome is, and there are worries about the health of Aitana Bonmati; Germany and France both have new managers will no experience of this level, and potentially issues within the squads; the Netherlands are not as reliable as in previous years, with Vivianne Miedema prone to spells on the sidelines in recent times; and then come the more wildcard picks of teams like Sweden, Italy, Norway and Denmark.

    There is no team nailed on to win the Euros this summer. Given England's proven qualities, though, they're a pretty good bet.