England won the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 final in a tense penalty shootout, defeating Spain 3-1 after the match ended 1-1 following extra time.
This victory marks England’s second consecutive European Championship title.
The final in Basel, Switzerland saw Spain control most of the possession. They took the lead in the 25th minute when Ona Batlle’s cross found Mariona Caldentey, who headed past England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.
England struggled initially, especially after Lauren James left with an ankle injury. However, substitute Chloe Kelly made an immediate impact after coming on before halftime.
Kelly strengthened England’s defense and created the equalizer in the 57th minute with a perfect cross that Alessia Russo headed home.
Despite Spain’s continued dominance in possession, they couldn’t score again during regular or extra time. The match went to penalties, where England’s goalkeeper Hampton became the hero.
After Spain’s Catalina Coll saved Beth Mead’s opening penalty, Hampton made crucial saves against Caldentey and Aitana Bonmati. When Spain’s Salma Paralluelo missed her spot-kick, Kelly stepped up to score the winning penalty, repeating her championship-winning heroics from Euro 2022.
“I’m so proud, so proud of this team, so grateful to wear this badge, and I’m so proud to be English… I was cool, I was composed and I knew I was going to hit the back of the net,” said match-winner Kelly.
Remarkably, Spain had trailed for only four minutes in the entire tournament and never fell behind against England, yet couldn’t claim their first European title. This was the first final since 1984 to be decided by penalties.
“This team is just unbelievable, incredible. We’ve shown throughout this tournament that we can come back when we go a goal down. We have that grit. We never say die – we just keep going, and we did that today,” said hero goalkeeper Hampton.
The victory cements England’s status as Europe’s top women’s football nation, while Spain’s wait for a major trophy continues despite their impressive tournament performance.
