Who’s lifting the trophy in Switzerland?
We’re only a few days away from the final in Switzerland, with England and Spain ready to give it their all! Can England defend their title, or will Spain finally win the tournament for the first time ever? Let’s take a closer look at the big match!
England – Spain
St. Jakob-Park, Sunday @ 18:00 CET
England
Results so far:
Group Stage: France – England: 2-1
Group Stage: England – Netherlands: 4-0
Group Stage: England – Wales: 6-1
Quarter-finals: Sweden – England 2-2 (2-3 on penalties)
Semi-finals: England – Italy: 2-1 (AET)
England have made it a habit of making things difficult for themselves in this tournament, and their semi-final against Italy was no different. Italy’s Bonansea gave the Italians the lead in the 33rd minute, and despite England controlling a lot of the play, they were struggling to get the better of Giuliani between the sticks for Italy. Once again, though, England managed to pull off a bit of a miracle, with two subs coming on to change the game in the dying minutes, first Agyemang with the equalizer in the 96th minute, forcing extra time, before Chloe Kelly scored on the rebound from the goalkeeper on her own penalty to give England the lead in the 119th minute.
England manager Sarina Wiegman will be hoping for a less nervy match this Sunday, although the drama has made their matches fantastic entertainment for the neutral viewers. The Dutch manager have done a great job with the substitutions so far in the tournament, but there will be questions raised regarding the starting line-up in the final.
Should Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang get the nod from start? If so, who should be placed on the bench, as benching Russo or Hemp also seems like a pretty big gamble. Lauren James was substituted at half-time against Italy due to an ankle injury, and could end up being being replaced by Kelly in the starting line-up here, or possibly Mead.
Defensively, we’d expect few if any changes for England, with Bronze, Williamson, Morgan and Greenwood expected to start, while Toone, Walsh and Stanway are hoping to continue leading the midfield for the side.
Wiegman will be hoping to see an England side taking charge here, but they’ve proven throughout the tournament that they are never completely out until the final whistle. Can they get the better of the world champions, though?
Spain
Results so far:
Group Stage: Spain – Portugal: 5-0
Group Stage: Spain – Belgium: 6-2
Group Stage: Italy – Spain: 1-3
Quarter-finals: Spain – Switzerland: 2-0
Semi-finals: Germany – Spain 0-1 (AET)
Spain were big favourites ahead of the semi-final against Germany, but the Germans did not make it easy for the reigning world champions. Despite Spain dominating in terms of possession and chances, Germany managed to withstand the pressure, a lot of it thanks to the heroics of their goalkeeper Berger. Germany were even close to winning it in the last minute before extra-time, but a double save from the Spanish goalkeeper ensured extra-time.
Bonmatí became the match winner with a cheeky finish in the 113th minute, and the German goalkeeper was left disappointed with herself having left her near post open. Either way, Spain managed to avoid the penalty shootout, but they’re still coming into the final having played extra-time in both of their last two matches, just like England did.
Athenea del Castillo came on from the bench and provided the assist for Bonmatí’s winner, and both del Castillo and Salma Paralluelo – who also came on as a substitute in the semi-final – could be considered in the starting line-up here. Spain will be hoping for another solid performance from their goalkeeper Cata Coll, while Esther Gonzalez is still looking like the frontrunner to become topscorer in the tournament.
It’s a difficult match to predict, with England hoping to defend their title with a win against the team that beat them in the WC final, and a Spain team looking for their first ever win in the tournament!
Odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.
Last Updated: 24.07.2025
