Nearly a week has passed since the Lionesses retained their European crown with a stunning win over Spain in the Euro 2025 final. Chloe Kelly converted the deciding penalty in the shootout as Hannah Hampton also soaked in the plaudits for her incredible performance between the sticks, with manager Sarina Wiegman picking up her third consecutive Euros title.
The match itself was gripping and the fallout has been intriguing, with Spain players’ salty comments, the fate of England’s prize money, and Wiegman’s reaction to the prospect of getting a royal honour all capturing public attention. Here, Express Sport takes you through three of the biggest stories from the aftermath of the Lionesses’ triumph in Switzerland…
Lionesses branded ‘lucky’
Spain did take more shots on goal and see more of the ball during Sunday’s final, and some of their players felt that England were fortunate to come away with the win.
Captain Irene Paredes said La Roja ‘deserved it more’ and that England ‘had luck throughout the whole tournament’. Aitana Bonmati claimed that Spain were ‘far superior’ than their opponents, and manager Montse Tome agreed with her skipper, saying: “I think we were better but football is a sport where not always the best team wins.”
Prize money haul slashed
UEFA set aside £34million in total prize money for all competing nations. Of that, £4.4m was assigned to the champions, and around £1.75m of that figure is set to be distributed to the 23-player squad, averaging out at around £75,000 each.
Robert Salter, a director at advisory firm Blick Rothenberg, subsequently pointed out that a whopping £788,900 of that £1.75m would be taxed by HMRC. Per player, that works out to a financial hit of around £34,000 each.
Sarina Wiegman reacts to royal honour
Dutchwoman Wiegman has delivered incredible success to English football and she is now widely expected to receive an honorary damehood for her achievements. The manager is a much-loved figure on these shores and she was asked about the prospect of picking up the honour during a trip to 10 Downing Street earlier this week.
She said: “I haven’t thought about that. I feel so much respect from England and the Royal Family, too, and I think that’s the most important thing. I feel very special to get so much respect from England.”