Queens of Europe, but can England rule the world?

The Lionesses kept their crown in stunning fashion and now want to get their hands on the biggest trophy of all.

- By Simon Collings

Leah Williamson did her best to hold back the tears as the open-top buses carrying England’s heroes made their way up The Mall. By the time the Lionesses captain and her teammates were on the stage in front of Buckingham Palace, though, Williamson was “in the trenches” as she looked out at the 65,000 fans in attendance.

“This is unbelievable,” she said. “This is one of the best things we have ever been a part of, so thank you for coming out. Everything we do, obviously we do it for us and our team, but we do it for the country and we do it for young girls.”

Three years ago, when the Lionesses were crowned European champions on home soil, around 7,000 were in Trafalgar Square to celebrate with them the next day. This parade was nearly 10 times that size, and like nothing the women's game has seen before including Sarina Wiegman dancing and singing on stage with Afrobeats artist Burna Boy.

The celebrations will live long in the memory, but Williamson stressed they won't be the last. Composing herself, she finished with a telling line: “Stay with us — this story is not done yet.”

Left-field thinking

The next challege for the Lionesses is the 2027 World Cup in Brazil and they will head there aiming to continue their fairytale journey by lifting the trophy.

The squad will inevitably evolve before then, just as it did after England won Euro 2022. Only 13 players from that group were part of this summer’s success in Switzerland.

Wiegman has never shied away from making bold decisions, and she showed that before the tournament in Switzerland by dropping goalkeeper Mary Earps in favour of Hannah Hampton. Hampton repaid that faith with a brilliant Euros, capped by a heroic performance in the final’s penalty shootout, and, at 24, she is well placed to make the No1 shirt her own for years to come.