Who’s winning Sunday’s final?
Both of the semi-finals went to extra-time, with England and Spain beating Italy and Germany, respectively. Now, all focus is on the big final, where Spain are favourites against the defending European champions from England. Let’s take a closer look at Sunday’s big match!
England vs. Spain
St. Jakob-Park, Sunday @ 18:00 CET
What to Expect from England
England’s victory over Sweden in the quarter-finals was a dramatic one, and they followed it up with another thriller in the semi-final against Italy. The Italians took the lead just after the half-hour mark, and despite England pressing hard for the equalizer, they struggled to find the back of the net until a late goal from substitute Agyemang secured extra-time in the 96th minute. Chloe Kelly’s penalty in the 119th minute was saved, but the pacy attacker managed to score on the rebound from the goalkeeper, securing a win for England and heartbreak for Italy.
Sarina Wiegman has plenty of options to ponder ahead of Sunday’s big final, and the early substitution of Lauren James (at half-time) against Italy due to an ankle worry could be a hint at a potential change in the starting lineup against Spain.
Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp are expected to start again, while there might be a chance for Kelly or Mead to grab a spot in the starting eleven, especially if James’ injury keeps her out. An injury to Lauren James would be a big loss, as her talent is undeniable and she is the type of player that can make a difference at any point in the game, both in terms of creating chances and scoring herself.
Defensively, we don’t expect much to change for England, with Hampton, Bronze and Williamson all important players in the English setup, and Wiegman traditionally not a big fan of making too many changes in her starting line-ups.
England finally won their first big tournament when they lifted this trophy 3 years ago, and they would love to stop Spain from winning their first title of this tournament this weekend. Spain might be world champions, but they’ve never lifted this cup before.
What to Expect from Spain
Spain also needed extra-time to grab a win in the semi-final, with Germany even close to winning the match in injury time. An impressive double save from Cata Coll in the Spanish goal ensured extra-time, and it almost felt inevitable that it was Bonmatí who in the end finally found a way past Berger in the German goal.
In other words, both teams enter this final having played 120 minutes in both the quarter-final and semi-final, so there is always a risk of some fatigue playing a part in the final on Sunday.
Laia Aleixandri is back from her suspension, and could be back in the starting line-up after having been replaced by Maria Méndez in the semi-final. Otherwise, Esther Gonzalez, Alexia and Bonmatí are expected to lead the line for Spain, with the former currently the top goalscorer of the tournament with 4 goals, one ahead of her teammate Alexia.
Spain are big favourites in this one, although they didn’t play their best match against Germany in the semi-final, and with England’s capability of coming back when all seems lost, we could be in for a very entertaining final on Sunday.
Both teams are lucky enough to have a lot of attacking options, and players like Athenea del Castillo, Claudia Pina and Salma Paralluelo will all be hoping to grab a spot in the starting line-up, but some of them will have to make do with starting on the bench and hoping for a chance to make an impact as a super sub.
Which team do you want to see lift the trophy Sunday evening in Basel?
Please note that the odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.
Last updated: 23.07.25
