TODAY is the day.
England will look to retain their European Championship title against Spain this evening in Basel.
If they manage to do so, they will become the first senior England team to win two major titles and the first to win a major trophy abroad.
However, the Lionesses are not the favourites going into the clash.
They face the Spanish side that beat them in the World Cup final two years ago in Sydney.
The two teams have faced each other twice since then, with each earning a win.
In each of their last four meetings, England and Spain have been separated by just one goal.
So the margins could be fine once again on the biggest European stage tonight.
SunSport’s Emillia Hawkins has looked at where the match could be won and lost.
WIDE AREAS
England need to be very careful when it comes to their full-backs and Spain’s wide players.
Jess Carter struggled against Delphine Cascarino in England’s opening Euro 2025 clash with France and made a few errors against Sweden.
Lucy Bronze was also exposed in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final against Spain.
After carrying the ball inside from the right, the full-back lost possession, Teresa Abelleira played a pass out to Mariona Caldentey in the space left behind.
The forward then set Olga Carmona through on the overlap, who fired her shot past to score the goal that would win the title for Spain.
England need to be on top form to avoid getting exploited by the likes of Caldentey and Clà udia Pina in Basel.
But equally, and , if fully fit, can be just as dangerous in attack for the Lionesses.
Hemp has the speed to get in behind the back line, while James has the skill to frustrate the Spanish players.
MIDFIELD PRESSURE
England midfielders and Georgia Stanway faced a huge amount of pressure when the Lionesses faced France in their opening match of the tournament.
As a result, they struggled to play through the middle when moving forward and were forced into mistakes of which the French players capitalised on.
There was a huge improvement in the following match against Holland, with the midfielders applying more pressure as opposed to absorbing it which led to England attacking more freely.
However, the Spanish midfield will be relentless in the final.
Aitana Bonmatà and Alexia Putellas are two of the best players in the world, and Patri Guijarro has been one of the most consistently brilliant stars at Euro 2025 this summer.
If they dominate possession, and keep Walsh marked out when they don’t have the ball, Spain will completely overrun the middle.
TACTICAL BATTLE
Spain almost found themselves exposed by Germany in their semi-final on Wednesday.
La Roja played with a high press against the Germans, with the last defenders almost on the halfway line.
Germany hit them with a long ball on several occasions in the match and came very close to scoring.
Klara Bühl especially was a huge threat on the left against Carmona.
Had Germany made the most of those chances, it could have been them facing England tonight.
There is a good chance we will see another tactical change from Wiegman late in the match when she pulls the trigger on the all-important substitutions.
Against Italy, winger was playing as a central midfielder by the end of the match.
Aggie Beever-Jones and Michelle Agyemang formed a strike partnership and turned into a wing-back.
When a goal is needed, anything goes.
FRESH LEGS
England’s “finishers” - the term they use instead of substitutes - have been crucial in the nation’s journey to the Euro 2025 final.
Chloe Kelly came on to set up the two goals that drew England level with Sweden in the quarter-finals, with Michelle Agyemang scoring late equalisers in the quarters and semi-finals.
Let’s not forget, Kelly also came off the bench to net the winner against Germany in the Euro 2022 final at .
The substitutes can make all the difference, and the Lionesses have incredible strength in depth with the likes of Beever-Jones, Grace Clinton and Jess Park among the players on the bench.
However, Spain also have some fantastic players at their disposal among the substitutes.
Montse Tomé brought Athenea del Castillo and Salma Paralluelo on against Germany on Wednesday, with the likes of Vicky López and Alba Redondo also available.
