England's journey to Euro 2022 title

European glory

Relive England's incredible journey to winning Euro 2022

By BBC Sport and Getty Images

The road to Wembley

The Lionesses had reached three successive semi-finals at major tournaments prior to 2022 – the 2015 and 2019 World Cups and the 2017 European Championship – but a final had eluded them.

England turned to Dutchwoman Sarina Wiegman, who had guided the Netherlands to European glory on home soil in 2017, to spearhead their own dreams of winning a tournament as hosts.

"Sarina was our number one choice," said Baroness Campbell, the Football Association's director of women's football at the time, when she appointed Wiegman.

Wiegman started the job on 1 September 2021 – just over 10 months before Euro 2022. Her reign began with six successive wins, as her new side scored a remarkable 53 goals without reply across those games.

The Lionesses’ first major test came in an invitational four-team tournament - the Arnold Clark Cup - in February 2022, when they hosted Olympic champions Canada, along with Germany and Spain.

Encouraging draws with Canada and Spain were followed by a thrilling, and historic, 3-1 win over Germany, as the Lionesses beat them for the first time on home soil to win the inaugural tournament.

Leah Williamson was officially named as England captain in April 2022 after leading the side in the absence of the injured Steph Houghton, who had held the armband since 2014.

Houghton was eventually left out of the final 23-player squad for the Euros, with Wiegman saying she was “not ready to compete” after an Achilles tendon injury had sidelined the defender since January. She would never play for England again.

England headed into Euro 2022 on the back of a 14-match unbeaten run under Wiegman.

The run included an impressive 5-1 thrashing of reigning European champions the Netherlands, as the Lionesses bounced back from conceding the opening goal in a game for the first time under Wiegman, less than two weeks before the start of the tournament.

Old Trafford - Manchester United's 'Theatre of Dreams' - was the setting for the launch of Euro 2022.

Fans started gathering hours before the evening kick-off in Manchester as hosts England faced Austria.

A healthy number of Austrian fans turned up to support the outsiders.

A record-breaking crowd of 68,871 turned out, a new high for the Women's European Championship.

Wiegman named a starting XI which would remain unchanged throughout the tournament.

England 1-0 Austria

Old Trafford, Manchester (6th July)

Arsenal forward Beth Mead ensured the Lionesses got off to a winning start. Just 16 minutes into the game she deftly touched the ball over Austria goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger, after chesting down Fran Kirby's lofted pass.

The fans were made to wait because there was a video assistant referee (VAR) check to ensure the ball had fully crossed the line.

It had.

The early goal settled England's nerves and although goalkeeper Mary Earps was called into action to deny Barbara Dunst in the second half, Austria were limited to few clear-cut chances.

Five days later, the Lionesses faced their next challenge in Brighton.

It looked like being their toughest test of the group stages, as they faced a Norway side ranked 11th in the world.

Superstar Ada Hegerberg led the opposition's attack, while they featured other world-class players including Guro Reiten and Caroline Graham Hansen.

But after a cagey opening first game, England fans on the south coast were about to be treated to a goal feast.

Wiegman said she wanted her side to "entertain" in Brighton and, girl, did they do that.

England 8-0 Norway

Amex Stadium, Brighton (11th July)

It did not take long for England to break the deadlock, with Georgia Stanway scoring from the penalty spot in the 12^th minute. By the half-hour mark they were 3-0 up, with Lauren Hemp and Ellen White also on the scoresheet - but the Lionesses were only just getting started.

What followed was a ruthless onslaught on Norway's goal and in just one half of football, they had equalled the record for most goals scored by a team in a Women's European Championship match, going into the break leading 6-0.

Two more would come after the interval as Mead ended the night with a hat-trick, while Alessia Russo came off the bench to score as England confirmed their place in the knockout stages with a game to spare.

"It’s coming home" rang around the stadium and the players held hands and sang Sweet Caroline in a final act before taking a walk of honour around the pitch.

The Lionesses were without their manager for their final group game in Southampton after Wiegman tested positive for Covid.

They were facing a Northern Ireland side, competing in their first major tournament, who had lost both of their opening games.

Northern Ireland's exit from the competition was already confirmed but their fans, draped in green, poured into St Mary's ready to party.

The pressure was off for the hosts, who had already sealed top spot in Group A.

And the home fans were in high spirits as they turned out in numbers again on the south coast.

Northern Ireland 0-5 England

St Mary's (15 July)

England were frustrated in the early stages at St Mary's, but once they found the net the floodgates opened once more.

Fran Kirby produced a piece of magic to open the scoring in the 40^th minute, expertly curling the ball into the top corner, before Mead drilled in a low strike to make it 2-0 before half-time and take her tournament tally to five goals.

Russo added to her growing reputation as a lethal weapon from the bench with two goals in five minutes after the break, while a Kelsie Burrows own goal completed the rout.

Although Northern Ireland failed to make a serious dent on Group A, it was the visitors who were dancing at full-time, arm-in-arm, after defying the odds to qualify in the first place. England's players calmly applauded fans in a low-key lap of honour.

Wiegman’s return to the dugout for the Lionesses' quarter-final, after her positive Covid test, was only confirmed three hours before kick-off.

England were back in Brighton, returning to the scene of their 8-0 humbling of Norway.

But this time England faced a much sterner test of their credentials from pre-tournament favourites Spain.

The Spaniards had already shown they were fallible, having lost 2-0 to Germany and finished runners-up in Group B.

A wave of pre-match optimism was sweeping over England fans after what had been a flawless Euro 2022 campaign so far.

England 2-1 Spain

Amex Stadium (20 July)

As England's players came out to warm up, the stadium announcer shouted: "Let's have a party."

But Spain did not get the message and they dominated the first half, although they had to wait until nine minutes after the break to deservedly opening the scoring through Esther Gonzalez, silencing a stunned home crowd.

It was the first goal England had conceded in this tournament and, up until the 83rd minute, it looked like they were about to lose for the first time under Wiegman.

Yet the Dutchwoman had other ideas. Her changes proved crucial as Russo set up fellow substitute Ella Toone for the equaliser.

Stanway then sent the Amex Stadium into delirium in extra time as she fired a screamer into the top left corner. England's bench ran on to the pitch at full-time to celebrate, while Wiegman turned to the TV camera with fists clenched, shouting: "Come on!"

England headed north to Sheffield for their semi-final.

Standing in their way were a Sweden side ranked second in the world.

The Lionesses were looking to reach their first major tournament final since 2009.

It was a thrilling match from start to finish at Bramall Lane as Sweden piled on pressure in the opening 25 minutes, hitting the bar through Stina Blackstenius.

England keeper Mary Earps had to be at her brilliant best, pulling off numerous saves to keep Sweden out.

England 4-0 Sweden

Bramall Lane (26 July)

Golden Boot leader Mead put England ahead in the first half against the run of play, spinning and firing into the far corner, before defender Lucy Bronze headed in a second.

But this is a match largely remembered for the third England goal.

Russo, making her mark again as a substitute, saw her first effort blocked by Sweden keeper Hedvig Lindahl before chasing the loose ball away from goal. Sweden thought the danger had gone, only for Russo to produce a moment of magic, an audacious backheel that bamboozled defenders and nutmegged Lindahl.

It drew gasps from the crowd in South Yorkshire, and from millions watching at home. Kirby put the icing on the cake when she chipped in for the fourth to spark wild celebrations at Bramall Lane.

The build-up to the final at Wembley was on a scale above anything ever seen before in women’s football in England.

Wembley Way was already packed on Sunday morning, hours before the 5pm kick-off, as England prepared to try to win a major women’s tournament for the first time.

They were supported by the majority of the 87,192 fans inside the national stadium – the biggest crowd in the history of a men's or women's Euros.

But they were up against old rivals and eight-time European champions Germany.

The Lionesses were handed a pre-match boost when Germany's lethal striker Alexandra Popp, joint-top scorer in the tournament, suffered an injury and dropped out of the starting XI just before kick-off.

England 2-1 Germany

Wembley Stadium (31 July)

The final was advertised as a battle between the competition's two best-performing sides, but for large parts they cancelled each other out.

That was until super-sub Toone was introduced and scored the opener for the hosts with a perfect lob in the 62^nd minute, but Germany did not lie down and Lina Magull set up a nervous ending when she equalised 17 minutes later.

Germany had momentum going into extra time, but this England team had shown throughout the tournament they would not be beaten easily.

The Lionesses had another substitute with a goal in her, Chloe Kelly, and she poked home a loose ball from a corner to send the raucous crowd into a frenzy with 10 minutes remaining. Kelly waited for confirmation of the goal before taking off her shirt and waving it around her head - an iconic celebration for an iconic moment.

At full-time, the familiar sound of England fans singing Sweet Caroline serenaded the players, as captain Williamson sobbed.

'Time to party'

It was 7.51pm in the evening Wembley sunshine when Williamson lifted the silverware above her head. With her mission accomplished, Wiegman said it was "time to party".

The Lionesses later gatecrashed the manager’s post-match news conference at Wembley, with Earps and Bronze dancing on the top table as the jubilant players sang the English football anthem Three Lions. Dozens of journalists reached for their smartphones to film the poignant moment before the conga line of players quickly retreated back to the dressing room. Celebrations took them to Trafalgar Square the following day, where England lifted the trophy again and sang Sweet Caroline in front of thousands of fans, many of them new.

"I think England have hosted an incredible tournament and we've changed the game in this country," said captain Williamson, "and hopefully across Europe and across the world."