Back in 2023, the government announced a £600m package seeking to ensure equal opportunities for girls in school sport after 23 members of England's Euro 2022-winning squad wrote an open letter to the government.

At the time, England captain Leah Williamson said the Lionesses wanted "to open the doors" for young girls as part of their legacy following their 2022 success.

"The success of the summer has inspired so many young girls to pursue their passion for football," she said.

"We see it as our responsibility to open the doors for them to do so and this announcement makes that possible. This is the legacy that we want to live much longer than us as a team."

Lotte Wubben-Moy was the driving force behind the letter - she said: "By making football more accessible to millions of girls across the nation, we have opened a crucial door for the growth of women's football and women's sport as a whole. I am proud to be part of something that will live on for generations to come."

We await to see what might happen after the Lionesses triumphed again in 2025.

We are expecting the England women's team to arrive at 10 Downing Street for their celebratory reception at around 18.45 BST.

They were scheduled to meet Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner at 17.00 BST, however delays to their flight from Switzerland followed by rush-hour traffic in London means that has been pushed back.

BBC television cameras spot Larry the cat on the pavement outside Downing Street. He probably thinks the red carpet is for him.

The BBC understands that Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner arrived at 10 Downing Street around 10 minutes ago.

Rayner will be hosting the reception for the Lionesses, who are still wending their way through London as we speak.

While England celebrated, newspapers in Spain reflected the heartbreak.

Marca led with a headline that said "Sometimes, football is unfair" while Mundo Deportivo summed up the game in Basel as a "Final cruel."

Meanwhile, Sport called the shootout defeat "Pena máxima" which translates as "maximum penalty."

Image source, Marca

Image source, Mundo Deportivo

Image source, Sport

Final preparations are being made at Downing Street to welcome the European champions.

A red carpet is being fitted on the steps outside Number 10. Only the best for Leah Williamson and her team.

London's Tower Bridge looked simply glorious yesterday evening.

It strayed away from its traditional lighting to glow red and white as a nod to the Lionesses victory over Spain on Sunday.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Reuters

The England players are expected at 10 Downing Street in a short while for a special reception to be hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and sports minister Stephanie Peacock.

They were originally scheduled to be at number 10 by 17:00 BST but have been pushed behind schedule due to a flight delay.

After England's Euro 2025 triumph last night, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the team had "once again captured the hearts of the nation", while Rayner said it would be a "privilege to celebrate" with the team.

After winning the 2022 tournament, England players Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben-Moy had met with the then prime minister Liz Truss to discuss equal access to football for girls.

The Lionesses had signed an open letter to then Conservative party leadership candidates Truss and Rishi Sunak, asking for "every young girl" to be able to play football at school.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

More from Baroness Sue Campbell on BBC Radio 5 Live: "If you look at what you saw last night, yes, you saw tactics and technical ability. But you saw something more than that.

"You saw the greatness of the human kind. Someone who won’t give in, someone who is going to fight to the end, someone who has trained all their lives, giving you one hundred per cent.

"We want every girl and boy to look at that and see it as a possibility of achieving your dream, whatever that dream is.

"For me, it was just a fantastic showcase for all that is great about sport."

BBC Radio 5 Live

More from Baroness Sue Campbell on investment into grassroots and the talent pathway in women's football: "My job as director of women’s football was not just to win a tournament, as wonderful as that is and as important as that is, but to build the infrastructure below that.

"In British sport, we've often had a lot of one-off success but we’ve not repeated it. I could name several sports that have won a world championship and then we've never seen it again.

"What we need to do is continue to invest in grassroots but most importantly in that talent pathway and making sure that talent pathway is open to all young people and is accessible to everybody in order to get the diversity and the youngsters coming through that we want in the game.

"There is still a lot of work to do on that talent pathway, we’ve made good strides but there’s still a lot to do."

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

Baroness Sue Campbell, former FA Director of Women's Football speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live about the appointment Sarina Wiegman as England manager: "There were two coaches that everybody said stood out tactically and technically but the culture of that group was really important and what we needed was not only a coach that was technically and tactically very good - she’s proven that a thousand times over - but that had the calmness but the culture to continue the build of that togetherness we had started.

"What I think she brought in addition to the togetherness was a very open and honest direct style of communication which I've been on the end of a couple of times, not always comfortable but it makes you know exactly where you stand.

"She is a charming person, she’s delightful but when she gets into that performance environment she's got that myopic focus on winning.

"One of the things which is outstanding is that the players on the bench feel as valued as the players on the field. You could see that in 2022 when they all ran onto the pitch and you could see it again last night."

Fans will be have the chance to cheer the Lionesses on in person again at a homecoming parade in central London tomorrow.

The open-top bus tour is scheduled to start at 12:10 BST and will move along The Mall and towards Buckingham Palace.

It will culminate in a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial, slated to begin at around 12:30 BST and will be hosted by former England star Alex Scott.

Image source, Getty Images

A whirlwind arrival, and then they were gone!

As expected, it's straight to the team buses for the Lionesses, who offer quick waves and smiles to the gathered supporters as they were swiftly ushered through and will head to central London now.

The England team are running behind schedule for their engagement at Downing Street, where they are to meet Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and sports minister Stephanie Peacock today.

The will need to negotiate the busy evening traffic to reach the number 10 for a meeting that was originally scheduled to start at 17:00 BST.

Image source, Getty Images

And here they are!

A roar erupts as the first of the Lionesses make their way through the doors of the Southend Airport.

The waves of cheer continue as the players, along with Sarina Wiegman and the coaching staff, make their way past the crowd to the team buses waiting for them.

It's the kind of welcome from the fans that tells you this team means more than just football to them.