England’s route to the Euro 2025 final has been confirmed after the defending champions booked their place in the knockout stages with a 6-1 win over Wales.
The Lionesses needed a victory in St Gallen, Switzerland on Sunday evening to guarantee their progression to the knockout stages.
England began the defence of their Euros trophy in unconvincing circumstances as they were beaten by Group D rivals France.
But Sarina Wiegman’s side responded with an emphatic 4-0 win over Netherlands before dismantling local rivals Wales.
Sitting 25 places above Wales in the world rankings, England were heavy favourites ahead of their final group game and proved far too good for their neighbours.
The Lionesses led 4-0 at half-time thanks to Georgia Stanway’s early penalty and goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo.
Beth Mead scored England’s fifth after the break but Wales were able to limit the damage and even scored only their second goal of the tournament through Hannah Cain.
But England added a sixth late on through Aggie Beever-Jones as Wiegman’s side cruised to an emphatic victory and condemned Wales to a bottom-place finish in Group D.
Despite England’s victory, France’s 5-2 win over Netherlands means the Lionesses only finish second in Group D and will face Group C winners Sweden in the quarter-finals.
England’s route to Euro 2025 final
Quarter-final:
Sweden v England (July 17, Zurich)
Semi-final:
Norway or Italy (July 22, Geneva)
Final:
France, Germany, Spain or Switzerland (July 27, Basel)
More to follow…
