This summer, for the first time, England's Lionesses will head to a major tournament as the defending champions. Three years after Chloe Kelly's extra-time strike defeated Germany at Wembley, Sarina Wiegman's side head to Switzerland looking to retain their European Championship title, with the manager herself looking to win this tournament for the third time in a row, having also lifted the 2017 trophy with the Netherlands.
It's not going to be easy. England have been drawn in the 'group of death', alongside France, the Netherlands and Wales, which will be a difficult pool to escape from full stop. Squeeze through in second, though, rather than topping the table, and it's extremely likely that their quarter-final opponent will be Spain, the team that beat them in the Women's World Cup final two years ago.
Further complicating the Lionesses' title defence is the loss of two key players, in Mary Earps and Millie Bright. Wiegman wanted both to be part of her squad this summer, but neither will be, with Earps' retiring from international duty just a week before the England squad was named and Bright withdrawing from selection in order to prioritise her mental and physical well-being.
But it's not all bad news. This is still a fantastic team, one capable of great things, as GOAL breaks down six reasons why the Lionesses can successfully defend their title at Euro 2025...