At least 65,000 fans turned out to support the Lionesses as they took a victory parade down the Mall to celebrate their back-to-back Euros trophy win – though it will be no surprise if that number is confirmed as much higher.
7,000 turned up at Trafalgar Square three years ago and the sheer volume of fans a mile down the road in 2025 shows the rapid growth of women’s football. The Lionesses achieved what no other English senior team have done before by retaining a major tournament and also being the first to win one on foreign soil.
They did so in nerve-wracking fashion with the final against Spain being pushed to penalties after Alessia Russo cancelled out Mariona Caldentey’s bullet header. Hannah Hampton saved two penalties and Chloe Kelly scored the winner to engrave this Lionesses team’s names not only in history but in legacy.
Katy B performed just before the parade got underway with helicopters overhead, capturing the national moment for the BBC.
After the open-top bus parade, Alex Scott hosted a half-hour event with the team and manager Sarina Wiegman on stage. The only missing player was Jess Carter, who has already flown back to America with her club Gotham in action this weekend in the NWSL.
The best moment to come from the stage was Wiegman’s reaction to Burna Boy entering the stage. She had her hand on her head and he mouth agape as she danced, hugged and sang along with the superstar.
The moment was also emotional for the players with captain Leah Williamson the first to speak on stage.
“I'm holding back tears,” she said. “I've been crying all the way down The Mall. This is unbelievable. Probably one of the best things we've been a part of. Thank you for coming out.
“There are loads of ways to win a football match. We repeatedly did it the hard way. But you can see how much we care about playing for England and how much we love it.
“2022 was a fairytale. This feels really hard-earned. We're really proud of ourselves.
“The first game nearly rocked us a little bit. There are just special, special moments. We look after each other. Tough moments but off the pitch, some nasty things to deal with. But we've got each others backs. We rise.”
Heather Small also made an appearance to sing her hit ‘Proud’, a song Ella Toone had said she played before matches at the tournament.
To round off the celebrations, ‘River Deep Mountain High’ by Tina Turner was sung by the whole squad with fans joining in. The team adopted it after Rachel Daly sang it three years ago following their first Euros win.
This Lionesses team has no ceiling and they will be targeting singing that song again in four years time.
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