‘In Sarina We Trust,’ the placards proclaimed, bobbing above the crowd as tens of thousands flooded down the Mall, inching ever closer to Buckingham Palace.
Some had travelled from as far as Durham and as wide as Bristol, all for a glimpse of their heroes – and, of course, the Dutch manager who has delivered something once unimaginable: unflinching, unparalleled success to this country.
Wiegman, understated as ever, had to be coaxed to the microphone to address the sea of flag-waving, jubilant faces, and asked to reflect on the night her side rallied one final time to clinch a second European crown in three years.
‘Chaos,’ she summarised, before delivering the most Wiegman of lines: ‘We always had a plan and the players were trying to execute that on the pitch. We kept our hope and belief. We just showed up when it was really necessary and urgent.’
Straight to the point. Always reluctant to embellish. Never one to claim individual credit, never one to seek the spotlight.
And then the mask slipped – in the most unexpected of ways. The announcement that her favourite singer, Afrobeats star Burna Boy, would be joining her on stage.
The Lionesses’ Euro 2025 victory parade near Buckingham Palace was a joy to behold
Sarina Wiegman shared a moment with her favourite singer, Afrobeats star Burna Boy, which saw her mask of professionalism slip slightly she started to dance
England have felt the love over the past few weeks in fleeting moments, but this had full force
She gasped, a hand flying to her forehead. ‘No way,’ she cried, before launching into a spontaneous jig to For My Hand, arm-in-arm with the Nigerian artist, hips swaying as her players erupted in laughter behind her. They, too, were caught off guard by this rare lapse in composure – a glimpse of their manager revelling, at last, in the praise so rightfully hers.
‘Her face when they brought Burna Boy out was a picture. None of us could believe it, to be honest,’ Esme Morgan told the BBC after the celebrations.
The anthem of the tournament had become Wiegman’s too. The 1950s classic by The Champs had been joyfully reworked – ‘Sarina!’ replacing ‘Tequila!’ – and was roared once more by the faithful gathered below.
Leah Williamson summed it up: ‘She’s an amazing woman. She stands by us on and off the pitch. She supports us in whichever way we need – and then she’s ruthless. If she tells me to jump, I say how high.’
Seventeen-year-old fan April Caswell from Hertfordshire reflected with striking eloquence: ‘She’s carried the team so well. To get them to the end and win was absolutely amazing. It’s so inspiring – the way she’s helped bring up these women who are representing their country. That’s inspiring a lot of girls to go after their dreams.’
Over the past few weeks, England have felt the love of this crowd in fleeting moments.
When they stepped out of their hotels for brief walks around the city. When they opened social media and saw the flood of messages from home. When they were stopped on Zurich’s trams for selfies. When press conferences were interrupted by FaceTimes from family – as happened with Hannah Hampton, after her standout performance in the win over Sweden.
And, of course, when they stepped onto the pitch and heard the roar.
Chloe Kelly declared ‘it’s so f****** special,’ for which Alex Scott had to apologise
A huge crowd packed onto The Mall to watch as the Lionesses arrived at Buckingham Palace
The FA confirmed that a crowd of 65,000 thousand people gathered to celebrate the triumph
Leah Williamson said the team are ‘making history every single step’ and promised that the story is not over
Here, that love surged towards them with force and fervour from every corner of the country. Fans lined the streets in red and white, chanting their names – and they didn’t stop.
Some had set off as early as three in the morning, heading for the tree-lined, red-tarmac stretch of London’s most iconic ceremonial route before dawn had broken.
As the hours passed, replays of the Lionesses’ road to glory lit up the big screens. There were gasps as the crowd relived the heartbreak of the opening defeat to France, but the loudest cheer of all was saved for Chloe Kelly’s decisive penalty.
Some cracked open beers with their Monday breakfasts. A few bold fans even clambered onto the media platform to get a better view, prompting gentle intervention from the police.
But no one could have asked for more when it came to the speech delivered by Leah Williamson after sobbing her way down the Mall atop the open-top bus.
‘This is probably one of the best things we have ever been a part of, so thank you for coming out,’ the England captain told the crowd. ‘There are lots of ways to win a football match and we repeatedly did it the hard way, but I think you can see how much we care about playing for England, how much we love it.
‘2022 was a fairytale, but this feels really hard-earned, and we are very proud of ourselves. So thank you – and we hope you are (proud of us), too.
‘My message is: everything we do, obviously we do it for us and our team, but we do it for the country and we do it for young girls. This job never existed 30, 40 years ago and we are making history every single step. Thank you so much for being with us. Stay with us – this story is not done yet.’
Williamson holds the Women’s Euro 2025 trophy aloft as the Lionesses arrive in The Mall to celebrate their second European title in a row
Flanked by their backroom squad, the team held the trophy aloft as red smoke was released into the air – with thousands cheering them on
The huge crowd of fans waved flags and held their phones out to try and grab a picture of the England stars
Thousands of people turned out to celebrate the victory, dressed and equipped for the occasion in England colours
The Mall was filled with thousands of excited England fans who filled up all available space to watch the presentation
The Lionesses cruised along The Mall to celebrate their second European title on the trot
Sarina Wiegman on stage with Burna Boy, who she has described as her ‘favourite’ music artist
Lionesses star Grace Clinton captured a close-up as Burna Boy performed for the England manager and the crowd
England fans turned up in huge numbers, many draped in England flags and caps to show their support
England fans turned up in huge numbers, many draped in England flags and caps to show their support
Fans go wild in celebration, waving England flags as the Lionesses celebrate on stage together
Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mozzi cheered on the Lionesses with their children, including baby Athena and stepson Christopher (also known as Wolfie)
The squad – including penalty scorer Chloe Kelly – waved to fans and filmed the parade for themselves as they rode towards Buckingham Palace
Ecstatic England players atop the bus as it rolled down the Mall, cheered on by thousands
The team was paraded down the Mall by two Armed Forces bands, who played familiar pop songs associated with the team including Sweet Caroline
Woman-of-the-hour Chloe Kelly put it more succinctly – and with no less impact – declaring, ‘It’s so f**** special!’ The outburst drew titters from the crowd and nervous laughter from Alex Scott, who swiftly apologised for the language, as Kelly later did on social media.
The occasion felt quintessentially British in the 21st century: a flamboyant clash of tradition and modernity. It began with bagpipes, pomp and ceremony. The backdrop – Buckingham Palace and the Queen Victoria Memorial – was nothing short of majestic.
There was a dash of the vintage – Heather Small’s Proud sent Ella Toone and Alessia Russo into a frenzy. And then came the flavour of the new: DJs, Alex Scott, visor sunglasses – and, crucially, women at the forefront of celebration for their sporting achievement.
One of the day’s quiet tragedies was the absence of Jess Carter, who had flown back to the United States to play for her club, Gotham FC, in the NWSL.
After all she endured this tournament – from the racist abuse that forced her off social media to her rock-solid, triumphant display against Spain – she deserved this moment more than most. But her decision to return to club duty before taking her bow was a testament to her character.
Here’s hoping she heard the loudest roar when her name was announced at Basel’s St Jakob-Park – a stadium that will now carry the memory of this special group of players for many years to come.
