Leah Williamson is the first England captain to lead squad to three consecutive major finals

The Lionesses are inching ever closer to bringing it home! Out LGBTQ+ captain, Leah Williamson, has become the first England captain to lead a squad to three consecutive major finals.

After defeating Italy 2-1 in the Euro semi-final on Tuesday (22 July), England have cemented themselves in the Women’s Euro 2025 final. And it’s their out LGBTQ+ captain Williamson who is hoping to lead the team to victory. 

The long-time activist and LGBTQ+ supporter’s tenure marks the first ever England captain, across both the women’s and men’s teams, to lead the squad to three consecutive major finals. 

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The Lionesses are one step closer to bringing it home! England have officially secured their place in the Women’s Euro 2025 final after winning 2-1 against Italy in the Euro semi-final. The Tuesday (22 July) evening match in Switzerland was nearly wrapped at full time, with the Lionesses scoring a last-minute goal which took the score to 1-1 and took the game to extra time. It was 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang who came off the bench and scored the equaliser, before Chloe Kelly brought the team to victory in the penultimate minute of extra time during the semi-final against Italy at Geneva’s Stade de Genève. “Big Mich at it again!” Kelly told ITV Sport of her teammate Agyemang’s goal, which marks her third in four senior international games since her debut in April. “She’s unbelievable and she should have scored again: that one that hit the crossbar. “She’s an unbelievable player and she’s got the world at her feet, a young player with a bright future and I’m absolutely buzzing for her. But this team shows resilience again and we fight back.” Agyemang, who was also responsible for England’s equalising goal in their quarter-final win against Sweden, added: “I’m so proud of the team’s fight and effort. It’s the character, it’s the strength of this team that has put us this far.” “It means the world to me. I’m so grateful. Four years ago I was a kid just throwing a ball to some of these girls and now I’m playing with them. It’s a great opportunity and I’m so happy I am here,” she said, reflecting on how she started out as a ballgirl. #leahwilliamson #lionesses #womenseuros #footballtiktok #lgbtqia

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Under Defender Williamson’s guidance, the Lionesses have reached three major tournament finals, including their historic Euro 2022 win, the 2023 World Cup, and the upcoming Women’s Euro 2025 final. 

In what has been described as “the golden age” of football for England, the team has also reached six consecutive semi-finals and three finals in a row, as per the Olympics.

Recognising the team’s successes, Williamson told ITV following the Euro semi-final: “I’m very proud; everybody who plays for this team knows how lucky they are to have stepped into a time where we’re so successful.

“Just being a part of it and how inspirational it is for us. Those girls deserve their flowers; everybody played their role.

“I’m annoyed that we get ourselves in certain situations. You can’t take anything away from what the team does, it’s incredible – it’s not ‘if’, it’s ‘how’ or ‘when’ – I don’t know how we do it.”

Speaking about the upcoming Euro 2025 final, the team leader added: “We have one more to go. I promise we’ll give it everything we have.”

The Lionesses are set to face Spain in the Euro 2025 final on Sunday (27 July) and will mark the first time that the Women’s World Cup final (in 2023, when Spain won against England) will be repeated in the following Women’s Euro. 

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