England v France live: Euro 2025 updates and Lionesses team news

England captain Leah Williamson has revealed she held some “anxiety” ahead of leading England’s Euro 2025 campaign in Switzerland after being ruled out of the last World Cup with a serious knee injury.

Williamson captained the Lionesses to their historic victory at Euro 2022 three years ago but played no part in their run to the World Cup final in 2023 after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury just weeks before the tournament.

On the eve of England’s opening game against France in Zurich, Williamson said she was “excited” and “intrigued” to experience another Euros but admitted the pain of missing the World Cup had weighed on her mind before the tournament.

Captain Leah Williamson said the England squad are looking at the Euros as “new territory” for the team.

“You explained it very well,” Williamson said while turning to Sarina Wiegman. “Not necessarily looking at it as a defence, but a new challenge and a new opportunity to do something new.

“We take any challenge that comes our way, but it’s more about focusing on the day to day, and that’s always a dream. Every team in the tournament has a dream, but I suppose nobody really connects to it.”

Sarina Wiegman has told her players to not focus on defending their European title, but to instead challenge themselves to go out and win another major trophy at Euro 2025.

There are seven England players who will be making their first appearance at a major tournament and Wiegman, who has won the last two Euros with the Netherlands and the Lionesses, has looked to motivate her squad by drawing a line under their past achievements.

“We absolutely cherish what we have done before,” Wiegman said. “We’ll never forget it and it was the experience of a lifetime for us and for our families and also for the fans, but you have to move on and you have to be on top of it.

“Things are changing very quickly, things are developing very quickly, so we have to do too. And we came together, it was actually in February and then we came to, to this day we said, yeah, it’s a new challenge The approach was there anyway, but we call it the ‘new’ England.”

Spain may be world champions but England are still to beat at Euro 2025. For the past three years, the Lionesses have had a target on their backs as European champions, though it has not always been easy to wear. So, at the start of the year, when Sarina Wiegman gathered her players for the start of their title defence, she began by telling them that there was nothing to defend. “It’s a new challenge,” Wiegman said. “We call it the ‘new’ England.”

But talk of the ‘new England’ may be more of a motivation tactic than a reality. If England line up for their Euro 2025 opener with the same team that started their send-off friendly against Jamaica, only one player, in goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, will be making their first major tournament appearance. If England are unchanged against France, there will be 10 players starting who became European champions three years ago, nine if Lauren James is fit to start.

But there is still an air of change around the Lionesses.

England may be the defending European champions, but this very much isn’t a squad hoping that old approaches – or that reputation – carry them through. Sarina Wiegman was unequivocal on the eve of her team’s Euro 2025 opener against a dangerous France team.

“We call it a new England,” the manager said.

This intent obviously explains a lot of the ructions in the build-up to this tournament, since transition rarely comes without friction. It’s also just as well, as England do actually need something new.

They need to immediately find their feet and actually start a tournament well.

The match takes place on Saturday 5 July, with kick-off at 8pm BST (UK time) in Zurich.

England v France will be shown on ITV 1 and ITV X, with coverage getting underway from 7pm.

Lauren James made her return from injury in England’s 7-0 win over Jamaica on Sunday, playing the final half hour in the send-off friendly. Sarina Wiegman said the Chelsea star “can play more than that” against France.

“I’m not going to give you the line-up, but she played 30 minutes last week, so she can play more than that, so I think that will say enough,” Wiegman said, perhaps suggesting that James will start England’s opener in place of Ella Toone.

Wiegman’s other selection decisions comes at left back but Jess Carter impressed in the win over Jamaica, so may have done enough to keep her place.

Euros winners Mary Earps and Fran Kirby announced their retirements before the Euros, while vice-captain Millie Bright made herself unavailable for selection and subsequently underwent knee surgery, so is missing from the tournament.

Possible England XI: Hampton; Bronze, Williamson, Greenwood, Carter; Walsh, Stanway; Mead, James, Hemp; Russo

Holders England kick off their Euro 2025 campaign against France in a heavyweight Group D clash in Zurich this evening.

In one of the matches of the whole group stage, the Lionesses begin their quest to retain European Championship title against a dangerous Les Bleues side packed with attacking talent.

And with the Netherlands and Wales completing the “group of death”, the pressure will be on both England and France from the start as they look to safely progress to the quarter-finals.

Sarina Wiegman’s side won the Euros three years ago before reaching the World Cup final in 2023, and have set themselves the challenge of defending their European crown this month.