Sarina Wiegman: “I have always felt so much respect” since taking England job

Ahead of Sunday’s UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 final against Spain, England’s Sarina Wiegman conducted a roundtable session with the media. The Dutchwoman, who took charge of the Lionesses in September 2021, says she has fallen in love with England. “I’m still learning English but yes I have [fallen in love] – otherwise I would not be sitting here with such a smile on my face,” she grinned.

“I have been here four years and it just feels like my home away from home. I always enjoy it when I’m at work, when I’m in England I love it. It is just the people, the sporting culture – I really love the sport culture – and the fans of course. It is the connection I have with the people. We are very, very close, the people at the FA, with everyone. But it goes beyond that. Sometimes it can be hard the discussions you have with the media, because it is sport, but I have always felt so much respect. I really like what I have found in England. It is just really nice.”

With England having reached a third successive major tournament final, it’s perhaps no surprise that the FA’s CEO, Mark Bullingham, insisted on Thursday that Wiegman is ‘not for sale’. The Lionesses boss revealed: “It’s really nice that you get that support from the CEO, from the FA. That shows how good the collaboration is at the moment, and I know in sport things can change, but I’ve always felt that support from the moment I came in.”

“When I signed a contract for four years, that shows some confidence that you think it’s going to work. There has been a good click and I’ve really enjoyed that. I am still enjoying it,” she assured – and that enjoyment could be boosted further if England are able to defend their European crown when they face the reigning World Champions in Basel on Sunday [17:00 BST, 18:00 CEST].

It’s not been an easy journey to the final, though, and England have often left it late to secure victory. It’s been labelled throughout the tournament as “proper England” – a never say die mentality – and Wiegman praised the resilience of her side.

“This team has always shown so much resilience. I see that in abundance and I see that entirely through the prism of the Lionesses. They are absolutely the most resilient of people. They really want to work so hard and are so committed. I just think that, sometimes, it’s all about results. But when you focus on results, you don’t focus on what you have to do every single day. That part, focusing on what you have to do and how you want to play, the process, and accepting that mistakes are part of life, are part of football. Take action, make mistakes, learn from it. That makes a difference.”