 TheOlympiastadion inBerlin hosted the final. | |||||||
| Event | UEFA Euro 2024 | ||||||
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| Date | 14 July 2024 (2024-07-14) | ||||||
| Venue | Olympiastadion,Berlin | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Nico Williams (Spain)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | François Letexier (France)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 65,600[3] | ||||||
| Weather | Partly cloudy night 22 °C (72 °F) 53%humidity[4] | ||||||
←2020 2028 → | |||||||
TheUEFA Euro 2024 final was afootball match that determined the winners ofUEFA Euro 2024. The match was the seventeenthfinal of theEuropean Championship, a quadrennial tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations ofUEFA to decide the champions of Europe. The match was held at theOlympiastadion inBerlin, Germany, on 14 July 2024, and was contested bySpain, in their fifth final, andEngland, in their second final, but their first appearance in a major men's tournament final held outside their home country. Following their defeat in theprevious final, England also became the fourth different side to appear in two consecutive Euro finals, after theSoviet Union (1960 and1964),West Germany (1972,1976 and1980), unified Germany (1992 and1996), and Spain (2008 and2012).[5][6]
In front of a crowd of 65,600, Spain won the match 2–1 for their record-breaking fourth UEFA European Championship title (after1964,2008 and2012), surpassingGermany as the sole record-winners of the competition. It was also their third title in the last five editions of the tournament.
Spain won all seven matches they played in the competition, the first side to accomplish this sinceFrance won five out of five in1984, and set a new record for most goals scored in a single European Championship, with fifteen. England, meanwhile, became the first side to lose consecutive finals. This was also the first time both finalists conceded in every knockout game contested since the tournament's expansion in1980.[7]
The final was held at theOlympiastadion inBerlin, Germany, located inWestend of theborough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. On 27 September 2018, UEFA announced the 2024 tournament would be held in Germany after they had defeated Turkey in the host selection vote inNyon, Switzerland.[8][9] The Olympiastadion was chosen as the final venue of the tournament by the UEFA Executive Committee in May 2022, where it was announced it would also host three group stage matches, a round of 16 match, and a quarter-final match in the tournament.[10][11]
The Olympiastadion opened in 1936 on theOlympiapark Berlin which served specifically for the1936 Summer Olympics.[12] The stadium is owned by the state of Berlin and has been thehome stadium of football clubHertha BSC since 1963. TheGermany national team has also occasionally played its home matches at the stadium. The Olympiastadion has also hosted several significant matches, including several matches in the1974 and2006 World Cups, the latter of which included thefinal betweenItaly andFrance.[13] It has been the venue of everyfinal of theDFB-Pokal since 1985. It also served as theofficial opening match venue for the2011 FIFA Women's World Cup[14] as well as the2015 UEFA Champions League final betweenBarcelona andJuventus.[15]
| Opponent | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Croatia | 3–0 |
| 2 |  Italy | 1–0 |
| 3 |  Albania | 1–0 |
| R16 |  Georgia | 4–1 |
| QF |  Germany | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
| SF |  France | 2–1 |
Spain qualified for the tournament asqualifying Group A winners, winning seven of their eight matches with their only loss coming againstScotland. They were drawn intoGroup B along withCroatia,current holdersItaly andAlbania. Spain opened their campaign with a 3–0 win over Croatia at theOlympiastadion,Álvaro Morata opened the scoring for Spain in the 29th minute, thenFabián Ruiz doubled their advantage in the 32nd minute andDani Carvajal then added a third for Spain in the 47th minute. By starting this match,Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to make an appearance at a UEFA European Championship final tournament.[16][17] Spain then played title holders andarch-rivals, Italy at theArena AufSchalke winning 1–0 with the sole goal coming from aRiccardo Calafioriown goal in the 55th minute.[18] They then rounded off their group stage campaign with another 1–0 win over Albania at theMerkur Spiel-Arena with the lone goal scored byFerran Torres in the 13th minute, with Spain managerLuis de la Fuente making wholesale changes to the starting eleven due to Spain having already secured top-spot in their group.[19]
In the knockout stage, Spain played the third-placed team fromGroup F in the Round of 16,Georgia – who were making their European Championship debut – at theRheinEnergieStadion where Spain won 4–1 with goals for the Spanish fromRodri in the 39th minute, Fabián in the 51st minute,Nico Williams in the 75th minute andDani Olmo in the 83rd minute.Robin Le Normand scored anown goal which acted as a consolation goal for Georgia in the 18th minute.[20] In the quarter-finals, Spain played hostsGermany at theMHPArena, in a re-match of theUEFA Euro 2008 final, which Spain won 1–0. This time Spain won again 2–1after extra time with Olmo opening the scoring for Spain in the 51st minute,Florian Wirtz then equalised for Germany in the 89th minute.Mikel Merino scored with a header in the 119th minute to send Spain through to the semi-finals and eliminateJulian Nagelsmann's hosts at the last-eight stage.[21] In the semi-finals, Spain played2022 FIFA World Cup runners-up,France at theAllianz Arena, in a re-match of both theUEFA Euro 1984 final and the2021 UEFA Nations League final, both of which France won. Spain won this time withRandal Kolo Muani opening the scoring for the French with a header in the 9th minute, but Yamal then equalised for the Spanish in the 21st minute with a shot to the left corner from outside the penalty area, Olmo then scored the winner for Spain in the 25th minute – this was originally given as aJules Koundéown goal but after a review was given to Olmo – this sent Spain through to their firstUEFA European Championship final since theUEFA Euro 2012 final against Italy which they won 4–0. Yamal also became the youngest player to score in a UEFA European Championship.[22][23]
| Opponent | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Serbia | 1–0 |
| 2 |  Denmark | 1–1 |
| 3 |  Slovenia | 0–0 |
| R16 |  Slovakia | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
| QF |  Switzerland | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3p) |
| SF |  Netherlands | 2–1 |
England qualified for the tournament asGroup C winners, winning six of their eight qualification matches.[24] England were drawn intoGroup C along withSerbia,Denmark, andSlovenia. England opened their campaign with a 1–0 win over Serbia at theArena AufSchalke, withJude Bellingham scoring with a header in the 13th minute.[25] England then played Denmark at theWaldstadion, in a re-match of the semi-final at the previous European Championships which England won 2–1after extra time. This time it ended in a 1–1 draw.Harry Kane scored early on in the 18th minute, but Denmark'sMorten Hjulmand equalised with a low shot to the corner before half time in the 34th minute.[26] England finished the group stage by facing Slovenia at theRheinEnergieStadion, which ended goalless.[27] England finished top of the group with five points, and progressed to the knockout stage to play a third place team from one ofGroups D,E, orF.[27]
In the knockout stage, England played the third-placed team from Group E in the round of 16,Slovakia at theArena AufSchalke where England won 2–1.Ivan Schranz opened the scoring for Slovakia in the 25th minute. At the end of the second half, England were seconds away from being knocked out of the competition before Bellingham'sbicycle kick goal in the 5th minute of added time sent the game intoextra time. Kane immediately scored with a header after extra time started, in the 91st minute.[28] In the quarter-finals, England playedSwitzerland at theMerkur Spiel-Arena, where they drew 1–1after extra time, withBreel Embolo opening the scoring for Switzerland in the 75th minute andBukayo Saka then equalising for England in the 80th minute when he cut in from the right before shooting low to the left corner of the net. With the scores still level after extra time, the match went to apenalty shoot-out, which England won 5–3 withCole Palmer, Bellingham, Saka,Ivan Toney andTrent Alexander-Arnold all converting their penalties for England andFabian Schär,Xherdan Shaqiri andZeki Amdouni all converting their penalty kicks for Switzerland. OnlyManuel Akanji missed the opening Switzerland penalty, which was saved by England goalkeeperJordan Pickford.[29] In the semi-finals, England played theNetherlands at theWestfalenstadion where England won 2–1.Xavi Simons opened the scoring for the Dutch in the 7th minute. Kane then equalised after a controversial penalty kick was awarded for a foul on him byDenzel Dumfries following avideo assistant referee review in the 18th minute. England then won the game very late on when Palmer assistedOllie Watkins to score in the 90th minute, sending them through to their first major tournament final outside of their home country, and their second consecutive European Championship final after appearing in theUEFA Euro 2020 final atWembley Stadium which they lost toItaly.[30]
Their most recent encounter in a senior men's major tournament was theEuro 1996 quarter-final, which England won 4–2 on penalties after a 0–0 draw. England's managerGareth Southgate was a starting centre back for The Three Lions in that game. Spain's only victory over England in a major tournament was a 1–0 win in the1950 FIFA World Cup group stage match.[31]
The two teams' latest competitive matches were inLeague A of the2018–19 UEFA Nations League, with both teams winning away from home; Spain won 2–1 at Wembley while England won 3–2 at theEstadio Benito Villamarin in Seville.[31]
Across men's and women's, youth and senior football, it is the fourth England–Spain tournament final in just over a year, after the2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final, the2023 FIFA Women's World Cup final and the2024 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship final.[32] The 2023 Under-21 Championship final was won 1–0 by England and featuredÁlex Baena (for Spain),Cole Palmer andAnthony Gordon (both for England), who were all in the squads for Euro 2024.[33]
The match was attended byPrince William, theheir apparent to theBritish throne and President of theFootball Association, together with his elder sonPrince George.[34] He also attended the previous tournament's final at Wembley and theWomen's Euro 2022 final at the same venue and awarded winner's medals to the victorious England women's team afterwards.[35] Downing Street also confirmed that SirKeir Starmer, thePrime Minister of the United Kingdom, would also attend.[36] He was accompanied byLisa Nandy, theSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, andDebbie Hewitt, chairwoman of the Football Association.[37][38]
From Spain, both KingFelipe VI and his younger daughter,Infanta Sofía, attended the match. King Felipe was one of the authorities who greeted the players at the awards ceremony and the one who presented the trophy to the champions. Both royals later joined the Spanish team's celebrations.[39]Pedro Sánchez,Prime Minister of Spain, also attended, along with theMinister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports,Pilar Alegría.[40]
Relevant German authorities such as the President of Germany,Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German Chancellor,Olaf Scholz, and the president of the Bundestag,Bärbel Bas, were also present.[41][42]
Also present wereGareth Bale,Lando Norris,David Villa,Xavi,Andrés Iniesta,Harry Styles,Danny Dyer andDani Dyer.[38][43]
Before the match started, a closing ceremony was organised by UEFA, which started at 20:45local time (19:45UTC).[44] Its theme was to honour the value of the handshake. Two groups from the Berlin-based Lunatix dance company took the spotlight, forming into a double "human wall" in a dance routine, which used the performers' hands and arms to create synchronised movements, beforepyrotechnics got underway.[45] After the handshake and the dance, Italian music groupMeduza, American pop rock bandOneRepublic and German pop singerLeony performed "Fire", theofficial song of UEFA Euro 2024.[46][47][48]
On 11 July 2024, the UEFA Referees Committee announced thatFrench refereeFrançois Letexier, who refereed three other games at Euro 2024, would be the referee for the final.[49] At 35, he was the youngest referee of a European Championship final.[50] Letexier was joined by Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni as assistant referees, whilePolish refereeSzymon Marciniak was the fourth official. Thevideo assistant referees (VAR) were French officialJérôme Brisard, assisted by fellow FrenchmanWilly Delajod and supported byItalian refereeMassimiliano Irrati. Polish referee Tomasz Listkiewicz was the reserve assistant referee.[2]
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Spain won a corner in the early minutes, which was cleared by England, before Spain consolidated possession with frequent passes and opportunities created byNico Williams. England then won a free kick after a foul onJude Bellingham in about the tenth minute, whichLuke Shaw sent towards the box; a foul onAymeric Laporte during this play saw possession given to Spain, and Williams again took the ball to the box. In the opening exchanges, while England prevented Spain from getting a shot on target, they also saw little of the ball and struggled when on it, while Spain appeared more settled and were able to play through the lines.[51][52][53] England then started to play better for a period after the fifteenth minute, with opportunities created byBukayo Saka. Targeting the same area, behind Spanish defenderMarc Cucurella, England won the ball in the 21st minute but quickly lost it again under pressure fromDani Olmo. Olmo sent the ball over toLamine Yamal, who had been quieter up to this point with Spain attacking on the other side. Yamal's shot was blocked for a corner, off which England gained possession and launched a counter-attack that was ended whenDani Carvajal fouled Saka.[51][52][53]The Guardian said the foul was cynical, and noted that Carvajal made a crying gesture towards England players afterwards when England captainHarry Kane was intervening with the referee about the lack ofyellow card on Carvajal.[51] Shaw sent the free kick to the edge of the area; Kane got the ball but followed through, losing it and foulingFabián Ruiz. Kane was shown a yellow card,[51][52][53] whichMarca said was deserved.[52] A few minutes later, Ruiz had a shot towards goal that ran through to the goalkeeper.[51][52][53]
In about the 30th minute, Olmo tried to win the ball high but fouledDeclan Rice, with Olmo receiving a yellow card; in the 34th minute, Yamal beat Shaw to the ball on the wing and made a good run into the box, with Shaw performing a strongsliding tackle to send the ball out for a corner, which led to another corner. Yamal sent this to Olmo at the edge of the box, who had his shot blocked.[51][52][53] At this point,Marca noted that Williams had become quieter;[52]The Guardian noted Spain's dominance, though without big chances.[51] England improved at the end of the first half, with defenderJohn Stones dribbling through midfield into the final third and sending a through-ball to reach Kane in the area; defenders around Kane prevented him using it and the ball ran out. England then created another opportunity before losing the ball, with Spanish strikerÁlvaro Morata carrying it into the box but being blocked by England defenders Stones andMarc Guéhi for a Spain corner that came to nothing. Bellingham won the ball in England's attacking half and crossed it to Kane, whose shot was blocked byRodri. Soon after,Kyle Walker was fouled to give England a free kick 35 yards from goal; Rice's cross foundPhil Foden at the back post, whose tight-angled shot was saved. After two additional minutes, the first half ended goalless.[51][52][53]
Rodri suffered a hamstring injury in the first half and was substituted off, replaced byMartín Zubimendi, at half time. Spain was dominant again when play resumed for the second half. In the early moments, Yamal got behind Shaw before moving inside and advancing; he crossed low to an on-running Williams, who scored in the 47th minute with a low shot to the right corner.[51][52][53]The Guardian said the assist and goal were "almost a mirror image" ofPelé's assist andCarlos Alberto's goal in the1970 FIFA World Cup final.[51] In the goalscoring play, Olmo had made a more central run, which opened space for Williams, and in the subsequent few minutes Williams and Olmo combined to get in two more shots by the 49th minute, without scoring. Zubimendi then led a break in the 53rd minute, with Stones tactically fouling him; Stones was shown a yellow card. From the free kick, Morata took a shot that was blocked by Guéhi. In the 55th minute, Yamal sent a pass forward that found Morata, who had run in behind Guéhi; Morata shot wide, and Stones cleared the ball, only for it to be recovered by Spain. Williams then also sent a shot just wide from the edge of the area. Spain continued to dominate, though England won a foul (on Saka) in their own half in the 56th minute. In the 61st, Kane was taken off forOllie Watkins. Saka was fouled again in about the 62nd minute, with England taking it long; Foden sent the ball into the box, but it was headed away. In the 64th minute, Bellingham lost his marker just outside the box and sent a shot just wide. Spain then broke, and Olmo sent the ball forward to Yamal in the 66th minute, who got behind Shaw but was unable to take it with the first touch. Yamal still had the ball, sending in a low shot from the edge of the area that goalkeeperJordan Pickford pushed around the post for a corner.[51][52][53]
In the 68th minute, Morata was taken off forMikel Oyarzabal, and in the 70th minute Ruiz sent a good chance over the bar. Looking for a way in to attack, England replacedKobbie Mainoo withCole Palmer. After Watkins tried a shot from distance in the 71st minute, Spain immediately responded with more attempts. Olmo repeated his through-ball to Yamal, but Yamal was offside, before Oyarzabal had an attempt saved in the 72nd minute. England quickly broke, with Saka running down the wing and crossing to Bellingham in the area; Bellingham gave a first-touch offload to put the ball in front of the on-running Palmer, who scored from outside the box in the 73rd minute with a low shot to the left corner. England had another good run of play after scoring, but Spain were more dominant in possession again by the 78th minute. After taking the ball from England in the midfield in the 82nd minute, Spain took it to the edge of the box, with Olmo and Williams combining todummy and let it run in for Yamal, whose curling shot was again saved by Pickford. In the 86th minute, Oyarzabal passed short to Cucurella and ran into the box, outpacing his marker as Cucurella crossed the ball back from the left and Oyarzabal scored reaching the ball with his right foot before Pickford; after a check for offside, the review confirmed that Stones' knee was ahead of Oyarzabal's foot and the goal stood. England tried to respond and Bellingham sent a through-ball in to Watkins in the area in the 88th minute, who was unable to control it and take the chance. Both teams then made substitutions, England adding another forward inIvan Toney and Spain taking off Yamal. England continued playing urgently, and won a corner in the 90th minute. Palmer sent in the corner, which Rice headed in on target; goalkeeperUnai Simón pushed this back into the area only for Guéhi to head it over Simón to the goal, but Olmo was on the line and headed this away. The ball went back to Rice, who took a shot that went over the bar. Four minutes were added to the end of regulation time, in the first of which, Watkins received a yellow card for a high tackle. Spain played out the end of the game defensively: England won two fouls in the 92nd minute, before conceding a foul in the 93rd; Cucurella stayed down after being fouled to take the game into the 94th minute. England won another foul, and the match was ended for a Spain victory.[51][52][53]
          Spain[4] |      England[4] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[2] | Match rules[54]
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UEFA presidentAleksander Čeferin was present on the pitch stage during the awards ceremony to hand out the medals and present the trophy to Spanish captainÁlvaro Morata.[56] He was joined by King of SpainFelipe VI.Giorgio Chiellini, Italy's winning Euro 2020 captain and a former teammate of Morata, brought the trophy onto the pitch for the ceremony.[57] Spain became the first European champions to have won all their group and knockout matches without any penalty shootouts sinceFrance in1984.
Spanish wingerNico Williams was named as the man of the match,[1] and his teammateRodri was named as theUEFA European Championship Player of the Tournament.[58] Spain'sLamine Yamal, who turned 17 the day before the final, was named as theUEFA Young Player of the Tournament, making him the youngest ever player to feature in a UEFA Euro orFIFA World Cup showpiece.[59] The Spanish team celebrated their victory with a parade through Madrid on an open-top bus toPlaza de Cibeles the day after the final on 15 July, attended by thousands.[60][61] The team met with King Felipe VI, theSpanish royal family and the Prime Minister of SpainPedro Sánchez.[62] During the celebrations, playersRodri andÁlvaro Morata chanted that Gibraltar is Spanish, leading to condemnation from theGovernment of Gibraltar and a formal complaint to UEFA from theGibraltar Football Association.[63]
Emlyn Begley ofBBC Sport wrote that Spain's triumph was unanimously seen as "fully deserved", as the team had won all seven games without going to a penalty shootout, against difficult opposition. English pundits includingChris Sutton,Gary Lineker,Micah Richards andAlan Shearer praised Spain for playing attacking football and working as a team, while considering England to be a selection of individuals rather than a team.[64][65]Gary Neville said "it feels like a never-ending story where we just can't get over the line" and described a sense of "rinse and repeat" of England failing to keep the ball well enough at major championships.[66] Spanish football journalistGuillem Balagué praised Spain managerLuis de la Fuente for winning the competition with players he had managed to under-19 and under-21 titles in the 2010s.[64] De la Fuente praised his side and said they had been "infallible" and did "everything right",[67] adding "these players have made history and they still have a long way to go" and that "this group can keep growing because they do not tire of hard work, competing and trying to win."[68] Spain match-winnerMikel Oyarzabal said he was lucky enough to give the victory, adding "I have done my job. I did what I had to do at every moment to try to help", while defenderMarc Cucurella added: "We deserved it from the start. Not many people backed us, but we kept quiet and did our job, which is to play football."[69]
England managerGareth Southgate praised his team for their efforts but admitted they "fell short", saying "we had an opportunity to win and we haven't been able to take it".[70] Immediately after the game, Southgate said that he could not answer whether it would be his final match.[71] CaptainHarry Kane said they had done well to get back into the game, adding "We could have used that momentum to push on", concluding: "It's as painful as it could be in a football match."[69]Jude Bellingham said they had sacrificed a lot throughout the last weeks and admitted feeling "mentally and physically exhausted" and "absolutely dead".[72] KingCharles III congratulated the England team in a letter addressed to Southgate, calling it "a really great achievement in itself" to reach the final.[73] Southgate resigned two days after the final.[74]
It's difficult on the body – mentally and physically you are exhausted. But for our country we wanted to give everything.
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