Spain and England are set to face each other in the European Championship final on Sunday, with much attention on a young prodigy and whether England, historically known as a strong soccer nation, can finally win a major title after many years.
The final is scheduled to kick off at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) in Berlin. Expected attendees include Prince William, King Felipe of Spain, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Keir Starmer, the new Prime Minister of Britain.
Spain aims to clinch its fourth Euros title, which would make them the record holders, surpassing Germany/West Germany. Their last victory was in 2012. The team’s rising star is 17-year-old winger Lamine Yamal, who celebrated his birthday on Saturday.
England, credited as the birthplace of soccer, has not won a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup, which they won on home soil.
This is their second consecutive European Championship final, having lost in a penalty shootout to Italy in the previous edition three years ago.
The two teams have taken different routes to reach the final, which will be held at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, a historic venue with a seating capacity of 71,000, built for the 1936 Olympic Games and host to the 2006 World Cup final, infamous for Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt.
Spain has won all six of its matches and is widely regarded as the top team at Euro 2024, defeating strong opponents like Germany and France in the knockout rounds.
England had a shaky start in the group stage but has shown resilience, coming from behind in all three of their knockout-stage matches.
