England hopes to finally end their long wait for a men's major international tournament victory when they face an outstanding Spain team in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday.
The match at the Olympiastadion in Berlin begins at 9:00 p.m. and will conclude a month of football in which Spain, led by teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, has been by far the most impressive team.
They have already eliminated several of the continent's heavyweights, winning all six matches on their way to the final, as they seek to become European champions for the fourth time, following 1964, 2008, and 2012.
England, on the other hand, has frequently struggled against weaker opponents, but they produced their best performance yet in the semifinals against the Netherlands, when Ollie Watkins scored off the bench to seal a 2-1 victory.
Now they are into their second consecutive European Championship final as they aim to banish the memory of their penalty shootout loss to Italy at Wembley in the deciding game of the last edition, three years ago.
If Gareth Southgate's team can do that, England's men will have a first title in 58 years, since the 1966 World Cup which they won on home soil.
"We know that we have to do this one, we have to get this trophy to really feel the respect of the rest of the football world," Southgate told reporters on Saturday as he reflected on the number of near misses his team has had in recent years.
England were semifinalists at the 2018 World Cup before losing the Euro 2020 final to Italy and going out of the 2022 World Cup in the quarterfinals to France.
A team led by Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham arrived in Germany as one of the top contenders, but they only won once, against Serbia, and scored two goals in the group stage.
They then needed Bellingham to come to the rescue at the death against Slovakia in the last 16, in a tie they eventually won in extra time, before prevailing on penalties against Switzerland and edging out the Dutch.
Spain represent comfortably their biggest test yet, as the sides prepare to meet at a major tournament for the first time since Euro 96, when an England team featuring Southgate as a player won on penalties in the quarterfinals.
"The belief has grown as we've gone through the tournament," Kane said.
"What we have been through with the late goals and the penalty shootouts builds resilience and builds belief. The team is obviously confident."
WILL YAMAL STAR AGAIN?
Spain's exciting new generation under coach Luis de la Fuente have taken the nation to their first men's major tournament final since their remarkable run of victories at Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.
With the swaggering Rodri Hernandez in midfield and flying wingers Nico Williams and Yamal – who only turned 17 on Saturday – they have lit up what has otherwise often been a disappointing tournament.
Spain won all their group games without conceding a goal, notably beating 2022 World Cup semifinalists Croatia and reigning European champions Italy.
They beat hosts Germany in extra time in the quarterfinals in Stuttgart, before a stunning Yamal goal helped them come from behind to beat Kylian Mbappe's France in the semis.
"Tomorrow is when I will ask the least of my team. They have been giving everything. Tomorrow is simply about enjoying it," insisted the 63-year-old De la Fuente.
"We are two great sides, the best two teams. Of course, it will be a very even game.
"It really is just little details that decide matches like these. "The team that makes the fewest mistakes has a better chance of winning."
Spain will welcome back right-back Dani Carvajal and French-born central defender Robin Le Normand, who both missed the semifinals due to suspensions.
England's starting lineup is expected to remain unchanged, with Kane leading the attack and Watkins on the bench despite his match-winning performance against the Netherlands.
According to UK media reports, England fans may account for up to half of the crowd inside the 71 000-capacity Olympiastadion, despite the fact that both finalists have only been allocated 10,000 tickets for the match.
The Olympiastadion also hosted the 2006 World Cup final, where Italy defeated France on penalties.
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