Sarina Wiegman, the Dutch "reference" to lead England at Euro 2025 Women

For its first real clash of the group stages, the Euro 2025 football championship, which is being held from July 2 to 27 in Switzerland, experienced its first shocks when the defending champions England were defeated by France (2-1) on July 5 in Zurich. Although confident in their qualities, the Lionesses – the Lionesses, as the English players are nicknamed – fell from the start. To hope to extend their continental adventure, they must now win, Wednesday, July 9 at 6 p.m., against the Netherlands.

A clash marked by a reunion for Sarina Wiegman, the Dutch coach of England, who was crowned European champion with both teams. " It's always a special event for her," says Emma Sanders, a journalist in charge of covering the English national team at the BBC. "She still has very strong ties with the Netherlands, and when the draw was made in December [2024] , you could feel her emotion."

Born and trained in The Hague, the 55-year-old tactician learned her trade there. A formidable player, she began her career there on the bench. In 2017, after several apprentice seasons, Sarina Wiegman emerged from relative anonymity by leading the Dutch women to their first title, after an immaculate European run. Then, recruited in 2021 by the Three Lions Federation, the former defender repeated her feat, a year after her appointment, and freed an entire country from its long quest for an international trophy, which began in 1966 after the men's team won the World Cup.

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