Women's EURO 2025 semi-finals: England vs Italy facts

England continue their UEFA Women's EURO title defence when they meet Italy at the Stade de Genève in Geneva in the first of the 2025 semi-finals.

Holders England came from two goals down against Sweden in the quarter-finals to force penalties, triumphing win 3-2 in the shoot-out to keep alive their hopes of back-to-back Women's EURO titles. Italy had earned a last-gasp 2-1 win against Norway to reach the last four for the first time since 1997.

Both teams are featuring in their seventh semi-final, England having now reached the last four in the last three editions and four of the last five.

Previous meetings

This is the nations' third meeting at Women's EURO, both previous contests ending 2-1 to Italy.

In the first of those, in the 1987 edition staged in Norway, goals from Carolina Morace and Elisabetta Vignotto sealed a turnaround for Italy in the third place play-off after England had gone ahead early in Drammen courtesy of a Kerry Davis penalty.

It was a similar story in 2009, when the teams met on Matchday 1 in Lahti. A Fara Williams spot kick put eventual runners-up England in front in the first half before Patricia Panico and Alessia Tuttino gave Italy three points in their Group C opener. It was the only game England lost in the tournament until a 6-2 final defeat against Germany.

Italy have also had the upper hand against England in Women's EURO qualifying, winning three of their four meetings ahead of the 1993 (3-2 h, 3-0 a) and 1997 finals (1-1 a, 2-1 h). Morace was on target in all four matches.

England, however, were 5-1 victors in the pair's last meeting – a February 2024 friendly in Spain. Lotte Wubben-Moy (1), Lauren Hemp (21, 34) and Ella Toone (69) were among the scorers, Michela Cambiaghi (45+3) with Italy's only reply.

Sofia Cantore struck for Italy in a 2-1 group stage defeat against hosts England in a friendly tournament in February 2023.

Form guide

England

Two late goals in three minutes from Lucy Bronze (79) and Michelle Agyemang (81) drew England level in their quarter-final tie with Sweden in Zurich on 17 July, their opponents having scored twice in the first half. The tie eventually went to penalties and, despite shoot-out misses from Lauren James, Beth Mead, Alex Greenwood and Grace Clinton, England advanced to the semi-finals as Sweden failed to convert five of their seven spot kicks.

That was the first time a team had overturned a two-goal deficit in a Women's EURO knockout tie.

Both of England's first two group games were also staged in Zurich. Keira Walsh's late strike was not enough to prevent defeat by France in their opener, but Sarina Wiegman's side responded emphatically against Netherlands on Matchday 2 with James scoring twice and Georgia Stanway and Toone once each in a 4-0 victory, Alessia Russo supplying three assists.

Their quarter-final berth was confirmed with a 6-1 Matchday 3 triumph against neighbours Wales. There were six different scorers for the holders with Stanway, Toone, Hemp, Russo, Mead and Agnes Beever-Jones all on target in St.Gallen.

England are the first team to score ten or more goals in three Women's EURO groups, having done so in 2017, 2022 and now 2025.

They have progressed from three of their six previous Women’s EURO semi-finals, defeating Sweden 4-0 in Sheffield in 2022 with Mead, Bronze and Russo all on target.

England qualified for their tenth finals, and seventh in succession, after finishing runners-up to France in Group A3 (W3 D2 L1), ahead of Sweden and Republic of Ireland.

Russo struck three times during qualifying, one more than team-mate Stanway.

Wiegman's England defeated Germany at Wembley in the final of Women's EURO 2022 to win their first major trophy. Toone (62) put England in front and, though Germany forced extra time, substitute Chloe Kelly scored the winner for the tournament hosts.

The Lionesses have also twice been runners-up, losing 3-4 on penalties to Sweden in 1984 after the two-legged final had ended 1-1 on aggregate (0-1 a, 1-0 h), and 2-6 to Germany in the 2009 final in Helsinki.

Following their 2022 success, during which they became the second nation after Germany to go through the group stage without conceding, England reached the final of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, losing 0-1 to Spain in Sydney.

Wiegman, in charge since September 2021, is the only coach to win the EURO title with two different countries following her 2017 success with Netherlands.

Italy

In the quarter-finals, a Cristiana Girelli double (50, 90) – Sofia Cantore supplying two assists – earned Italy a 2-1 victory against two-time winners Norway in Geneva and a place in the semi-finals for the first time since 1997.

All three of Girelli's goals at Women's EURO 2025 have come at Stade de Genève. Her quarter-final double made her, aged 35 years 84 days, the oldest player to score two goals in a Women's EURO finals match.

On Matchday 1 Italy recorded their first Women's EURO victory since 2017 courtesy of Arianna Caruso's fine strike against Belgium in Sion, and they were minutes away from another 1-0 victory after Player of the Match Girelli curled in against Portugal on Matchday 2 before an 89th-minute equaliser in Geneva left Italy's quarter-final hopes in the balance.

Despite Elisabetta Oliviero's tenth-minute opener against Spain in Bern on Matchday 3, Italy ultimately lost 1-3 but still progressed as runners-up having finished a point ahead of Belgium.

Italy were 2-1 winners against Spain in their last Women's EURO semi-final appearance in 1997. That was only their second win in their six last-four ties.

Italy are making their 13th Women's EURO appearance after topping Group A1 in qualifying, losing just one of their six games as they finished ahead of Netherlands, Norway and Finland.

With three goals, Manuela Giugliano was Italy's top scorer in qualifying.

Runners-up as hosts in 1993, losing 0-1 to Norway, Italy also reached the final in 1997, going down 0-2 against Germany.

Le Azzurre have featured in all but one of the Women's EURO tournaments since 1984, missing out only in 1995.

Prior to 2025, four of their previous six participations – including the last two – had ended at the group stage.

Two-time World Cup quarter-finalists, Italy finished third in Group G in the most recent tournament in 2023, defeating fourth-placed Argentina (1-0) before losing to group winners Sweden (0-5) and South Africa (2-3), the latter scoring an added-time winner to finish ahead of them.

In charge since September 2023, Italy are led by head coach Andre Soncin.

Key facts

• England have now reached at least the semi-finals in every Women's EURO and Women's World Cup since 2015.

• All of England's last 38 Women's EURO finals games have featured at least one goal.

• England have had ten different scorers at Women's EURO 2025, a new national record.

• Italy have scored the first goal in all their four matches at Women's EURO 2025.

• No member of England's squad has ever played for an Italian club.

• Cecilia Salvai, Laura Giuliani and Barbara Bonansea all need one appearance to reach ten Women's EURO final tournament appearances for Italy.