As England claimed a last-gasp win over Italy in the 2025 European Championship semi-final, the Lionesses’ manager, Sarina Wiegman, set an enviable record in football.
She is the first manager across the men’s and women’s game to reach the final in all five major competitions she has coached in.
England will take on Spain for the ultimate prize on Sunday but they will do so as underdogs with UK betting sites making Spain favourites.
A victory at St. Jakobs-Park will see Wiegman match Tina Theune-Meyer’s historic feat of winning three European Championships. Theune-Meyer took Germany to three consecutive Euros between 1997 and 2005 (1997, 2001, 2005).
England Boss Sarina Wiegman Sets Record After Reaching Five Major Finals
Former Netherlands international Sarina Wiegman became the first Dutch woman to gain a UEFA Pro License in 2006. She got the opportunity to coach the Netherlands’ women’s team in 2017 and won the Euro the same year.
Two years later, the Oranje reached the World Cup final, which they lost to the USA.
In 2021, England appointed Wiegman as the manager, and the following year, she took them to the 2022 European Championship. The Lionesses reached the World Cup final in 2023, but lost to Spain.
Sarina Wiegman has now reached 5 consecutive international finals as a manager 🐐 pic.twitter.com/efUrwfW6eC
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) July 22, 2025
This year, Wiegman has reached another major tournament final — her fifth in as many attempts. But the journey was by far the toughest.
After beating Sweden on penalties in the quarter-finals, England set up a mouth-watering semi-final with Italy. A record number of English fans tuned in to watch the Lionesses’ last-gasp 2-1 win over Italy.
England will meet Spain in the final on Sunday. After the heartbreak in 2023, they will be doubly determined to finish on the right side of the scoreline.
Sarina Wiegman’s Final Record With Netherlands and England
Netherlands
| Netherlands – UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Group A | Norway | 1-0 |
| Group A | Denmark | 1-0 |
| Group A | Belgium | 2-1 |
| Quarter-final | Sweden | 2-0 |
| Semi-final | England | 3-0 |
| Final | Denmark | 4-2 |
| Netherlands – FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Group E | New Zealand | 1-0 |
| Group E | Cameroon | 3-1 |
| Group E | Canada | 2-1 |
| Round of 16 | Japan | 2-1 |
| Quarter-final | Italy | 2-0 |
| Semi-final | Sweden | 1-0 (a.e.t.) |
| Final | USA | 0-2 |
England
| UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Group A | Austria | 1-0 |
| Group A | Norway | 8-0 |
| Group A | Northern Ireland | 5-0 |
| Quarter-final | Spain | 2-1 (a.e.t.) |
| Semi-final | Sweden | 4-0 |
| Final | Germany | 2-1 (a.e.t.) |
| FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Group D | Haiti | 1-0 |
| Group D | Denmark | 1-0 |
| Group D | China | 6-1 |
| Round of 16 | Nigeria | 0-0 (4-2 pens) |
| Quarter-final | Colombia | 2-1 |
| Semi-final | Australia | 3-1 |
| Final | Spain | 0-1 |
| FIFA Women’s EURO 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Group D | France | 1-2 |
| Group D | Netherlands | 4-0 |
| Group D | Wales | 6-1 |
| Quarter-final | Sweden | 2-2 (3-2 pens) |
| Semi-final | Italy | 2-1 (a.e.t) |
| Final | Spain | July 27 |
Managers With Consecutive Major Final Appearances
No other manager in football, male or female, has even three consecutive finals on their CV.
Here are the only three managers with consecutive major final appearances:
- Vittorio Pozzo (Italy) – Won World Cups in 1934 and 1934
- Jill Ellis (USA) – Won WWC 2015 and 2019
- Pia Sundhage (USA) – Olympics 2008 and 2012
