Women's Euros 2022 Final: Top things to know as England take on Germany in front of record-breaking crowd at Wembley
Hosts England face eight-time European champions Germany on Sunday 31 July: find out out how the two sides reached the final and who are the stars to watch.
Football
After a month of exciting football, it all comes down to this: the final of the UEFA Women's Euros 2022.
And it is a clash of titans as England take on Germany at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 31 July.
The Germans come into the final in search of their ninth European title, having won 6 back-to-back prior to 2017, and eight in total.
But hosts England will be a significant hurdle for them to overcome, as the Lionesses go in search of their first major tournament title.
Will experience prevail? Or is it time to write a new name on the Euros trophy?
Whatever happens, a record-breaking crowd is set to bear witness as 90,000 fans are expected to attend Wembley for the closing curtain.
Here are the top things you need to know ahead of the final as history beckons for one of these nations.
UEFA Women's Euro 2022: The road to the final
Both England and Germany have had similar paths to the final - scoring for fun and conceding just one goal each.
England
It has been an enthralling road to the final for Sarina Wiegman’s England side.
The nation has backed the Lionesses from the get-go, and the hosts have repaid them with scintillating football and goals galore.
But their opening, record-breaking game at Old Trafford was not quite the same story with a nervous 1-0 win over Austria.
By the time they stepped out to face Norway on the south coast, however, all nerves had seemingly washed over them.
And what followed was yet another piece of history: an 8-0 thumping of one of the pre-competition favourites.
It was a showing of total dominance and one that began to turn heads in the direction of the Lionesses as genuine contenders for the title.
A rampant 5-0 victory against Northern Ireland would see out their group stage with a 100%-win record.
Their toughest match-up would come in the quarterfinals against Spain, where they had to come from behind late on and then in extra-time to secure a 2-1 victory.
Sweden would await them in the semi-finals.
After three back-to-back last four losses, the pressure was on the Lionesses to finally reach a major tournament final.
And for the first time since 2009, that is exactly what they did.
Four answered goals would be enough to send Wiegman’s high-flying England to the final at Wembley.
Now the competition's most successful ever team stands between them and a taste of glory.
Germany
Germany is yet to put a foot wrong in the tournament so far.
Drawn in ‘the group of death’ alongside Spain, Denmark, and Finland, it was set to be a tough ask to reach the knockout rounds.
But the Germans did not falter, handing a heavy 4-0 defeat to the Danes in their first game of the Euros.
They were faced with a much tougher opponent the second time round in Spain, but still emerged as 2-0 winners.
In pole position to qualify as top of the group, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg's side went on to beat Finland in a comfortable 3-0 victory in the final group game.
The finalists kept their 100% record up in the quarter-final with two unanswered goals against Austria.
Then came the semi-final, and Germany would have to overcome tough-to-beat France to book a place in the final.
Despite a thunderous strike from Alexandra Popp to open the scoring, Die Nationalelf conceded an equaliser almost instantly from an unfortunate Merle Frohms own goal before half-time.
But yet another moment of magic from Popp towards the end of the game would see her team regain the lead and ultimately secure their fate as finalists.
Now the eight-time Euros champions will have a chance to make it nine – but they will have to overcome a formidable England side to do so.
The last time these two sides faced at Wembley, a narrow 2-1 win for the Germans came thanks to a late Klara Bühl goal - can she inspire another upset in front of the English fans?
READ MORE: Germany book their place in the semis - are they fated for an historic ninth title?
Stars to watch in the women's Euros final
When two teams have been so consistently excellent throughout a competition, it can be difficult to narrow down the players fans need to look out for.
England and Germany are perfect examples of this.
For the Germans, Lena Oberdorf has well and truly endeared herself to the world stage at just 20 years old, staking her claim as the tournament's best midfielder.
It has been a similar story for the hosts, with Alessia Russo stealing headlines with her appearances off the bench that has seen some audacious goals.
But for each nation, one player has stood tall and inspired their journey to the final: Beth Mead and Alexandra Popp.
Beth Mead - England
In 2021, Beth Mead was left disappointed after not being named in Great Britain’s squad for the Olympics.
Fast forward a year, and she is one of the players everyone is talking about at the Euros.
Joint-top scorer in the competition, she has been integral to England’s campaign so far.
Mead has registered an astounding 10 goal involvements in just five games – 6 goals and 4 assists.
She was also the scorer of the sole goal in the opener against Austria, and bagged a hat-trick in the historic mauling of Norway.
The 27-year-old is a constant threat regardless of which wing she is operating down, and possess a wicked delivery into the box that can be difficult to defend against.
If Mead takes her form into the final, she could be the catalyst for England's first-ever major trophy.
Alexandra Popp - Germany
You simply could not write a greater story when it comes to Alexandra Popp and her tournament so far.
After missing out on every European Championships to date through injury, the 2022 campaign was her debut.
And from the moment she came off the bench in Germany’s opening game against Denmark, she has seized her moment with both hands.
Like her English opponent Mead, Popp has also scored 6 goals in 5 games to make her the joint-top goal scorer.
From headers to rockets, the 31-year-old has been there when her team have needed her - including crucial goals against both Austria and France to guide them to the final.
On the brink of an historic ninth title, Popp will be looking to sign-off this dream debut with a trophy lift as captain of her country come full-time on Sunday 31 July.
How to watch England v Germany in the final of the UEFA Women's Euro 2022
The final of Euro 2022 between these two sides is simply unmissable.
Wembley is a sell-out and expected to smash the attendance record for this competition, having already broken it at Old Trafford in the curtain raiser between England and Austria.
But if you are among those who were unable to get tickets, how can you watch?
The BBC hold the rights to air the final across England, while ARD will be showing it in Germany.
No matter where you are in the world, though, the final game of the women’s Euro 2022 will be available to watch and stream globally.
A full list of the broadcasters and digital platforms where you can watch the action is available here.
England v Germany kicks off at 17:00 BST on Sunday 31 July.