It has been a magical ride for both teams: England has been on top of the global game since winning the European Championship last summer, and Spain is in its first final less than a year since 15 players quit the team in protest. But England was expected to be here.

England's return to prominence has been led by coach Sarina Wiegman, who was hired in late 2021 as the team's first non-British manager. Wiegman is now back in her second consecutive finale, and the only coach in the history of the tournament to take two nations to the final. Wiegman was coach of the Netherlands when the Dutch lost 2-0 to the United States in 2019.

England is coming off a 3-1 victory over host Australia in the semifinal, the second consecutive game played without leading scorer Lauren James. She was suspended against Colombia and Australia for stomping on a Nigerian player following a tackle in the knockout round.

The Lionesses have roared their way into their first Women's World Cup title game, Sunday against Spain. It is the first all-European final since 2003, when Germany beat Sweden.

England supporters have been singing 'It's Coming Home', the unintentional reminder that the soccer team hasn't won the World Cup since 1966. The men's team was the winner that year, and the Lionesses' appearance in Sunday's title game is England's first finale in the 57 years since.