Watch live coverage of the Lionesses’ trophy parade | ITV News

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Watch live coverage of the Lionesses' trophy parade | ITV News

The Lionesses are on an open-top bus parade in central London to celebrate their Euro 2025 success.

Homecoming celebrations start at 12.10 pm and begin along The Mall.

There will be a ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace from 12.30, with the event set to wrap up around 1pm.

The Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, and sports minister Stephanie Peacock held a reception for the Lionesses at Downing Street on Monday.

During a speech at the reception, the deputy prime minister said the Lionesses’ defended the title "with grit and with determination and skill".

"You roared and I know I wasn’t the only one roaring with you," she said.

Representatives from the FA, players, and coaches were all in attendance.

Ten years ago, only the most dedicated Lionesses’ fans would have been able to name the line-up in Mark Sampson’s team. Despite that, a record four million viewers tuned in to watch England being beaten by Sarina Wiegman’s Netherlands in the 2017 Euros semi-final on Channel Four.

However, the equivalent match this week, this time against Italy, drew in a huge ten million on ITV, the channel’s most-watched programme of the year so far. That’s some progress and will be well beaten by the combined audience for yesterday’s final.

These days, not only are the current squad household names, but they are sought after by some of the world’s most exclusive brands. And those commercial opportunities are not limited to sports giants, but extend to most other sectors, including the big drinks companies and iconic fashion houses.

The likes of Williamson, James, the recently retired Earps and many of the rest now have an established cultural significance that stretches beyond football.

After their 2022 success, they even shaped government policy. The Lionesses have grown different and diverse audiences; they engage more and allow people into their lives, which is what advertisers find so attractive. Their main constituency is women and girls, so a market that is traditionally more difficult to reach than men.

Research carried out recently by the Football Beyond Borders programme reveals how the Lionesses are largely responsible for the growth of the grassroots women’s game.

It found that many more young girls are watching this tournament compared to 2022, a much larger proportion of those surveyed are part of a football club, and more than 40% of those asked have an emotional connection to the team, boosted largely by the diverse make-up of the squad, something that was missing in ’22.

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Date: July 29, 2025