England fans across the world are tonight sinking their final pints before the historic clash between the Three Lions and Spain at Euro 2024.
Berlin‘s Olympiastadion will be packed to the rafters tonight as England’s side, led by Harry Kane, takes on Spain, led by Alvaro Morata. 40,000 England fans are set to take their seats in the stadium alone, which has a capacity of just over 74,000.
Supporters have already taken Berlin over, with some unfurling an England flag with ‘Sir Gareth Southgate’ on it close to the Brandenburg Gate as others spoke of how the manager was vilified weeks ago, but remained stoic and took his team to the brink of glory.
They set off flares and sang on one side of the Wilhelmstrasse while Spanish supporters danced and waved flags on the other side.
A number of German police officers stood along the road.
One man in an England shirt climbed atop a bear-shaped Euro 24 sculpture and a football was thrown between fans, while Spanish supporters waved a flag at a small bull toy.
With less than a few hours to go, England fans set off red and white flares outside a pub in Trafalgar Square.
In Berlin, supporters of both sides poured into the dedicated fanzone which has a capacity of 30,000 and boasts a huge screen flanked by goalposts.
England fans let off smoke flares outside a pub in Trafalgar Square, central London
Red and white smoke flares were let off by crowds near the Admiralty pub
A group of England fans pose with a flag showing their support for Southgate’s side ahead of the final tonight
Lucy, 29, (left) and Olivia, 32, (right) said there will be ‘lots of drinking and singing’ during the game tonight
Londoners have taken over Trafalgar Square in the leadup to the game
LIVERPOOL: Fans look to enjoy the drinks and the weather in the build-up to tonight’s Euro 2024 final
England fans put bars through their paces at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin
A couple of Asenal and Chelsea fans unite behind England with just hours to go until the final
Excited supporters raise bottles of beer while topless, and draped in England fans
A hopeful England fan kisses a replica of the Euros trophy
Upbeat fans in both at home and in the German capital were confident their team could go on to lift the trophy.
Rob Cheetham, 24, from Wiltshire, who has camped in Essen since the start of the tournament, said:
‘I think the amount of times we’ve gone one behind and come back, no matter what happens in the start of the match I’m still going to have hope.
‘Even if we’re losing in the 90th minute, we’ve still got hope that we can bring it back at the end.’
On the streets and plazas of Berlin, England fans appeared to hopelessly outnumber their Spanish opposition. Before midday, Three Lions followers were gathered at the trendy Hackescher Markt where bars were already doing a roaring trade. At Kilkenny’s Irish bar underneath the railway arches, supporters enjoyed a singalong to Oasis’ classic Don’t Look Back in Anger.
Outside the bar, brothers Tom and Louis Youster said they travelled out with a third sibling, Charlie, 21, after securing tickets on the Viagogo resale website – paid for by their father – at a cost of £1,200 each.
Charlie had only just returned home to Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, from the semi-final in Dortmund when the tickets were secured. ‘He only had a few hours in the house and then it was time to turn around and head back to the airport, with us this time’, Tom, a 23-year-old data analyst said.
‘He didn’t think we’d be able to get tickets for the final, otherwise he’d have stayed.’
He said he was ‘hopeful’ of victory but acknowledged that Spain were ‘the best team we’ve faced. Tom said of manager Gareth Southgate: ‘You can’t question him, he’s got us to the final.’
‘Louis, 17, added: ‘I think we’ve got enough in this team to win.’
At the riverside Friedrichstadt neighborhood nearby, fans from Portsmouth to Chesterfield had hung Cross of St George flag along the side of the bridge over the River Spree, where tourist boats passed underneath.
When one party boat passed by, England fans outside Murphy’s Irish bar on the bank of the river changed ‘Eng-ger-land, Eng-ger-land, Eng-ger-land’ at the boat, as the passengers on board waved and clapped. The occasional German passer-by was treated to a rendition of ‘You’re s*** but you’re birds are fit’ by the bare-chested or replica shirt-wearing crowd.
Jolie Sharpe, the posh England fan who went viral for her message of support, was seen in Berlin as well
Two women in England football shirts cheer for the camera as they gear up for the final in Berlin
Southgate (pictured speaking to the media ahead of the final) was slammed by fans and even pelted with missiles during an earlier match after lacklustre performances by his Three Lions
England’s fans chant slogans at Breitscheidplatz before the start of the final match between Spain and England
On the bridge, Newcastle fan Oliver Colligan was taking in the atmosphere, safe in the knowledge he had a €95 (£80) Fans First ticket, affordable seats behind the goal which are reserved for members of the England supporter’s travel club.
Mr Colligan, from Newcastle, said his pregnant girlfriend was desperate for him to return home after England’s semi-final, only for the team to win through to today’s showpiece event.
‘She’s looking after my golden retriever, Bruno, who is named after Newcastle United star Bruno Guimarães. The dog is a bit of a livewire as he’s still in the puppy phase. I think she could do with the help.’
As for the team’s prospects, he added: ‘I feel like we will find a way to win tonight, because that’s what we’ve done throughout the tournament.
‘I don’t care if it’s an own goal or penalties, or the ball comes off somebody’s arse and goes in the net, as long as we win.’
Thousands of England fans have gone to Germany to support the Three Lions
Pubs across the UK are expected to be packed out tonight
Supporters wear matching red and white football hats in Berlin today. One man shows off his St George’s Cross sunglasses while holding a pint
A man stands in front of Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate with his England flag
England fan Sam Tattersall 29, from Nottingham (second from right) with fans from England and Spain in Berlin, Germany
As he spoke, England fans Katie Hicks, 41, and husband Adrian came over the bridge on electric scooters on their way to a German bar nearby.
The scooters have proved a popular way to travel around host cities and two and from stadiums for fans on England’s run to the final.
Ms Hicks, from Doncaster, a head of procurement, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, said she booked the weekend away for her partner’s 43rd birthday long before the tournament began, and didn’t realise the weekend might clash with the final.
Mr Hicks, a land surveyor, said ‘We’re really excited. It couldn’t have worked out better – being in Berlin for the final.’
Across the road at an Italian restaurant, best friends Julian Swann and Matt Hill – and Mr Hill’s girlfriend Kathryne Walsh, all from Shirley, Solihull – posed as English knights in chainmail costumes.
Asked if Gareth Southgate should be knighted if England bring the trophy home tonight, Mr Hill bellowed: ‘Of course he should – and I will do it!’ before raising his inflatable sword.
A man with face painted in the colours on the English flag gestures at Breitscheidplatz before the start of the final match between Spain and England
Fans are finishing their last pints before the historic match tonight
Tens of thousands of England fans have descended on the German capital to see their team against Spain in the Euros 2024 final
England fans at Millennium Square, Leeds, celebrate after England’s win on Wednesday, as more than 25 million are expected to watch tonight’s match in living rooms and pubs across the country
Mr Swann, a father-of-one working in the energy sector, said of the team’s prospects tonight: ‘I think we will win 3-1. There’ll be no need for extra time.’
Ms Walsh, a pub landlady, agreed and said: ‘Yes, we’re bringing it home!’
Property developer Monty Wouhra, 55, who with friends unfurled the flag with a knighted Gareth Southgate on it, said: ‘Fair play to the man.
‘He has taken a lot of stick during this tournament and when you look back today, it was really unfair.
‘Gareth, or ‘Sir Gareth’ as we prefer to call him, has completed what seemed like a mission impossible. He has taken us to another final and whatever happens, he deserves to be knighted.’
Another England fan James Funge flew into Berlin from Sydney on a journey which took him 29 hours, and said: ‘It is a no brainer… Sir Gareth and it sounds so good.
England fans have decorated the pub with England flags as excitement for the final grows
In Leeds, revellers are doing the Otley Run with England merch on them
Fans were seen part-way through the 17-pub crawl with the iconic flag
‘This bloke has had to put up with so much over the years and has still taken us to two Euro finals and a World Cup semi-final.’
Mr Funge, who paid around £3500 for his match ticket on the black market and which had a face value of £250, added: ‘I work hard and my company has about 80 employees. When I left Australia on Friday, I told them where I was going and told them to take it easy while I was away!
‘It wasn’t an easy trip for me and the plane technical problems at Istanbul so I had to change planes and picked up a delay there and today I’m feeling really jetlagged.
‘But I had to be here, and I have to be able to tell people that I was there when England won a major tournament and an England captain lifted a trophy.
‘It’s been a long time since 1966. We have just been waiting for this moment.
‘If it happens, the pictures of Harry Kane lifting the trophy and the team running around the stadium are going to live forever and be iconic, just like Bobby Moore when he was holding the World Cup at Wembley all those years ago.’
Bikram, a Sikh fan from Birmingham, said he was visiting a temple in Berlin to pray for success tonight.
(from left to right) Meg, 22, Courtney, 22, Kirsty, 19 and Evie, 22, all said they can’t wait for the match tonight and claimed it would be ‘epic’
He added: ‘We need every bit of help, support and luck and I feel I have to go to a local Gurdwara today.’
Sam Tattersall, 29, from Nottingham, shaved a red St George’s Cross into his hair before travelling out to Berlin for the Euro 24 final.
The barber told the PA news agency: ‘We decided on Friday to do a little trip to Berlin and because I’m a barber, I was going to get my hair cut and I thought I’d go for it with the St George’s cross because football’s coming home.
‘We got here at 2am, my cousin drove us and we set off from Nottingham at 10.15am yesterday.’
He said he had not got tickets for the final but was looking forward to soaking up the atmosphere in Berlin.
He added: ‘I keep forgetting about my hair and noticing people looking at me. I wish I had done it with permanent dye not a spray because it’s coming off in the rain.
‘If we lose it’s going to have to go on Tuesday, but if we win it could stay for a year!’
Thousands more are expected to cheer the side on from across the world.
England fans were on the beach in Benidorm this morning as they eagerly await the national team’s epic clash with Spain in the Euros final.
Supporters from across the country wished Gareth Southgate‘s boys the best of luck and announced England would ‘take over Benidorm’ if they won.
Expectation of the ‘battle for Benidorm’ has been growing in this popular holiday resort where British and Spanish families come to relax.
The resort’s notorious strip is expecting standing room only in and around the many bars and restaurants that clutter this British enclave.
Drinks will be served in plastic glasses and extra security has been laid on in a desperate bid to prevent trouble.
Molly, 20, (left) and Mya, 19, (right) said they splashed out on England shirts to wear during the match
Courtney, 22, a masseuse, from Somerset, told MailOnline: ‘I can’t wait for the match tonight. It’s going to be epic!
‘And if England win, we will take over Benidorm!’
Courtney is on holiday with best friends, Meg, 22, an IT worker, Kirsty, 19, a masseuse and Evie, 22, a helicopter engineer.
England’s flat flags were drabbed across supporters as they strolled along Benidorm’s beach-front or paddled in the Mediterranean.
Cooling off in the sea was sports photographer Olivia and her pal Lauren, 21, a care worker, both from Wigan.
Olivia, 21, said: ‘It’s going to be a tough match, Spain are a good team, but England can do it. They’ve shown a lot of character to get to the final and they have nothing to lose.
‘Come on England!’
Glamourous girls Lucy, 29, and Olivia, 32, from Middlesborough said they expected a fun night with the party carrying on into the early hours.
England’s fans chant slogans and drink beers at Breitscheidplatz before the start of the final match between Spain and England
Kayleigh, 23, (left) and Leone, 21, (right) held one of the many England flags on Benidorm’s beach-front
Bobbi-Leigh, 17, (left) and Lily-May, 17, (right) are getting ready for the big game today
Molly, 24, (left) and Lois, 21, (right) jump with excitement ahead of Sunday night’s game
Olivia, 32, a court clerk, said: ‘There will be a lot of drinking and singing, I’m sure of that. If England win this place will go wild. Everyone will be out until dawn.’
Two young fans from Wigan have even splashed out on England shirts to wear during the match.
Molly, 20, a nurse and Mya, 19, a pharmacist, are urging the team on.
Molly said: ‘We’ve just bought them! We’re going to wear them for the match tonight. It’s going to be mad up there on the strip. I can’t wait!’
All of the fans will be cheering on England.
Among them will be Molly, 24, GP surgery worker, and Lois, 21, a nurse, both from Weston-Super-Mare.
Molly said: ‘Come On England!’
Back in Blighty, celebrations have already started in beer gardens up and down the nation, as Brits enjoy temperatures of up to 23C in the leadup to the final.
In Leeds, countless revellers have started the Otley Run, a notorious pub crawl that requires drinkers to sink pints at 17 pubs across two-and-a-half miles, while wearing England Merch.
An estimated TV audience of 25 million are nervously preparing themselves to watch tonight’s match in living rooms and pubs across the country.
Around 3.5 million fans will watch the game in England’s 35,000 pubs, with an extra 10 million pints pulled, as opening hours can be extended to 1am.
Win or lose, company bosses are braced for ‘hangover Monday’ with up to two million workers expected to call in sick.
Laura, 33, (left) and David, 31, (right) are two of the supporters from across the country who wished Gareth Southgate’s boys the best of luck
Olivia, 21, (left) and Lauren, 21, (right) held an England flag in the sea as they prepare for Sunday’s Euro 2024 final
Another three million are expected to have booked annual leave. And hundreds of schools have told pupils they can come in up to two hours late on Monday if parents allow them to stay up late to watch the drama.
In a video posted on social media by the England football team, Southgate said: ‘To all of the fans that travelled to the games, I know there have been some epic journeys, hours and hours of travel, so grateful for that support.
‘It’s meant so much to us in the stadium, and it’s so important for the players, so same again please for the final.
‘To everybody at home, we’ve for a long time wanted to create memories for everybody.
‘I think we’ve had a lot over the last seven, eight years. This tournament has thrown up more, the knockout phase in particular.
‘I think we’ve shown amazing resilience, never say die spirit, composure under pressure at different moments.
‘So, we’re looking forward to this challenge. We know we’ve got to be exceptional again against Spain. But we’re in here fighting and we hope to do you proud again.’
