After 50 matches and 30 days, the EURO 2024 final is finally upon us. At the Olympiastadion in Berlin Spain will face England in a fascinating encounter between two sides desperate to lift the Henri Delaunay trophy into the German night sky.

Since winning this competition in 2012, Spain have generally underwhelmed in the past 5 international competitions they have qualified for. The so-dominant Tiki-Taka outfit from the early 2010’s hadn’t qualified for a final in over a decade, with La Furia Roja bowing out in the groupstage or round of 16 in 4 of their 5 prior tournaments. 

England, on the other hand, made it to the final at this competition 3 years ago, but the Three Lions’ extraordinary wait for international silverware places even more momentous pressure on a match already billed to the highest degree. Since 1966 England have not lifted a trophy at international level. Under Gareth Southgate the Three Lions have made it to two semi-finals and a final, but the last step to truly write history has, up until now, eluded the 53-year-old.

Just like the two nation’s modern histories, their road to the final could also not be more different. Spain were the dominant force at this year’s championship. Luis de la Fuente’s side won all but one of their matches in regular time, and Spain have played a scintillating brand of modernised possession football with the exhilarating wing-duo of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams. The former has used this tournament to announce himself at the highest level. The 16-year-old became the youngest goalscorer in EUROS history last matchday after scoring a fabulous curling effort past Mike Maignan in the French goal. The Barcelona winger is a shoe-in for the young player of the tournament award, but a European title will be worth far more to the youngster than any individual accolade. 

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As for England, they are in the final by the skin of their teeth. The Three Lions have won only 2 of their 6 matches at the tournament in regular time. Particularly the knockout-stage has been driven by unparalleled fortune in key moments. In the round of 16 England equalised in the 96th minute via an ingenious Jude Bellingham bicycle, in the quarter-finals England needed penalties to overcome Switzerland, and in the semifinals it was a stoppage time winner from substitute Ollie Watkins that ultimately opened the gates towards Berlin. 

A look at current form then clearly gives Spain the advantage, but from a historical perspective there is a tight contest between these two proud football nations. Since the turn of the century there have been 9 contests between these two sides, with Spain winning 5, England winning 3, and 1 ending in a draw. The last contest between these two sides, a 2018 UEFA Nations League fixture, ended in a 3:2 victory for England, but it is hard to draw any real conclusions from this fixture given that only 4 of the 22 players who started that day have featured at this summer’s tournament. 

Prediction: Spain Win