The Lionesses are set for a bumper payday after cementing their place in history with a nail-biting penalty-shootout victory over Spain to retain the Euros in dramatic style.
Chloe Kelly, who scored the memorable winner at Wembley in the Euro 2022 final, was England’s golden girl again as she emphatically fired home the decisive spot-kick, sparking scenes of jubilation across the country.
Capturing the nation’s hearts, she later bellowed ‘f***ing come on!’ into the TV cameras after shaking hands with Prince William to collect her historic medal in Switzerland.
She was also seen belting out Sweet Caroline to the cameras and swaggering around the pitch with her team shouting: ‘The first time was so nice, we had to do it twice!’
The Lionesses partied late into the night before starting their return to London where they will head to Downing Street before celebrating with an open-top bus procession through the capital on Tuesday.
Winning on the pitch clearly comes naturally to the Lionesses who celebrated their second European title on the trot after trouncing Germany 2–1 in 2022.
But brand experts say they are set to triumph off the pitch too, anticipating they will make ‘millions’ over the coming months after becoming the first English team – men’s or women’s – to win on foreign soil.
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede told : ‘The Lionesses are going to be winning off the pitch with many of them making millions in the next few months.
‘Chloe Kelly is the poster girl for the Lionesses and will continue to make a lot of money with endorsements, TV work and brand deals.
‘I think Chloe will be able to command millions from deals as her brand equity is so high. She will be courted from lifestyle brands, automotive and performance brands too.
‘Because the ladies earn far less than their male counterparts, they have to do more deals outside of the sport to build themselves financially and I think they will be inundated with offers.
‘They are perfect role models for so many people and brands want to create authentic campaigns rather than celebrity endorsed ones so choosing a Lioness is a great strategic move.’
Mr Ede said it was important for the players to think ‘strategically’ about the deals and ‘how to maximise as much as possible on their fame’.
He said all eyes will be on stars including Lucy Bronze, Lauren Hemp and manager Sarina Wiegman – who may be on track for a damehood.
The Lionesses may be back-to-back Euros champions – and narrowly avoided World Cup glory by losing to Spain in the final in 2023 – but they remain incredibly humble.
When they are not on the pitch, the modest stars are maximising their pay outside of football with side hustle or spending time with partners and family in mid-sized houses.
Captain Leah Williamson, 28, has modelled for Calvin Klein, is a brand ambassador for Gucci, enjoys a lucrative deal with Nike and has collaborated with global brands including Aston Martin, Pepsi, Walkers and Mastercard.
She even has a range of children’s books called The Wonder Team.
Ella Toone, 25, has set up her own brand, ET7, which includes a football academy for young girls, and she has set up a creative agency to help female athletes maximise commercial opportunities.
Her sponsors include make-up brand Charlotte Tilbury, orthodontic firm Invisalign and McDonald’s. She and best friend Alessia Russo have a podcast where they tell all to host Vick Hope.
Russo is now on £500,000 a year just for playing football – but off-the-field deals are understood to bring in much more.
Forbes put her earnings in just 2023 at £2 million. She has deals with Gucci, Adidas, PlayStation, Beats by Doctor Dre, and last month was gifted an MG5 EV car.
Forward Lauren Hemp, 24, has boosted her £400,000 salary with a sponsorship deal with Lego. Playing with the plastic bricks helps her relax and she was seen leaving the hotel in Switzerland holding a Lego set based on the Disney movie ‘Beauty and the Beast’.
She has also made a Mona Lisa out of Lego. Her other sponsors include Nike and Sports Direct.
Lucy Bronze’s on-field heroics and social media visibility have landed her lucrative endorsements with the likes of VISA, Spotify, and recently, Rexona, that have seen her rake in the big bucks, amassing a whopping £3.5m net worth.
Away from the football limelight and the side hustles, the players live in minimalist and mid-sized homes.
Lionesses left-back and Manchester City captain Alex Greenwood, who lives with childhood sweetheart Jack O’Connell, has revealed her plush grey sofas, where she has been seen recovering with Normatec compression boots on her legs.
Hero Lucy Bronze, who played the whole tournament with a broken tibia, has also given an insight into her home, sharing photos of her minimalist yet trendy bedroom.
In one photo, she is seen recovering in bed in her terracotta and pink room, which is adorned with framed prints, a circle mirror, plants, lamps with rattan shades and plush pillows.
In a post back in 2021, she posted a photo of a her and her grandmother in a sleek, modern kitchen which featured a large island in the middle.
Lioness legend Kelly, who lives with her husband Scott, has rarely offered a glimpse into their home. But fans have spotted the odd photo which shows the couple have also gone for a minimalist look with a grey carpeted staircase and grey flooring.
Her teammate, Ella Toone, is understood to have now moved in with long-term boyfriend Joe Bunney.
The Manchester United star has shared glimpses of the interior, including a cosy living room with a grey corner sofa, beige walls, prints and a grey rug.
The dining room features a stone grey table with circular glass lights hanging above, plants on shelves and a bright neon light.
Growing viewerships have seen the Lioness stars begin to bridge the chasm to the men’s when it comes to earning away from the pitch – with brand experts revealing the women are doing far more than the men.
Hayley Knight, Co-Founder and Director of Comms for BE YELLOW, a leading PR and Media Relations Agency, said: ‘They’re doing more outside the sport than the men’s team ever have.
‘They’re more human. They’re more accessible. They’re pushing for equal access in sport for schools and they’re influencing policy.
‘And the one wonderful thing about the Lionesses in particular and this particular team is that there’s no scandal, they’re very open and honest. There’s LGBT representation. It’s very diverse.
‘So there are a lot more brands that can invest and there’s a lot more brand trust that they can hook onto. And the contracts will be longer because of that.
‘Plus they have access to social media and influencer marketing in a way that previous teams and the men’s team have never had access to.’
Before the start of Euro 2025, Uefa confirmed record prize money of 41 million euros (£34m) for the 16-team tournament – a 156 per cent increase from Euro 2022 (16 million euros).
The 2022 winners received just over 2 million euros but the Euro 2025 champions will this year take home up to 5.1million euros when performance bonuses are added to the 1.8 million euros participation fee.
Before a ball had been kicked in Switzerland, the FA and Lionesses had agreed a payment structure that would see the 23 players selected for the tournament share 40 per cent of UEFA’s prize money pot between them – which equates to £4.3million, working out to roughly £75,000-per-player.
Furthermore, for every match England partake in an extra £2,000 would be added to that total – taking it to £87,000.