Euro 2020: England fans go wild hours to go before biggest game in 55 years

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England fans are going wild outside Wembley Stadium as they clamber onto buses, pack out pubs and set off flares with hours to go before the Three Lions fight Italy for the Euro 2020 Championship in the national side’s biggest game in more than half a century. 

Pubs in London and Bristol are packed with England supporters who started queueing to secure tables as early as 10am as 35 million people tune in to watch the once-in-a-generation clash on TV while 60,000 spectators cheer on Gareth Southgate’s men later today.  

The British Beer & Pub Association predicts England fans will buy 7.1 million pints as they watch England’s first major tournament final since the 1966 World Cup and the side’s victory over West Germany at Wembley.  

In a welcome economic boost, by the end of the competition it is estimated that £815million will have been spent in pubs and hospitality venues, with 32.6 million pints sold, a report by Vouchercodes.co.uk and the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) said.

The Queen, Prince William and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have all showered the Three Lions in praise, while thousands of England supporters urge the side to ‘bring it home’ on Twitter – with some fans revealing they have been so excited that they did not sleep last night. 

In a good-luck video message posted on Twitter, the Duke of Cambridge praised manager Southgate, captain Harry Kane and ‘every member of the England team on and off the pitch’ as he said: ‘I can’t really believe this is happening’ and wished the squad ‘the very best of luck’.   

He appeared to be crossing his fingers for an England win while at Wimbledon yesterday, where he and his wife Kate Middleton attended the grand slam to watch Australia’s Ashleigh Barty win the tennis Championship in an epic three-set final against Karolina Pliskova.

The duke said: ‘Gareth, Harry and to every member of the England team on and off the pitch, just want to wish you the very best of luck tonight. What a team performance it’s been, everyone in the squad has played their part. All the backroom team as well have been truly essentially. 

‘I can’t really believe this is happening. So exciting and I just wish you the very best of luck. You bring out the very best of England and we are all behind you. The whole country is behind you. So, bring it home.’  

A number of schools have already said they will allow pupils to start later on Monday if they wish to and some employers are considering letting staff enjoy a celebratory – or consolatory – lie-in after what could be a very late night. The final is due to kick off at 8pm and will finish by 10pm if it ends in normal time, but could end closer to 11pm if there is extra time or a penalty shootout. 

The official England Twitter account posted this morning: ‘A matchday like no other’ – sparking a flurry of excited and anxious messages. One expectant fan wrote: ‘Massive day ahead, first final for @England in my lifetime. Wherever you’re watching it, whatever your plans are, enjoy! Proud of the squad and what they’ve done so far, but they can lift that trophy!’

Another said: ‘Today is the day! The sun’s out, enjoy it, embrace it, soak up the atmosphere!! The excitement, the nerves, the butterflies in the stomach. Go mad!! Who knows when or if this day will come again! #ItsComingHome’.

One tweeted: ‘Been up since 5am cos of today. Couldn’t sleep at all! C’mon @England #ItsComingHome #ENG’ – with another writing on Twitter: ‘Morning everyone, anybody got any sleep last night or feeling nervous ahead of #ITAENG #ItsComingHome Come on #ENG @England’.  

England captain Harry Kane said his team hopes to do the nation proud in their bid for Euro 2020 glory. He told reporters at a press conference last night: ‘We want to go and bring the trophy home’ – adding: ‘We know how much it means to the English fans all over the country so we’re proud to be representing them and hopefully we can do them proud again.’

The Queen paid tribute to the ‘spirit, commitment and pride’ of the squad in a good luck message ahead of tonight’s final, while her grandson the Duke of Cambridge said it is ‘so exciting’ to get to this point.   

The Prime Minister told Southgate and the players they had ‘already made history’ by reaching the final, writing: ‘You have lifted the spirits of the whole country, and tomorrow we know you can lift that trophy too. We are not just hoping or praying. 

‘We believe in you, Gareth, and your incredible squad.’       

As the nation rallies behind the England football squad, it emerged: 

• Gareth Southgate will receive a knighthood if England win but will be awarded a CBE regardless of the result;
• David Baddiel and Frank Skinner are banned by UEFA from performing Three Lions at the start of the match because it would be ‘unfair’ to Italy;
• Southgate reveals he ‘couldn’t stand’ the It’s Coming Home refrain for 15 years after his penalty miss in 1996 ;
• The England manager urged fans not to boo the Italian national anthem, saying it could inspire them;
• Harry Kane revealed Tom Cruise FaceTimed the England team on Friday night to wish the players luck;
• UEFA fined England £26,000 after a fan shone a laser into the eye of Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel before Harry Kane’s penalty in the semi final; 
• Euros fever has delivered a £3.4billion spending spree on partying, drinking, souvenir merchandise and supersize TVs, analysts said;
• The NHS is braced for a surge in heart attacks as the stress of watching football takes its toll on the nation’s health;   
• Ministers have been told to stop using the phrase ‘It’s coming home’ – a reference to the England football anthem Three Lions – because it annoys other countries.

Across England, fans have been savouring the run-up to a game that could see the country crowned champions of Europe. Houses have been bedecked with flags amid a surge in demand for England-themed paraphernalia and the Shard in London was lit up in the team colours.

Residents on Wales Street, in Oldham, Greater Manchester have even patriotically renamed their road in honour of the Three Lions – England Street, with a new red-and-white sign erected above the original. 

A good luck message from David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and the Lightning Seeds – who are behind the anthemic Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home) – has been projected onto the white cliffs of Dover ahead of the match. 

A couple paid tribute to Southgate, Kane and Raheem Sterling ahead of England’s Euro 2020 final with a huge mural on the side of their house.

Kate and Paul William asked street artists Nathan Parker – aka N4T4 – to create the piece to help them celebrate England’s progress. It has turned the wall, at their home in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, into a hotspot for fans who have been visiting ‘in droves’ to see the mural.

Kate said: ‘He woke up after the semi-finals and said ‘I have had a dream’ and the dream was we have got to decorate that wall. He said he wanted something amazing, and said ‘if they build it they will come’ and said he wanted something historic and about the moment.’

‘The community went going crazy for it – coming in their droves, pipping horns, photos galore, music playing, its brought the community together. They’re seeing what art can do too, that’s what’s happened, ultimately, and football has brought everyone together.

‘The husband’s dream was a pretty good one to have, I’ll let him have that one.’

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham insists England’s ‘band of brothers’ remain calm ahead of the final.

‘The mood in the camp is very calm. They are aware of what a fantastic opportunity this is, they are aware of the excitement throughout the country, but the mood in the camp is calm and they are looking forward to it,’ Bullingham told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One.

‘I think one of the things that Gareth (Southgate) has managed to do, along with the support team, is build a really strong environment, there’s a fantastic ‘band of brothers’ feeling and togetherness, but there is also a really strong resilience there and they are really supportive of each other.

‘He (Southgate) is genuinely calm, he’s one of the calmest people in the country. He is so well prepared and he has a good support team around him. He is in a good place.’ 

Former England right-back Gary Neville, who along with Southgate experienced semi-final heartbreak as a player at Euro 96, stressed that today was ‘not a day to be nervous’.

Discussing how the players would be feeling on Sunday morning compared to his own experiences with the national team, Neville told Sky Sports News: ‘If you think about 1996 and Gareth’s abuse he received after missing that penalty, (David) Beckham in ’98 and then my brother (Phil Neville) in 2000, it was a very pressurised situation with England because you weren’t performing at a level and there was a different way in which they approached it from a media point as well.

‘These lads haven’t got that cynicism, they haven’t got that pain and dismay embedded within themselves, so I suspect that now they must be feeling on top of the world this morning, excited.

‘I know there are a lot of fans nervous up and down the country but this isn’t a day to be nervous. I don’t feel nervous at all. It’s a moment and a day that this country’s been waiting for such a long time. I think the pressure moment was actually against Scotland or against Germany in the second round.

‘We’ve gone past those things with this team, so this team have proven they can jump hurdles that none have done before in the last 55 years, and I suspect that they’ll be feeling really comfortable.’

Former England boss Terry Venables, who led the Three Lions to the last four of the Euros 25 years ago, has written an open letter to Southgate in The Sun.

Venables said: ‘I will be with you in spirit on that touchline. I knew exactly how, and what you were feeling as those incredible days which brought the country together back in ’96 came flooding back to me, feelings which cannot be fully appreciated unless you are standing on that spot.

‘As you know, sport teaches us so many lessons about life and the saying, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ is so true. Having watched all of the games, I have to say that your team are a credit to you as mine were to me, and I know that to achieve a connection like that is a luxury many managers could never accomplish. 

‘Enjoy every moment of your day on Sunday, knowing that our wonderful country are all behind you and your team cheering you on, willing you the success which you all deserve.’

In her written message, the Queen recalled presenting the Jules Rimet trophy to Bobby Moore after England beat then West Germany in the World Cup – almost six decades ago.

She said: ‘Fifty-five years ago I was fortunate to present the World Cup to Bobby Moore and saw what it meant to the players, management and support staff to reach and win the final of a major international football tournament.

‘I want to send my congratulations and that of my family to you all on reaching the final of the European Championships, and send my good wishes for tomorrow with the hope that history will record not only your success but also the spirit, commitment and pride with which you have conducted yourselves.’   

The squad are thought to have watched the as-yet unreleased sequel to Top Gun as they spent Friday night together. Before the screening, they were called by its star Tom Cruise, who delivered a good luck message.

Southgate last night said he was focused on ‘bringing the trophy home’, adding: ‘It has been fantastic to have the letter from the Queen and the Prime Minister to all of the team and the recognition that the players have gone about this in the right way, but we’re in a final and we’re here to win.’

As many as 35 million people are expected to watch the match on BBC and ITV, potentially eclipsing the previous TV viewing record of 32.3 million for the 1966 final. If England triumph, Mr Johnson is expected to announce an extra Bank Holiday on Friday August 27, and Southgate is likely to receive a knighthood. 

Analysts estimate that victory tonight could deliver a £10billion boost to the economy. England’s success in the tournament has already seen £3.4billion splurged on partying, drinking, souvenir merchandise and supersize TVs, according to retail experts. 

Tickets for the game – the most eagerly anticipated for more than half a century – were last night changing hands for up to £15,000. Wembley will welcome a crowd of 65,000, of whom just 6,000 will be cheering on Italy. 

Some fans decided to settle any pre-match nerves by hitting the pubs and bars last night, and the English nation will be hoping to continue the party atmosphere long into the night with a famous win over Roberto Mancini’s Italy, who trounced Spain in their semi-final at Wembley. 

The Metropolitan Police has urged fans not to come to London unless they have match tickets or somewhere booked to watch the game. The force said it will be deploying ‘a great many officers and specialist units to prevent crime and disorder and respond to any incidents right across London’.

London’s transport network will display digital well wishes across the capital, visible at Tube stations, the DLR and London Overground as well as at bus stops and on road traffic alert signs. 

Earlier, hundreds of fans lined the roads near the team’s St George’s Park training base in Staffordshire to send their England heroes off to the final in style.

They spent last night at The Grove hotel near Watford, a few miles from Wembley, where they waved at more crowds of cheering supporters. Kane said: ‘We have been knocking down barriers on the way but we have to go out there and win it. 

‘To see the fans on the street and see the reception we have had, it has just shown us how big an occasion it is.’

The Italian team, who are on a 33-game unbeaten run, were greeted by fans as they flew in from their training base in Florence to Luton Airport yesterday afternoon before boarding a coach to Tottenham Hotspurs’ training ground in Enfield, North London. They will prepare for the match at the nearby £400-a-night Birch Hotel.

In a touching tribute, Harry Kane’s wife Kate, who met her husband while they were at school together and now has three children with the Spurs striker, penned an emotional message to her husband telling him ‘you’re making us all proud’.

She said: ‘You know I’m not one to cry too easily but I found myself in tears when I started writing down how proud you’re making us all and what you’re doing for the country… You’re just such an amazing husband and dad, and the children can’t wait to have you home.

‘Imagine telling them all about this summer one day when they’re a bit older.’ 

Covid-19 restrictions have separated the team from their families for the last four weeks.

Asked about his wife’s letter, Kane said: ‘My oldest, she is four and six months, she is still a little bit young, I don’t think she understands the magnitude of tomorrow night. Of course she wants first and foremost me to come home, but if football comes home as well we’ll all be delighted.’

Last night, relatives of some of the players were enjoying the build-up. The mothers of defenders Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw posted pictures from Central London, where the two families enjoyed champagne and cocktails. 

The Three Lions squad are in line for a £9 million bonus if they lift the trophy, but have indicated that they will donate it to NHS Charities Together.

Last night, Southgate joined calls from No 10 not to boo the Italian national anthem. ‘We know that when we play abroad and fans boo our anthem it inspires them more,’ said the England manager. ‘I don’t think it will help the team.’ 

The call came after Uefa slapped the English FA with a near £26,000 fine for fans jeering the Danish anthem before the semi-final, setting off fireworks and shining a laser pen at goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.

Earlier, Southgate urged the nation to ‘stop looking at the negatives of our own country’ because ‘England has so much to be proud of’ as he rallied millions of patriotic fans.

Invoking the courage of a Second World War generation, England’s manager said Britain should not be ashamed of its history – as he praised his squad’s role in driving ‘tolerance and inclusion’. 

Southgate acknowledged that Britain’s history likely contributed to the support from the 40,000 fans inside Wembley when England  beat Germany last week.

He said: ‘People have tried to invade us and we’ve had the courage to hold that back.  You can’t hide that some of the energy in the stadium against Germany was because of that. I never mentioned that to the players, but I know that’s part of what that story was.

‘At heart I go back to the values that my parents gave me and treating people as you would want to be treated. Just respectful, really.’ 

Southgate added that ‘there are positive things that we could help to change or influence in society’. 

‘The longer I’ve been in the role the more I’ve understood the importance for our fans of that connection with the team. They felt part of it and that inclusivity is really important to us because I think that’s what modern England is,’ he said.

‘We know it hasn’t always been the case and there’s historic reasons for that, but that level of tolerance and inclusion is what we have to be about moving forward.’

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday evening, Southgate urged fans not to boo the Italian anthem while also playing down claims abroad that ‘It’s Coming Home’ is fuelled by English arrogance.

He said: ‘It’s important that our fans always respect the opposition and we know that in actual fact when we play abroad and fans boo our anthem it probably inspires us even more. I don’t think it helps the team. We can intimidate the team with booing during the game, but it’s different with the anthem, I think we should be respectful.’

On the popular Three Lions song, first released in 1996 when the Euros were last held in Wembley, Southgate added: ‘I didn’t want to listen to it for 15 years because it was too painful for me. You have to know the English to understand our humour. Our humour is quite unique but it’s certainly not arrogant.

‘The lyrics are making fun of ourselves and the things that have gone wrong.’