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For the first time in women’s footballing history England are through to the World Cup final.

After beating co-hosts Australia 3-1 on Wednesday, they will play Spain in the final this weekend.

La Roja were the first team to secure their place in the last two – but how much of a threat are they to the Lionesses?

Here Sky News looks at everything you need to know.

Route to the final

Spain were the clear favourites to win their group – having been drawn with Costa Rica, Zambia and Japan.

They began their Group C campaign with solid 3-0 and 5-0 wins against Costa Rica and Zambia respectively.

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But their straight run of wins came crashing down in their final fixture, which they lost 4-0 to Japan.

Spain's Olga Carmona (right) during Spain's Group C match against Japan
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Spain’s Olga Carmona (right) during Spain’s Group C match against Japan

It saw them fall to second place – but still allowed them to qualify and redeem themselves in the second round. That game against Switzerland was much more promising with goals from Aitana Bonmati, Jenni Hermoso and Alba Redondo and a 5-1 victory.

Next came a 2-1 win against the Netherlands, which had to go to extra time after they equalised with just minutes to go. Spain went through when left-back Olga Carmona stepped up with a shot off the bar to regain the lead.

La Roja’s semi-final against Sweden followed a similar pattern – but left fans on the edge of their seats until the final 15 minutes when all three goals came in quick succession.

Rising star Salma Paralluelo was the first to hit the back of the net – before an equaliser from Sweden’s Blomqvist. Again Carmona saved the day to put Spain ahead 2-1, scoring from a corner.

Spain celebrate their place in the final after beating Sweden
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Spain celebrate their place in the final after beating Sweden

Pre-World Cup mutiny

Spain’s biggest weakness predates the tournament altogether – but could still help England to their first World Cup win.

In late 2022 15 Spanish players declared themselves unavailable for selection over claims coach Jorge Vilda and his backroom team had become unconcerned with their emotional and physical wellbeing.

Spain coach Jorge Vilda during their semi-final match against Sweden
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Spain coach Jorge Vilda during their semi-final match against Sweden

The Spanish federation (RFEF) decided to back Vilda, who took over in 2015 after his predecessor Ignacio Quereda failed to get Spain through the group stages of the World Cup in Canada.

Eventually three players – Aitana Bonmati, Ona Batlle and Mariona Caldentey – returned and were picked for Vilda’s World Cup squad.

But when Spain suffered their unexpected and humiliating defeat against Japan in the group stage, fans were left wondering whether the hangover from the mass walk-out was to blame.

Ones to watch

In normal circumstances, Spain’s star player Alexia Putellas would usually pose the biggest threat.

The 29-year-old Barcelona captain has won back-to-back Ballon d’Ors and no less than seven league titles, seven Copas de la Reinas, and two UEFA Champions League trophies for her club.

Alexia Putellas
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Alexia Putellas

But after she tore a ligament ahead of last year’s Euros, questions remain on how strong she’ll prove to be in the final.

She’s only been able to start two of Spain’s World Cup games so far.

Instead the team have been relying on her Barcelona teammate Bonmati – who has netted three of Spain’s 17 goals.

Nineteen-year-old Salma Paralluelo is another key player – having scored in two games this tournament.

Salma Paralluelo
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Salma Paralluelo

Vilda has only played her as a second-half substitute so far, but if Putellas isn’t feeling strong enough on the day – he might switch her to the starting line.

Spain’s goalkeeper Cata Coll is relatively inexperienced but is well supported by defenders Carmona and Battle.

Record so far

This is only the third time Spain have qualified for the World Cup.

But since they first made an appearance in 2015 they’ve made quick progress.

Most of their success has still been at the Euros, however, having reached the quarter finals last year. By contrast until this year they’d only ever won a single World Cup match.

The national team is currently ranked sixth in the world, behind rivals England in fourth.

Read more:
Everything you need to know about the World Cup
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At club level, their main domestic league – Liga F – is now fully professional and with World Cup victories last year for the under-17 and under-20 squads, investment and belief in the women’s game there is strong.

Last time they faced England – in the 2022 Euro quarter finals – they lost 2-1.

They’ve met the Lionesses 16 times since they first came face-to-face in 1993 – and have only won three games, compared to England’s seven. They’ve drawn on six occasions.

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Inside Iran’s notorious Evin Prison – as Tehran says damage shows Israel targeted civilians

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Inside Iran's notorious Evin Prison - as Tehran says damage shows Israel targeted civilians

It is one of the most notorious and secret places in Iran.

Somewhere foreign journalists are never allowed to visit or film. The prison where dissidents and critics of Iran’s government disappear – some never to be seen again.

But we went there today, invited by Iranian authorities eager to show the damage done there by Israel.

Evin Prison was hit by Israeli airstrikes the day before a ceasefire ended a 12-day war with Iran. The damage is much greater than thought at the time.

Evin Prison, Iran

We walked through what’s left of its gates, now a mass of rubble and twisted metal, among just a handful of foreign news media allowed in.

A few hundred yards in, we were shown a building Iranians say was the prison’s hospital.

Behind iron bars, every one of the building’s windows had been blown in. Medical equipment and hospital beds had been ripped apart and shredded.

What Iran says was the hospital at the Evin Prison
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Debris scattered across what Iran says was the prison hospital

It felt eerie being somewhere normally shut off to the outside world.

On the hill above us, untouched by the airstrikes, the buildings where inmates are incarcerated in reportedly horrific conditions, ominous watch towers silhouetted against the sky.

Evin felt rundown and neglected. There was something ineffably sad and oppressive about the atmosphere as we wandered through the compound.

The Iranians had their reasons to bring us here. The authorities say at least 71 people were killed in the air strikes, some of them inmates, but also visiting family members.

The visitor centre at Evin Prison after Israeli attacks
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Authorities say this building was the visitor centre


Iran says this is evidence that Israel was not just targeting military or nuclear sites but civilian locations too.

But the press visit highlighted the prison’s notoriety too.

Iran’s critics and human rights groups say Evin is synonymous with the brutal oppression of political prisoners and opponents, and its practice of hostage diplomacy too.

British dual nationals, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe were held here for years before being released in 2022 in exchange for concessions from the UK.

Read more:
Iran: Still a chance for peace talks with US
Why Netanyahu wants a 60-day ceasefire – analysis

The main complex holding prisoners sits atop a hill
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Inmates are held in building on a hill above, which has been untouched by airstrikes

Interviewed about the Israeli airstrikes at the time, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe showed only characteristic empathy with her former fellow inmates. Trapped in their cells, she said they must have been terrified.

The Israelis have not fully explained why they put Evin on their target list, but on the same day, the Israeli military said it was “attacking regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran”.

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The locus of their strikes were the prison’s two entrances. If they were trying to enable a jailbreak, they failed. No one is reported to have escaped, several inmates are thought to have died.

The breaches the Israeli missiles made in the jail’s perimeter are being closed again quickly. We filmed as a team of masons worked to shut off the outside world again, brick by brick.

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Gaza aid group reacts to claims American contractors fired at starving Palestinians

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Gaza aid group reacts to claims American contractors fired at starving Palestinians

Israeli-backed American contractors guarding aid centres in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as starving Palestinians scramble for food, an investigation has claimed.

The Associated Press has reported the accounts by two contractors from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), although the organisation has strongly denied the allegations, describing them as “categorically false”.

GHF was established in February to deliver desperately needed aid to people in the besieged enclave, but its work has been heavily criticised by international aid groups.

It has also been subject to intense scrutiny about its operations, which Sky News previously reported are associated with a significant increase in deaths.

AP’s claims, which have not been independently verified by Sky News, came from GHF contractors who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were revealing their employer’s internal operations.

Palestinians dispersing away from tear gas fired at an aid distribution site in Gaza. Pic: AP
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Palestinians are shown scrambling for aid in the footage provided to AP. Pic: AP

They said they were motivated to speak out as they were disturbed by what they considered dangerous practices by security staff who were often heavily armed.

AP reported the contractors had claimed “their colleagues regularly lobbed stun grenades and pepper spray in the direction of the Palestinians” and “bullets were fired in all directions – in the air, into the ground and at times toward the Palestinians, recalling at least one instance where he thought someone had been hit”.

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Contractor: ‘Innocent people being hurt’

“There are innocent people being hurt. Badly. Needlessly,” the contractor told AP.

Videos reportedly provided by one contractor show aid sites, located in Israeli military-controlled zones, with hundreds of Palestinians crammed between metal gates, scrambling to reach aid.

In the background, gunfire can be heard, and stun grenades are allegedly fired into crowds.

Palestinians dispersing away from tear gas fired at an aid distribution site in Gaza. Pic: AP
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Footage provided to the AP news agency allegedly shows tear gas being fired at an aid distribution site in Gaza. Pic: AP

The footage does not show who was shooting or what was being shot at, but another video shows contractors in a compound, when bursts of gunfire can be heard. One man is then heard shouting in celebration: “Whoo! Whoo!”.

“I think you hit one,” another says, followed by the comment: “Hell, yeah, boy!”

The contractor who took the video told AP that colleagues were shooting in the direction of Palestinians.

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According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry and witnesses, several hundred people have been killed and hundreds more wounded since the GHF sites started operating more than a month ago, amid claims by Palestinians of Israeli troops opening fire almost every day at crowds seeking to reach the aid.

In response, Israel’s military says it fires only warning shots and is investigating reports of civilian harm. It denies deliberately shooting at any innocent civilians and says it’s examining how to reduce “friction with the population” in the areas surrounding the distribution centres.

Gunfire can be heard as Palestinians run towards aid being distributed. Pic: AP
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Bursts of gunfire can be heard in the footage as Palestinians run towards aid being distributed. Pic: AP

GHF attacks ‘false claims’

GHF has vehemently denied the accusations, adding that it has investigated AP’s allegations.

In a statement on X, GHF wrote: “Based on time-stamped video footage and sworn witness statements, we have concluded that the claims in the AP’s story are categorically false. At no point were civilians under fire at a GHF distribution site.

“The gunfire heard in the video was confirmed to have originated from the IDF, who was outside the immediate vicinity of the GHF distribution site.

“It was not directed at individuals, and no one was shot or injured. What is most troubling is that the AP refused to share the full video with us prior to publication, despite the seriousness of the allegations.”

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Safe Reach Solutions, the logistics company subcontracted by GHF, told the AP there have been no serious injuries at any of their sites to date.

But the organisation admitted that, in isolated incidents, security professionals fired live rounds into the ground and away from civilians to get their attention.

A Safe Reach Solutions spokesperson told AP this happened at the start of their operations at “the height of desperation where crowd control measures were necessary for the safety and security of civilians”.

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Liverpool football star Diogo Jota killed in car crash

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Liverpool football star Diogo Jota killed in car crash

Liverpool star Diogo Jota has died in a car crash.

The 28-year-old Portuguese forward died in the accident in the early hours of Thursday morning near Zamora, in northwestern Spain.

His brother, Andre Silva, was also killed in the crash on the Rias Bajas Highway (A-52) near Palacios de Sanabria, heading towards Benavente.

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Jota’s former teammate: ‘This can’t be real’

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The site of the accident on the A52

Follow the latest updates following Diogo Jota’s death

Jota and Silva were driving to Santander to catch a ferry back to England ahead of the start of Liverpool’s pre-season training on Monday, CNN Portugal reports.

The news outlet reports that Jota was advised against flying back to England due to recent surgery.

Police said the accident happened at 12.30am when the Lamborghini the pair were travelling in veered off the road.

Palacios de Sanabria in the north of Spain
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Palacios de Sanabria in the north of Spain

“A vehicle left the road and everything indicates a tyre burst while overtaking,” the Guardia Civil in Zamora told Sky Sports News in a statement.

“As a result of the accident, the car caught fire and both people were killed. Pending the completion of forensic tests, one of the deceased has been identified as Diogo Jota, a Liverpool FC player, and his brother, Andre Felipe.”

A Spanish government source told the PA news agency that police were investigating the crash as “a possible speeding incident”.

The aftermath of the crash. Pic: AP
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The aftermath of the crash. Pic: AP

The aftermath of the crash. Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

Police added that no other vehicles were involved in the incident.

Pictures of the aftermath of the crash showed debris scattered along the side of the road, including what appeared to be charred parts of the vehicle.

It comes just 10 days after the player married his long-term girlfriend, Rute Cardoso.

Diogo Jota holds the Premier League trophy aloft after the club's title win in the 2024/25 season. Pic: Reuters
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Diogo Jota holds the Premier League trophy aloft after the club’s title win in the 2024/25 season. Pic: Reuters

Diogo Jota walks the pitch with his family in 2022.
Pic: PA
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Diogo Jota walks the pitch with his family in 2022.
Pic: PA

He had three children.

The footballer, who played as a striker for Liverpool, began his career in his native Portugal and played at Atletico Madrid in Spain before moving to England.

He joined the Merseyside club from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp gives instructions to substitute Diogo Jota during the UEFA Europa League quarter-final, first leg match at Anfield, Liverpool. Picture date: Thursday April 11, 2024.
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Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp with Diogo Jota. Pic: PA

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Diogo Jota (right) during a training session at the SMiSA Stadium, Paisley. Picture date: Monday October 14, 2024.
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Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Diogo Jota (right) during a training session. Pic: PA

Jota played an important role throughout his five years with the Reds, including scoring six times in Liverpool’s recent Premier League-winning season.

He scored a total of 47 times in 123 matches for the club. He also played 49 times for the Portugal national side, scoring 14 times.

Silva, 25, played for Penafiel, a Portuguese second division club.

Diogo Jota holding the trophy on the team bus during the Premier League winners parade in Liverpool.
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Diogo Jota holding the trophy on the team bus during the Premier League winners parade in Liverpool. Pic: PA

Teammates and football legends pay tribute

A statement issued by Liverpool FC said the club was “devastated” by their player’s death.

“The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre,” the club said in a statement.

“Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss.

“We will continue to provide them with our full support.”

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Sky’s Greg Milam reports from Anfield Stadium where Liverpool fans are hearing about the death of Diogo Jota.

The Portuguese football federation said it was “utterly devastated by the deaths”.

“Far beyond being an exceptional player, with nearly 50 caps for the national team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all teammates and opponents, someone with a contagious joy and a reference within his own community.

“We have lost two champions. The passing of Diogo and Andre Silva represents irreparable losses for Portuguese Football, and we will do everything to honour their legacy daily.”

The Portugal and Spain women’s teams held a minute’s silence for Jota and Silva before their match in the Women’s Euros in Switzerland on Thursday evening.

Floral tributes left at Anfield this morning. Pic: Sky
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Floral tributes left at Anfield this morning. Pic: Sky

It came after Liverpool’s manager Arne Slot said in a statement: “What can anyone say at a time like this when the shock and the pain is so incredibly raw? I wish I had the words but I know I do not.

“All I have are feelings that I know so many people will share about a person and a player we loved dearly and a family we care so much about.

“My first thoughts are not those of a football manager. They are of a father, a son, a brother and an uncle and they belong to the family of Diogo and Andre Silva who have experienced such an unimaginable loss.”

Jota’s former manager at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, offered his thoughts in a post on Instagram.

“This is a moment where I struggle! There must be a bigger purpose, but I can’t see it,” he said.

“I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother Andre. Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father.

“We will miss you so much. All my prayers, thoughts and power to Rute, the kids, the family, the friends and everyone who loved them.”

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk posted on Instagram: “What a human being, what a player, but most importantly what an unbelievable family man.

“You mean so much to all of us and you always will!”

Cristiano Ronaldo, Jota’s captain in the national team, said: “It doesn’t make sense. Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you had gotten married.

“To your family, your wife, and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world.

“I know you will always be with them. Rest in Peace, Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you.”

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Diogo Jota married his long-term girlfriend just two weeks ago

Jota’s Liverpool teammates Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai have also paid tribute.

Szoboszlai wrote: “Words cannot describe how heartbroken and devastated we are… Your smile, your love for the game will never be forgotten.

“We will miss you so much, but you will stay with us forever, on and off the pitch.”

Jota’s former teammates Trent Alexander-Arnold, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Thiago Alcantara have also shared messages on social media.

Mane posted a picture of himself and Jota with heartbreak emojis.

It came as Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish wrote on X: “You feel helpless, knowing there’s so little we can do to ease the pain for his wife of just two weeks, his three beautiful children.”

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard shared an image of Jota on Instagram and wrote: “Condolences to his family and friends during this incredibly sad time.”

Liverpool owners Billy Hogan, John Henry and Tom Werner, who are part of the Fenway Sports Group, said: “This tragic situation and the reality of it is truly shocking, devastating and has left us numb with grief.”

Football icon Lionel Messi has also paid tribute, sharing an image of Jota on Instagram with the message “QEPD” – short for the Spanish phrase ‘que en paz descanse’, which translates to “may he rest in peace'”.

European football clubs such as Barcelona and AC Milan have also shared messages, along with basketball player LeBron James and tennis icon Rafael Nadal.

Meanwhile Liverpool FC have opened a physical and digital book of condolence for supporters and members of the public to sign.

The physical book is at the club’s stadium, in the Anfield Road Stand reception area until Sunday evening.

An avid video gamer, Jota also owned an eSports team and regularly streamed on Twitch.

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