Is football more important than politics? England might take home the trophy on Sunday. It would be a huge win for a team short on silverware. It could even transform Britain.
What might change if England win on Sunday
Is football more important than politics? England might take home the trophy on Sunday. It would be a huge win for a team short on silverware. It could even transform Britain.
England has waited 58 years for a day like this. England has won Euro 2024. The players dance with joy. Gareth SouthgateAs a player he appeared 57 times for England. He became the team's manager in 2016, and guided it to the World Cup semi-finals two years later. weeps. All sins are forgiven.
This is the dream of millions of England fans. This Sunday it could become a reality. If England do take the trophy1 it will be their first piece of silverware since the 1966 World Cup.
On Sunday they face Spain, the team many believe to be the best in the tournament. Victory is far from assured. But if England do win, the tremors might be felt outside football.
Extra time. When Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, the entire country got a day off. With a football-mad prime minister, an England victory might have the same result in the UK.
Arise Sir Gareth. Manager Gareth Southgate has had a rocky tournament. If England win, however, he is tipped to be rewarded with a knighthood.2
Role model. The 22-year-old Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has been a star of the tournament. Saka's "quiet confidence", hard-work ethos3 and sense of humour might make him the positive face of Britain across the world.
Soft touch. England fans are notoriously critical of their team and its manager. A victory could lay such gripes to rest. And it might make people kinder - at least for a while.
Borrowed glow. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is not universally liked.4 But football can shift the climate. A feel good wave might extend to him and his government.5
Come and see. Football drives travel. In 2019, 1.5 million people visited Britain to watch a match. A victory for England and its Premier LeagueEngland's highest level of men's football. stars could bring even more visitors to the home of the sport.
Have a go. The taste of victory could encourage more people to give the sport a try themselves. A nation could be inspired into fitness and teamwork.6
Exit ghost. England's 1966 World Cup victory still lives in folk memory. It is the albatross around the team's neck.7 Winning the Euros would give everyone a chance to move on - and create a new mythology.
Is football more important than politics?
Yes: Politics divides a nation. Football brings it together. None of the 15 general elections since 1966 have gripped the national psyche like winning the World Cup did.
No: Football cannot guarantee equal rights, protect minorities, stop climate change or uphold the rule of law. It is a distraction from what really matters.
Or... It depends on what you see as important. Politics can shape our freedoms and future in a way sport cannot. But great sporting moments inspire powerful emotions and define our memories.
Gareth Southgate - As a player he appeared 57 times for England. He became the team's manager in 2016, and guided it to the World Cup semi-finals two years later.
Premier league - England's highest level of men's football.
What might change if England win on Sunday

Glossary
Gareth Southgate - As a player he appeared 57 times for England. He became the team's manager in 2016, and guided it to the World Cup semi-finals two years later.
Premier league - England's highest level of men's football.