Spain, England to Meet in European Championship Final in Front of Prince William, King Felipe

The match is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) in Berlin  - The AP
The match is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) in Berlin - The AP
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Spain, England to Meet in European Championship Final in Front of Prince William, King Felipe

The match is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) in Berlin  - The AP
The match is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) in Berlin - The AP

Spain and England will meet in the European Championship final on Sunday, with much of the focus on a teenage wonderkid and whether one of the world's most underachieving teams can end its decades-long wait for a title, The AP reported.

The match is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) in Berlin and is expected to be attended by Prince William, Spain's King Felipe, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Keir Starmer, Britain’s new prime minister.

Spain is bidding to win the Euros for a record fourth time, breaking a tie with Germany/West Germany, and for the first time since 2012. The team's new superstar is winger Lamine Yamal, a prodigy who turned 17 on Saturday.

England, who lays claim to be the birthplace of soccer, hasn't won a major title since the 1966 World Cup and that was on home soil. This is the team's second straight European Championship final, having lost in a penalty shootout in the final to Italy three years ago.

The teams have taken different paths to the final, which will take place at Berlin's Olympiastadion — the 71,000-seat venue built for the 1936 Olympic Games and which hosted the 2006 World Cup final that featured Zinedine Zidane's infamous headbutt.

Spain has won all six of its matches and is widely regarded as the best team at Euro 2024, having seen off Germany and France in the knockout stage. England was unimpressive in the group stage and has shown resilience in coming from behind in all three of its knockout-stage games.



Barcelona Extends Contract of Uruguay Central Defender Ronald Araújo to 2031

Barcelona's Ronald Araujo, left, duels for the ball with Betis' Juanmi during a Spanish Copa del Rey round of 16 soccer match between Barcelona and Real Betis at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's Ronald Araujo, left, duels for the ball with Betis' Juanmi during a Spanish Copa del Rey round of 16 soccer match between Barcelona and Real Betis at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
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Barcelona Extends Contract of Uruguay Central Defender Ronald Araújo to 2031

Barcelona's Ronald Araujo, left, duels for the ball with Betis' Juanmi during a Spanish Copa del Rey round of 16 soccer match between Barcelona and Real Betis at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's Ronald Araujo, left, duels for the ball with Betis' Juanmi during a Spanish Copa del Rey round of 16 soccer match between Barcelona and Real Betis at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona has extended the contract of Uruguay central defender Ronald Araújo for six more seasons, ending speculation about a possible move to Juventus.
The club said Thursday it reached an agreement with the player to keep him until June 2031.
The 25-year-old defender has been with Barcelona since 2018, first with the club's “B” squad and then full-time with the main squad beginning in the 2020-21 season.
Araújo has 154 appearances with Barcelona's first team, with eight goals and six assists. He helped the club win a Spanish league and a Copa del Rey.
This season he has been promoted to second captain.