The Inevitable Clash

"It was inevitable," England forward Beth Mead sighs. "When the [Euros] draw was made, we both sat there and said 'of course that's happened!'"

She is talking about her girlfriend Vivianne Miedema, the Netherlands and Manchester City forward, and the fact the Lionesses have been drawn against the Dutch in group D at the European Championship in Switzerland.

The tournament kicks off on Wednesday and the couple are set to face each other in Zurich on 9 July, with the match shown live on the BBC. "We're both very, very competitive and professional. We're both excited for the tournament and to be able to play in it again," Arsenal forward Mead added.

A Journey of Resilience

The couple, who have been in a relationship since 2022, have each enjoyed Euros success, with Miedema winning it in 2017 and Mead five years later.

They both missed the 2023 World Cup after suffering anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries within a month of each other at the end of 2022. Both have battled back to full fitness for Euro 2025. They regularly communicate with one another but football chat is strictly limited.

"We keep in contact but when it gets closer to our games, we don't talk football whatsoever," Mead adds. "Obviously we want each other to do well but not against each other!"

Their Furry Companion

One subject they do talk a lot about is their dog Myle, whom they welcomed into their family when they were recovering from their ACL injuries.

Mead has been fortunate as Myle (pronounced My-lee) was allowed to stay with her during England's preparations at St George's Park. "She's like our little mini-mascot," Mead said of Myle, a working cocker spaniel. "The girls and staff love her. It's been great to have her here."

Myle has had no shortage of offers for cuddles and walks and became the unintended star of a recent Lionesses photoshoot, also making an appearance on a podcast.

But she will not be making her way to Euro 2025 and will instead be looked after by a dog sitter. "I'm going to miss her a lot and Viv already misses her," Mead says.

Aiming for Glory

She scored six goals for England at Euro 2022 and was named player of the tournament. Now 30, Mead believes the team are more than capable of retaining their title.

"Obviously the team's changed quite a bit," she said. "We've had retirements, we've had different players come in, young players coming to their first tournament, but I think we've got a very good blend at the moment."

"We're going there to win - that's our objective. We know we've got a target on our back but now we've got to consistently perform at our highest level which we know we've very much capable of doing."