England vs Sweden Women's EURO preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, starting line-ups

England meet Sweden at Bramall Lane in the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 semi-finals on Tuesday 26 July.

Where to watch England vs Sweden on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Women's EURO 2022 broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

Having already attracted 157,497 fans to their four sell-out games, including the highest competition and quarter-final crowds in Women's EURO history, the benchmark for the last four is also in peril as hosts England continue to whip up excitement. There is one hurdle left ahead of a potential dream date at Wembley on Sunday, and the Lionesses have already hit 16 goals – a total topped only by the 21 managed by Germany in 2009 – while showing in their dramatic comeback against Spain that they are not just stylish frontrunners.

Sweden, however, are in the tournament groove that took them to 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup bronze and 2021 Olympic silver. They beat England for that 2019 bronze and their only loss to the Lionesses in seven competitive meetings was 1-0 in the second leg of the 1984 final in Luton, when Sweden then prevailed on penalties to clinch the inaugural European title, which they hope to emulate on Sunday in front of a somewhat larger crowd at Wembley. They also defeated England in their only previous semi-final head-to-head, in extra time back in 1987.

Starting line-ups

England: Earps; Bronze, Bright, Williamson, Daly; Stanway, Walsh; Mead, Kirby, Hemp; White

Sweden: Lindahl; Ilestedt, Sembrant, Eriksson, Glas; Angeldahl, Asllani, Björn; Rolfö, Blackstenius, Jakobsson

Reporters' views

Lynsey Hooper, England reporter

Spain were a stubborn challenge for England in the last eight, playing with urgency and finesse, pressing high. The Lionesses threw everything at them after going behind and savvy substitutes and a few tactical tweaks saw them home. The relief at the final whistle was telling. They had yet to have a character test; this was it and they just about passed. Sweden may well offer another one.

Alexandra Jonson, Sweden reporter

Despite not yet reaching their top level, Sweden have got the job done and are in the semi-finals – which in itself shows their strength. So far, Sweden have been the favourites in each of their games and have had to break down compact defences. There is big pressure on Sweden to go on and reach the showpiece, especially back home, but perhaps it's England who are the favourites now. The hosts will not be set up simply to defend, which could help the Blågult find the spaces they need and finally click. Maybe a top-quality opponent in England is exactly what Sweden require to find their highest gear.

View from the camps

Sarina Wiegman, England coach: "[Sweden are] very strong on set pieces so we will be prepared for that. They have been dangerous on counterattacks too with the direct strikers up front, so we'll be ready."

Millie Bright, England defender: "[Sweden] have got a lot of attacking presence, obviously we've analysed their team. We know a few of their players, strong in defence and they're a gritty team that never give in. I think they've shown that in their games."

Peter Gerhardsson, Sweden coach: "Now we are in a semi-final, it's going to be a different kind of game, maybe a bit more like the first one we had against the Netherlands, where we talk about more transitions. I think England have very good transitions, but we are also good at that. I think it’s going to be a more open game than our previous ones."

Kosovare Asllani, Sweden forward: "I think it's going to be an even game. We have our game plan and we are very excited for it. It's going to be an intense match between two very physical teams. We are Sweden, we love to run and that's what we will do tomorrow."

Form guide

England

Group A winners
England 1-0 Austria (Old Trafford)
England 8-0 Norway (Brighton & Hove)
Northern Ireland 0-5 England (Southampton)

Quarter-finals
England 2-1 Spain (aet, Brighton & Hove)

Story so far: A record 14 goals without reply in the group stage was quite a statement from this England side. It was not a get-over-the-line style of football we witnessed, it was dominant and full of style and vigour. Spain gave a different sort of test in the quarter-finals, but England showed grit and the level of expectation around the hosts has now gone up a notch, if that was even possible.

Women's EURO best: Runners-up (1984, 2009)

Previous Women's EURO semi-finals
08/04/1984: England 2-1 Denmark (Crewe) & 28/04/1984: Denmark 0-1 England (Hjørring, agg: W3-1)
11/06/1987: Sweden 3-2 England (aet, Moss)
11/12/1994: England 1-4 Germany (Watford) & 23/02/1995: Germany 2-1 England (Bochum, agg: L2-6)
06/09/2009: England 2-1 Netherlands (aet, Tampere)
06/08/2017: Netherlands 3-0 England (Enschede)

Sweden

Group C winners
Netherlands 1-1 Sweden (Sheffield)
Sweden 2-1 Switzerland (Sheffield)
Sweden 5-0 Portugal (Wigan & Leigh)

Quarter-finals
Sweden 1-0 Belgium (Wigan & Leigh)

Story so far: Sweden are here to win the EURO; they've made that clear from day one. While their early performances didn't quite live up to their pre-tournament talk, Peter Gerhardsson's side have grown into the tournament. Squad depth and versatility have been key so far, with players covering multiple absentees in various positions without the overall team performance unduly suffering. Sweden are through to the last four but, you feel, there is plenty of scope to raise their game further. They will need to if they are to go all the way.

Women's EURO best: Winners (1984)

Previous Women's EURO semi-finals
08/04/1984: Italy 2-3 Sweden (Rome) & 28/04/1984: Sweden 2-1 Italy (Linköping, agg: W5-3)
11/06/1987: Sweden 3-2 England (aet, Moss)
28/06/1989: Sweden 1-2 Norway (Lüdenscheid)
26/02/1995: Norway 4-3 Sweden (Kristiansand) & 04/03/1995: Sweden 4-1 Norway (Jonköping, agg: W7-5)
09/07/1997: Sweden 0-1 Germany (Karlstad)
04/07/2001: Denmark 0-1 Sweden (Ulm)
16/06/2005: Norway 3-2 Sweden (aet, Warrington)
24/07/2013: Sweden 0-1 Germany (Gothenburg)

History beckons

The winners advance to Sunday's final at Wembley Stadium, where a record UEFA Women's EURO crowd is expected. England lost their two previous finals, including in 1984 when Sweden were the victors, the Blågult's sole success in four showpieces.