World Cup: England Lionesses eye glory - but 'no plans' for bank holiday

England women's football team are 90 minutes away from immortality - but the government has all but ruled out an extra bank holiday if they win.

Fans are eagerly awaiting the final on Sunday after the Lionesses beat Australia 3-1 to secure their place.

If they beat Spain in Sydney on Sunday, they will become the first England team to win a World Cup since 1966.

But there are "no plans" for an extra day off if the Lionesses secure a famous victory, the government says.

Supporters across the country are already making plans for the final, which kicks off at 11:00 BST and will be shown live on the BBC.

Tickets for three London fan zones sold out in just eight minutes when they went on sale shortly after England's semi-final win against co-hosts Australia - nicknamed the Matildas - in Sydney.

Whether or not they win on Sunday, Sarina Wiegman's trailblazing Lionesses have already made history by becoming the first English women's football side to reach a World Cup final.

The King led tributes to the team on Wednesday, who are on the cusp of winning their second major trophy in just over a year after Euro 2022.

"While your victory may have cost the magnificent Matildas their chance for the greatest prize in the game, both teams have been an inspiration on and off the pitch - and for that, both nations are united in pride, admiration and respect," said the King, who is the head of state of both the UK and Australia.

The Welsh Guards Band could be heard playing Sweet Caroline - one of England's unofficial footballing anthem - during Wednesday's Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace after the match.

Despite popular support for an extra bank holiday whenever an England side looks to be on the brink of a major tournament win, there has never been one held to mark a sporting occasion.

The government resisted appeals for an extra day off in the run-up to the Lionesses' Euros win in 2022, and a petition calling for a bank holiday in the event the men's team won Euro 2020 also failed to get support.

Asked if there could be a change of heart this time around, a government spokesperson said: "We congratulate the Lionesses on their fantastic achievement in getting to the Women's World Cup final.

"The current pattern of public and bank holidays is well established and there are no plans to change this."

In a later statement issued after this story was published, a government spokesperson added: "Winning the World Cup would be a massive moment for the country and make no mistake we'll find the right way to celebrate.

"As Sarina Wiegman herself has said, the first thing to do is focus on the final and the whole country will be rooting for the Lionesses this weekend".

But the government is understood not to be considering a bank holiday as part of any post-tournament celebrations.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called the semi-final victory "phenomenal" and backed calls for an extra bank holiday.

Writing writing on social media, he said: "It's almost 60 years since England won the World Cup.

"I'm never complacent about anything… but there should be a celebratory bank holiday if the Lionesses bring it home."

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey also backed the call, describing the England team an "inspiration" and saying a final win would "absolutely" deserve to be marked with a bank holiday.

Gurinder Chadha - who directed women's football classic Bend It Like Beckham - echoed calls for a bank holiday, telling Channel 4 News "it deserves some kind of marking, it deserves some kind of national holiday".

The match looks set to be played without the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak or the Prince of Wales - who is chair of the Football Association - in the stadium, with neither expected to make the journey to Australia.

After Wednesday's match, Mr Sunak congratulated the team, tweeting: "What a performance Lionesses. Just one more game to go... Bring on Sunday."

William tweeted: "What a phenomenal performance from the Lionesses - on to the final!".

The Right Reverend Libby Lane, Bishop of Derby and the Church of England's lead bishop for sport, told BBC Newscast that she would understand if people wanted to change their Sunday church plans to watch the final.

She said: "We know that lots of people will want to watch it live or to go to church and then catch up later on - and so to avoid the score while they're at worship. Either way, I'm sure it's going to be a wonderful occasion."

While there would likely be support from the public for an extra bank holiday, the government is wary of the costs associated with them.

Estimates of the impact on the economy vary widely, but in 2010 a House of Commons library report put the bill for an extra bank holiday at £2.9bn, and both the Bank of England and Office of Budget Responsibility say it negatively impacts growth.

Extra bank holidays have been held for various royal events, while one was moved in 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

England and Wales have eight bank holidays a year, while Scotland has nine and Northern Ireland 10. There was an extra bank holiday in 2023 for the King's Coronation.

Other countries do sometimes declare bank holidays for sporting wins - with Argentina enjoying a special day off last year after winning the men's World Cup. Panama even declared a national holiday in 2017 just for qualifying for the World Cup for the first time, while Saudi Arabia held one for beating Argentina in last year's group stages.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had called for a bank holiday there if his team won the cup.