Lionesses, Red Roses & Team Europe: Who Deserves Sports Personality Team of the Year?
England’s Euro 2025-winning Lionesses, the trailblazing Women’s Rugby World Cup champion Red Roses, and the ice-cold European Ryder Cup team are your three contenders for the Sports Personality Team of the Year 2025. Between them, they have packed out stadiums, shattered viewing records, and rewritten the expectations of what English and European teams can achieve on the biggest stages. Now the question shifts from the pitch to the public: which side defined 2025?
Voting is now open for the Team of the Year award to be presented at Sports Personality of the Year 2025, giving fans a direct say in which of these champion teams turns silverware into history.
Why This Team of the Year Shortlist Matters
This shortlist is more than a roll call of champions; it is a snapshot of where modern sport is heading. Women’s football and women’s rugby are no longer niche or emerging products—they are global events driving television numbers, ticket sales and cultural impact. Meanwhile, the Ryder Cup continues to be one of the purest team expressions in a largely individual sport, and Team Europe’s latest performance only strengthened that reputation.
The Lionesses, Red Roses and Team Europe each:
- Delivered marquee victories on the biggest international stages
- Blended star power with tactical clarity and depth across the squad
- Shifted narratives about their sport and their nations’ identities
- Created moments that resonated beyond hardcore fans and into mainstream culture
Choosing a winner means weighing dominance, difficulty of competition, cultural impact, and the pure drama of how each title was won.
Lionesses: England’s Euro 2025 Champions Set a New Standard
England’s women’s football team arrived at Euro 2025 with expectation, scrutiny and a target on their backs—and left as dominant, deserved champions. Building on the foundations of previous tournaments, the Lionesses combined a deep, flexible squad with a clear identity: front-foot pressing, intelligent rotations in midfield, and clinical finishing in the final third.
Key Euro 2025 Metrics: Lionesses’ Tournament at a Glance
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Matches Played | 6 |
| Record (W-D-L) | 5–1–0 |
| Goals Scored | 15 |
| Goals Conceded | 3 |
| Clean Sheets | 3 |
| Average Possession | 58% |
What separated this England side was their ability to win in multiple ways. They blew teams away in the group stage, managed tight knockout ties with composure, and found decisive goals under acute pressure.
“We talked about legacy, but this group turned words into reality. They’ve shown that England can dominate tournaments, not just compete in them.” — National team analyst on the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 run
Lionesses’ Case for Team of the Year
- Won a major continental tournament in style, with a strong goal difference
- Maintained consistency despite injuries and squad rotation
- Generated huge TV audiences and record matchday attendances for women’s football
- Inspired a new wave of youth participation across grassroots girls’ football
Red Roses: World Rugby’s Relentless Standard-Setters
England’s Red Roses came into the Women’s Rugby World Cup with the weight of expectation that only a long unbeaten run can bring. They answered every question. Their blend of dominant set-piece, ferocious defence and increasingly inventive attacking patterns overwhelmed opponents from pool play to the final.
Red Roses’ World Cup Performance Snapshot
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Matches Played | 7 |
| Record (W-D-L) | 7–0–0 |
| Points Scored | 260+ |
| Tries Scored | 40+ |
| Average Winning Margin | 20+ points |
| Lineout Success Rate | 90%+ |
Their dominance was not just numerical; it was visual. Mauls rumbling 20 metres, fly-halves pulling the strings with cross-kicks and wrap-around plays, and a defence that rarely cracked in multi-phase pressure.
“We’re proud of the trophy, but prouder that young girls see rugby as their game now. That’s the real win.” — Senior Red Roses leader after lifting the World Cup
Red Roses’ Case for Team of the Year
- Unbeaten World Cup campaign with commanding margins in knockout rounds
- Showed tactical versatility: tight when conditions demanded, expansive when space appeared
- Helped drive record attendances and broadcast figures for women’s rugby
- Established England as the benchmark programme in the global women’s game
Team Europe: Ryder Cup Ruthlessness Under Extreme Pressure
The Ryder Cup remains golf’s most intense team cauldron, and Team Europe once again found a way to harness home (or away) advantage, chemistry and timing. In an era of stacked American line-ups, Europe’s 2025 team leaned on a blend of battle-tested veterans and fearless debutants to reclaim momentum in the rivalry.
Team Europe at the Ryder Cup: Key Numbers
| Session | Points (Europe–USA) |
|---|---|
| Day 1 Foursomes | 3–1 |
| Day 1 Fourballs | 2.5–1.5 |
| Day 2 Foursomes | 2.5–1.5 |
| Day 2 Fourballs | 2–2 |
| Singles Sunday | 6.5–5.5 |
From precision irons under swirling winds to nerveless six-footers on 18, Europe repeatedly delivered when red American momentum threatened to surge across the scoreboard.
“You can’t script this kind of pressure. These players didn’t just embrace it—they fed off it.” — European Ryder Cup captain on his team’s 2025 performance
Team Europe’s Case for Team of the Year
- Beat a star-studded USA team in one of the most pressurised environments in sport
- Showed depth across the roster, with rookies and veterans contributing key points
- Delivered a compelling narrative of momentum swings and clutch comebacks
- Reinforced Europe’s dominance in a biennial event that captures global attention
Head-to-Head: Comparing the Three Nominees
All three shortlisted teams are champions. To differentiate them, you have to weigh competitive difficulty, dominance within the competition, and cultural impact beyond the trophy lift.
| Team | Major Title | Record | Dominance | Cultural Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lionesses (Football) | Euro 2025 Champions | 5–1–0 | High — strong goal difference, few scares | Massive — mainstream reach, youth impact |
| Red Roses (Rugby) | World Cup Champions | 7–0–0 | Very High — unbeaten, big winning margins | Growing — surging interest in women’s rugby |
| Team Europe (Golf) | Ryder Cup Winners | 16.5–11.5 (points) | Medium–High — tight sessions, big moments | Global — huge TV audiences, transatlantic rivalry |
From a statistical standpoint, the Red Roses might have the most dominant numbers. From a cultural and visibility perspective, the Lionesses arguably take the edge. Team Europe, meanwhile, sit at the intersection of drama and difficulty, thriving in a format where no lead is ever completely safe.
Reasonable fans can argue any of the three as the rightful winner—and that is exactly what makes this year’s vote compelling.
Beyond the Scoreboard: Human Stories Behind the Teams
Awards celebrate silverware, but fans often connect most strongly with the human details behind the success: comebacks from injury, late-career resurgences, and young players seizing their first major stage.
- Lionesses: Several players carried the scars of previous near-misses at major tournaments, turning personal disappointment into leadership and resilience for a younger core.
- Red Roses: Veterans who had experienced the amateur or semi-professional era of women’s rugby found themselves centre stage in sold-out World Cup fixtures, symbolising how far the sport has travelled.
- Team Europe: Rookie golfers seized momentum alongside legends who had shaped multiple Ryder Cups, embodying the passing of the torch across generations.
“People see the trophies; they don’t always see the 6 a.m. gym sessions, the rehab setbacks, the nights when you question if it’s worth it. Standing with this group, I can say it absolutely was.” — Player from one of the nominated teams
These stories add emotional weight to the vote. You are not just choosing a formation or a scoreboard line—you are choosing a journey.
Who Should Win? Balancing Objectivity and Emotion
On pure dominance and unbeaten excellence, the Red Roses have a compelling argument. Their World Cup campaign ticked almost every box: consistency, style, and the ability to peak in the knockout rounds.
Yet if you factor in visibility, participation boosts and cultural resonance, the Lionesses are hard to overlook. Euro 2025 drew vast neutral audiences, ignited debate about investment in women’s football, and produced instantly iconic moments.
Team Europe’s candidacy leans on the unique intensity of the Ryder Cup. Beating the United States in a made-for-television pressure cooker, with every shot televised and every putt dissected, is a different type of test.
A balanced, numbers-plus-impact view might place the teams in this rough order:
- Lionesses — for combining major-tournament success with vast cultural reach
- Red Roses — for sheer dominance and setting the global standard in their sport
- Team Europe — for thriving in a uniquely pressurised and globally watched team event
But this is a fan vote, and emotion matters. Your own ranking may depend on which sport you live and breathe.
How to Vote and Where to Follow the Awards
Voting for the Sports Personality Team of the Year 2025 is open now through the official event channels. Check the latest details, closing times and voting mechanics on:
- The official Sports Personality of the Year page on the BBC Sport website
- Team and tournament hubs such as UEFA Women’s EURO, World Rugby, and Ryder Cup for deeper stats and context
Before you vote, consider:
- Which team faced the toughest route to the title?
- Which side most consistently delivered under pressure?
- Whose success will still be talked about in a decade’s time?
Looking Ahead: Legacy Beyond 2025
Whether the Lionesses, the Red Roses or Team Europe lift the Sports Personality Team of the Year trophy, 2025 already stands as a landmark season for team sport. The lasting question is how these successes will ripple outward.
- Will Euro 2025 spark sustained investment and infrastructure for girls’ and women’s football across Europe?
- Can the Red Roses’ World Cup run accelerate professional pathways and global competition in women’s rugby?
- Will Team Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph inspire more young players to view golf as a vibrant, emotional team experience—not just a quiet individual pursuit?
As you cast your vote, you are not just rewarding what has happened; you are helping shape which stories will be told to the next generation of fans and athletes. That, ultimately, is the real power of a Team of the Year award.
So, who gets your vote: the Lionesses, the Red Roses, or Team Europe?
