The Pulse

• The Guardian's Donald McRae credits Lauren James' fierce drive and ball mastery to constant park games in Mortlake with her brothers, including England men’s player Reece James. Facing stronger and faster boys forced her to develop superior technique from a young age.
• As a young girl, she dreamed she was Eden Hazard, imitating his creativity and flair—qualities she now brings to Chelsea and the Lionesses on the biggest stage.

Read the full article here.

The Euro kicks off on 2 July. To mark the occasion, The Guardian has prepared profiles of all 368 players from the 16 teams that will be competing in the Euro.

Check it out here.

• The RFEF's newly approved competition regulations—effective from July 1, 2025—do not include a VAR system for Liga F, meaning no video-assisted referee technology will be used next season.

Learn more here.

• UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 will begin with an opening ceremony held at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich before Switzerland/Norway match.
• Swiss singer Beatrice Egli and Norway’s Astrid S will lead the performances of the Swiss and Norwegian national anthems post-ceremony.

Find out more here.