England forward Beth Mead and her girlfriend Vivianne Miedema, the Netherlands and Manchester City forward, are set to face each other in the European Championship in Switzerland.
The Lionesses have been drawn against the Dutch in group D, and the couple will go head-to-head in Zurich on July 9. Mead described the draw as “inevitable,” saying, “When the draw was made, we both sat there and said ‘of course that’s happened!'”
Despite the competitive nature of their upcoming match, Mead and Miedema are both excited for the tournament and to be able to play in it again. “We’re both very, very competitive and professional. We’re both excited for the tournament and to be able to play in it again,” Mead added. The couple has enjoyed Euros success in the past, with Miedema winning the tournament in 2017 and Mead five years later.
Mead and Miedema have been in a relationship since 2022 and have both overcome significant challenges to reach the Euros. They both suffered anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries within a month of each other at the end of 2022, which ruled them out of the 2023 World Cup. However, they have both battled back to full fitness for Euro 2025. Despite their competitive match upcoming, they regularly communicate with each other, 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 said. “Obviously we want each other to do well but not against each other!” 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 described Myle as “our little mini-mascot” and said she has been a great companion during England’s preparations at St George’s Park.
Myle has been a beloved member of the team, with the girls and staff loving her and enjoying cuddles and walks. She even became the unintended star of a recent Lionesses photoshoot and made an appearance on a podcast. However, Myle 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 said.
As the tournament approaches, Mead is confident that England can retain 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.” Mead’s experience and expertise will be invaluable to the team as they look to bring home the trophy.