When England starts their trophy defense at Euro 2025, the television audience is probably the largest for a Lionesses game since 12 million to view the World Cup final in 2023. That alone illustrates the challenge that Hannah Hampton is confronted with.
For millions of casual viewers, Chelsea's Treble – and the role of Hampton – will have passed on. Many under those millions may not have watched a competition since the penalty from Mary Earps Save Against Spain and her subsequent sport personality of the annual prize.
The control of the 24-year-old keeper who has earned this opportunity, because the No. 1 of England is different from experienced a little earlier in women's football in this country. “It is absolutely huge,” the former English international Sue Smith tells Sky Sports.
“Mary has set such a high standard and, with winning all those prizes, does everyone, goalkeeper Mary Earps in England, don't know?
Hampton had a taste of what to expect in the emphatic 7-0 win over Jamaica on Sunday. Her inability to keep the ball out of the net for a goal that was not allowed because of a player who postponed her while he was in an offside position was a talk point.
“People will literally look at everything that Hannah does, so that that level of control will be something that she has never experienced before. There is a lot of pressure on Hannah, but it seems the kind of character that can deal with it.”
Hampton has paid her contribution as EARPs representative with each of the last two major tournaments and although it was due to injury and rotation that she was initially familiar with more playing time by English coach Sarina Wiegman, she seized those opportunities.
The statistics reflect her improvement since he is pushed as a teenager for the Super League campaign of women for Birmingham City. There was progression in Aston Villa before Hampton proved its value by winning back-to-back WSL titles such as Chelsea's no. 1.
In the 2023/24 season, Hampton's goals prevented statistics from Earps' at Manchester United, and she followed a new solid show last season, while her rival did not play as much as she had wanted in Paris Saint-Germain.
But it is with the ball on her feet that Hampton has the edge. “It is clear that Mary has the experience, but the only real difference that I could see on the field was the fact that Hannah's distribution is a little better in terms of both,” says Smith.
“I think it is impressive that she can do it from both sides, so that she can play both sides. The fact that she can go short and go for a long time, she is just very comfortable with the ball on her feet and I think that is the most important difference in terms of how Sarina wants to play.
“She wants the goalkeeper to do both. She wants to build from behind, go through the defense and go to midfield, but also go immediately when the chance of a quick transition is, so I think that's a bonus and the main reason why Hannah has the shirt.”
Again, the statistics reflect this and emphasize the evolution of Hampton. In her last season in Birmingham before he joins Carla Ward in Villa again, her passing accuracy was less than 50 percent – largely because the style of those parties was often longer.
That started to change in 2022/23, which showed that Hampton's short passage was a force and since she moved to Chelsea, she drank. A passing accuracy in its own half of 92 percent this last season darkens everything with Earps in her WSL career.
“Chelsea is even more owned with Sonia Bompastor,” explains Smith. “With Emma Hayes it was a bit more direct. I would not say that there is a huge difference, but they want more of the ball and Hannah just fits perfectly.”
For all the drama of Earps's retirement on the eve of a tournament, it is a well -known story. Young people who use experience. A change was inevitable considering the age of eight years old. Only its timing is surprised. “I thought there would be a fight,” says Smith.
“I thought it could be a little bit of Hannah's shirt, then Mary can take over again. I am not saying that 32 is old for a keeper, but Sarina had to think about bringing someone through and Hannah excited. The rescues to Spain were brilliant.”
That Nations League game was the first big study of how Hampton would react. Her reflexes were tested early and she delivered, although her order over her box was a bit missing when Spain increased the pressure in the second half, won 2-1.
“Those were top-class reaction savings. That is something she is very good at. Speaking with coaches who have worked with her, she is a lot of someone who wants to learn and get better. She knows where her weaknesses are and where she has to improve.
“You could always see that she had potential. If you speak with goalkeeper coaches, they would tell you that she is the top class and that she just had to keep learning, getting different experiences with different managers. Remember, she is only 24.
“She came through in Birmingham and they had a hard time, but that clearly helped her to learn her trade and gain experience. She went to Villa and developed from there. When moving to Chelsea, she just seems to have gone well quickly to excellent.
“When you are going to win the Treble as part of that stingy Chelsea defense, it simply proves that you have the opportunity to play at the top. She has been to tournaments, she has gained experience as a number two and she played for Chelsea in large printing games.
“So she's used to that and Sarina is very good to let them block the noise from outside. She always talks about keeping them in their own little bubble and making sure they are focused, not reading things about what other people say.”
However, a warning. The style of Hampton, the reason for her recording, entails inherent risk. The sample of a tournament is small. Every traffic assumes great importance. And there were expired by Hampton, even when she won admirers.
OPTA assumes that Hampton made five errors that lead to shots during the 2024/25 WSL – more than any other player in the competition. There was the routine catch against Tottenham, but most of those errors were misguided.
Inevitably, perhaps, when you try to switch on the needle. Only one of them was punished – and even that was late in a 4-2 victory over Brighton. Hampton will have to hope that every error that waits for her in Switzerland will be the same for the same amount.
“Hopefully she doesn't make mistakes and it's all brilliant. But number one is another pressure and all players make mistakes at some point. How do you deal with that? How do you deal with and do you respond if that error comes a controversial tournament?”
That is the unknown and with two keepers behind her without international experience, it is now all at Hampton. “She seems that she has the mental resilience to deal with it,” says Smith. Before looking at millions we are about to find out.