Sarina Wiegman is the most successful manager in English football history.
She has led the Lionesses to two European Championship titles -- first on home soil in 2022 and then this summer in Switzerland. Between these two triumphs, she also guided the Lionesses to the World Cup final in 2023.
The Lionesses' historic success during this period has transformed women's football in the country. Per Deloitte's Annual Review of Football Finance, all 12 Women's Super League (WSL) clubs generated over £1 million ($1.35m) in revenue in the 2023-24 season, with total revenue predicted to reach £100m in the 2025-26 campaign.
A study published by the Football Association showed that the number of women and girls playing the sport has risen by 56% since 2020.
England's recent success at Euro 2025 will only see these numbers rise. At the centre of this upsurge in popularity lies Wiegman.
During her England tenure, she has twice won the UEFA Coach of the Year Award, and was also named BBC's Coach of the Year in 2022.
Is a damehood the next honour to be bestowed upon her? ESPN tries to find out.
Who are the other coaches that have been knighted/given a damehood?
Wiegman's contemporary on the men's side until last summer, Gareth Southgate, received a knighthood earlier this year for leading England to two Euros finals. Alf Ramsey was knighted for leading England to glory at the 1966 World Cup as was Walter Winterbottom, the first coach of the men's team.
At club level, Matt Busby, Kenny Dalglish, Alex Ferguson and Bobby Robson have all been knighted.
Are foreign nationals eligible for knighthood/damehood?
If Wiegman was English, she would almost certainly have been a Dame by now. Her being Dutch complicates matters.
"Foreign citizens occasionally receive honorary knighthoods or damehoods through UK orders; they are not dubbed, and they do not use the style 'Sir' or 'Dame,'" reads the official ruling on the matter.
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"Such knighthoods are conferred by the King, on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, on those who have made an important contribution to relations between their country and Britain."
Who are some foreign nationals that have received honorary knighthoods/damehoods?
Pele, Angelina Jolie, Michael Bloomberg, Bono, Bill Gates and Ralph Lauren are some well-known celebrities who have received this honour.
What are Wiegman's thoughts on the damehood?
"I haven't thought about that," Wiegman said at the Downing Street reception after the Euro 2025 win.
"I feel so much respect from England, the Royal Family too. I think the most important thing is feeling valued. It's very special to get so much respect from England."