Best football moments of 2025

Every year’s end brings with it an opportunity to reminisce and reflect. While some choose to learn from the mistakes made, others look back with fondness and admiration at the moments that brought joy and excitement.

Football is the most followed sport on the planet. With global superstars being adored by millions, and the top competitions across Europe getting ever more popular among fanatics of the game, there has been a lot of buzz, especially with the next edition of the FIFA World Cup just around the corner.

2025 has given us thrilling, joyous, and unforgettable moments that will stay with the fans forever. Here, we present in no particular order our pick of the eight best footballing moments from this year. 

PSG become champions of Europe at last 

Paris Saint-Germain finally won the UEFA Champions League title after years of coming close. Their domestic domination had never been in doubt, but the Big Ears evaded them for long.

The arrival of Luis Enrique as their head coach truly transformed the Parisians’ fortunes. Enrique eliminated the star player culture from the dressing room, encouraging his team to perform as a collective.

PSG were easily the most successful team this year, winning an incredible six trophies, a haul that comprises the Ligue 1, UEFA Champions League, Coupe de France, Trophée du Champions, FIFA Intercontinental Cup, and UEFA Super Cup titles.

PSG’s route to the Champions League final was marked by a lot of struggles, as they performed poorly in the league phase and had to go through the play-offs to reach the last 16. However, they peaked at the right moment and ended up defeating English heavyweights Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal on their way to the final.

In the final, PSG were up against a dangerous Inter Milan side, who had also reached the final two years before, but the Ligue 1 giants annihilated them in a completely one-sided affair. They also won while playing some of the most attractive football seen in recent years, ensuring 2025 will go down in the football history books as their year.

The Magpies end a 70-year trophy drought 

Newcastle United fans erupted in jubilation as they saw their team end the long wait for silverware in the League Cup final, where the Magpies defeated Liverpool 2–1 to end their seven-decade wait for a trophy.

For a one-town club with a huge fan base, Newcastle’s lack of success has been due to several reasons, though financial restraints and a consequent inferior squad have been the primary reasons for average league positions and underwhelming returns in recent years.

Even since the Saudi Arabia-led takeover in 2021, Newcastle have been seeing better days. Recent league positions have been healthier, with Champions League football being played regularly at St James’ Park. Newcastle’s run to the Carabao Cup final saw them defeat Wimbledon, Chelsea, Brentford, and Arsenal along the way. Liverpool were favourites going into the final, but they were thoroughly outplayed by Newcastle on the night at Wembley. 

The Eagles fly high with their first-ever trophy 

Crystal Palace created another beautiful underdog story by winning the FA Cup this year. This was the club’s first major cup title, which they clinched by punching massively above their weight against top English sides. 

The recent Palace resurgence can be attributed to shrewd scouting and investment in quality players to go with a superb managerial appointment. Oliver Glasner arrived at Selhurst Park early last year as a replacement for Roy Hodgson. Since then, he has transformed Palace into a dangerous outfit. The Eagles are no longer easy to score against. They are also very quick on turnovers and dangerous on transitions. 

Last season, Glasner led Palace to a 12th-place finish in the Premier League with their highest-ever points tally, but the highlight of their season was undoubtedly the 1–0 win over Man City in the FA Cup final.

For a club that had mostly won Football League titles before, the FA Cup made for a significant addition to their trophy cabinet, and a moment worth savouring for their fan base. It was also an inspirational moment for all the other relatively smaller clubs, a reminder that they too can beat the odds with shrewd operation.

Arne “slots” in at Liverpool with a league title in debut season

After Liverpool announced that Dutch coach Arne Slot would take over from the legendary Jürgen Klopp, there was a feeling of uncertainty in and around Anfield. Liverpool are one of the biggest sides in world football, and Slot had some really big shoes to fill. Klopp had returned the Reds to the top of European football, helping them win the Premier League and Champions League titles, among other major trophies.

Slot didn’t chop and change the squad right away, and when Liverpool couldn’t secure a much-desired defensive midfielder in the summer, he found a solution from the existing crop of players. With their front line performing superbly and the defence being solid, Liverpool outperformed the likes of Man City and Arsenal to secure the Premier League title — their 20th league title — with four games to go.

Slot also helped Liverpool reach the League Cup final in his first season, though there they finished runners-up to the aforementioned Newcastle United.

Though the 2025/26 season hasn’t been going as expected for Liverpool due to several reasons, winning the Premier League in his very first season at a club as big as Liverpool has already etched Slot’s name in the annals of English football.

Chelsea become world champions 

The 2024/25 season was a transitional one for a young Chelsea side, with a new managerial appointment in former Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca. Having missed Champions League qualification in recent seasons, Chelsea’s goal for the season was to return to the premier continental tournament and to win the UEFA Conference League, for which they were the overwhelming favourites.

The Blues started the season relatively well, and towards the halfway point they were distant contenders for the league title. Leading a young, inexperienced team in multiple competitions took its toll, however, and fatigue and injuries resulted in their performances deteriorating.

Nevertheless, Chelsea ended up securing Champions League qualification with a fourth-place finish in the Premier League. They also went on to win the Conference League by defeating LaLiga outfit Real Betis 4–1 in the final, before winning the very first edition of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup later in the summer.

Facing competition from fellow European heavyweights like Real Madrid, PSG, and Bayern Munich, Chelsea weren’t the outright favourites to win the Club World Cup, yet they brushed every opponent aside in the knockouts to reach the final, with their only defeat of the tournament arriving against Brazilian heavyweights Flamengo in the group stage. In the final, they pulled off an unexpected 3–0 victory over the recently crowned UEFA Champions League winners, PSG. This was a defining moment for this Chelsea side, one that may prove to be the spark that leads to more silverware in the near future.

Small footballing nations achieve big World Cup dreams 

With the greatest footballing spectacle set to return in 2026, the final stages of the World Cup qualifiers have witnessed some astonishing results this year. Jordan, Uzbekistan, Cabo Verde, and Curaçao have made history and will be participating at the World Cup for the first time ever. These countries do not have the kind of footballing infrastructure and culture that the big European and African countries do, but they have exceeded all expectations to make their World Cup dream come true.

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest showpiece event in football, and even with the expanded 48-team format, qualifying is considered a phenomenal achievement. On top of that, Cabo Verde and Curaçao are small nations with sparse populations and much smaller leagues, and yet they have managed to qualify for the World Cup. Curaçao, in particular, is the smallest nation (population 156,115) ever to secure World Cup qualification, an incredible achievement for the island nation located in the southern Caribbean Sea.

Neymar saves the day for Santos 

Neymar Júnior has undoubtedly been one of the best players of this generation. If not for the unfortunate injuries he sustained all through his career, the veteran Brazilian would still be playing at the top level.

Upon his contract termination with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in January this year, Neymar decided to return to the club where it all began, returning to his boyhood team Santos. Here, Neymar was scouted and joined their youth ranks in 2003, staying for a decade before making the big move to Barcelona.

Neymar’s return wasn’t a pleasant one, though, as Santos struggled to compete in the Brasileirão and were dangerously dangling in the relegation zone towards the business end of the season. In the last few games, the 33-year-old saved his old team from top-flight relegation with crucial goals while battling a serious knee injury. He scored a goal against Sport Recife before scoring a hat-trick against Juventude with one game left to ensure safety for his club.

In saving Santos, the Brazilian maestro proved right the old saying, “Form is temporary, class is permanent,” marking another fairy-tale moment in the sport.

England defend their Women’s Euros crown in a chaotic finale 

The England women’s national team were the defending champions going into the 2025 Women’s Euros, and were again one of the strong contenders to lift the coveted trophy.

Their title defence started on a sour note, however, as France beat them in the opening game. But the Lionesses recovered fabulously to crush the Netherlands and Wales to qualify for the quarter-finals. They then bested Sweden and Italy to secure a final berth, where they would have to battle the most difficult opposition thus far to retain their crown.

The final was a battle of wits, focus, and resilience. Reigning world champions Spain scored first, but England restored parity. The game remained undecided at 1–1 at full-time, and what ensued later was one of the most chaotic penalty shootouts seen in recent memory, with both sets of penalty takers looking anxious. Ultimately, England managed to hold on to their nerves to win the shootout 3–1.

This was a defining moment for England, who beat elite European nations and proved that they were deserving winners yet again. Their consistency and ability to perform under immense pressure delivered yet another special moment for the football-crazy English fans.