Let it shine! England fans gathering to watch the World Cup final will enjoy 25C highs today with forecasters predicting a sunny and dry day after Storm Betty’s torrential rain

• England fans are waking up to sunshine ahead of Women’s World Cup final
• The Met Office has predicted parts of the south east could even reach 25C today 

England fans are waking up to glorious sunshine as they get ready to roar the Lionesses to victory in the Women’s World Cup final after Storm Betty battered Britain yesterday.

The Met Office has forecast a sunny start to the day, with temperatures from 18C to 21C expected across the UK when the match kicks off in Sydney, Australia, at 11am BST, while it is also set to hit 25C later on.

There is also the prospect of some scattered showers but most places are expected to dry. Any drizzle is unlikely to rain on England fans’ parade as they pack out fan zones and beer gardens to watch the country’s first World Cup final since 1966.

The positive forecast will be welcomed by families and friends planning post-match barbecues to celebrate if the Lionesses can clinch their first ever World Cup title – a year after being crowned Euro 2022 champions at Wembley Stadium. 

This afternoon’s sunshine and heat will also offer Britons some much-needed relief from the rainy weather which has battered the UK this summer.

England fans will be waking up to glorious sunshine as they get ready to roar the Lionesses to victory in the Women’s World Cup final. Pictured: Fans at Boxpark, Croydon

This afternoon’s sunshine and heat will also offer Britons some much-needed relief from the rainy weather which has battered the UK this summer. Pictured: Fans at Boxpark in Croydon

Fans are hoping the Lionesses can clinch their first World Cup. Pictured: Alessia Russo celebrates after scoring England’s third goal against Australia in the semi final

The Met Office has forecast a sunny start to the day, with temperatures from 18C to 21C expected across the UK when the match kicks off in Sydney, Australia, at 11am BST

Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: ‘It’s going to be a bright day. Sunny spells across the whole country.

‘A few showers are possible but most places will stay dry. I think there could be one or two heavy showers perhaps across Scotland and Northern Ireland, but even here lots of places will stay dry.’

Mr Dewhurst said that most places will reach between 20C to 23C but some areas in the southeast could even topple 25C. 

A a bumper crowd of more than 15 million is predicted to watch the historic final on BBC or ITV, packing out fan zones and pubs – with chain Greene King even offering a free drink for fans turning up to boozers wearing either England kit, colours or facepaint. 

Huge queues are already forming outside Wembley Boxpark fan zone ahead of kick-off, with excitement reaching fever pitch in London. 

As England fans at home prepare for a mammoth World Cup final, the Lionesses were pictured leaving their hotel Down Under ahead of kick-off.

The players were seen stepping out of the Intercontinental in Sydney in their light blue tracksuits ahead of this morning’s clash.

Supporters young and old gathered outside the hotel and cheered as their heroes boarded a maroon-coloured bus, branded with ‘The Final’ in gold lettering, to take them to Stadium Australia.

The bus was given a police escort for its journey through the city, which should take around half an hour.

Earlier in the day, Sarina Wiegman’s team were spotted out on a walkabout in the Sydney sun – a tradition many teams enjoy before a big game.

It is winter in Australia so it will be around 17C at kick-off which is 8pm local time.

Spirits are high in London as fans and families gather to watch the historic Women’s World Cup final today 

Queues were seen forming outside Boxpark Wembley this morning as fans get ready for the early morning final

England fans will be basking in the sun today with temperatures set to reach 25C in parts of the UK

Beer we go! England fans were drinking from early on Sunday as Brits pack out pubs for the final

At home, the Met Office has said it may remain ‘a little bit breezy’ in the northwest of the UK on Sunday, after Storm Betty brought strong winds and heavy rain on Friday and Saturday.

He added: ‘We could see gusts during the day, say the Western Isles, around about 35 to 40 miles an hour but in most places the winds will be lighter than this.’

The Met Office forecasts that ‘unsettled’ weather is expected to return towards the end of the week but there will be plenty of sunny spells and warm temperatures until at least Wednesday or Thursday.

Today’s weather is in stark contrast to yesterday. The Met Office said on Saturday there could be a risk of injuries and danger to life from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties (pictured here in Tramore, County Waterford, Ireland,  yesterday)

The strongest impact of Storm Betty has been in the Republic of Ireland and storm force winds caused damage to the power network on Friday, affecting just over 70,000 homes, farms and businesses.

ESB networks said 30,000 of its customers remained without electricity at 5pm on Saturday and staff were working through the night to restore power to as many as possible.

Betty is the second storm named in August, following Storm Antoni earlier this month.

This is the second time since storm naming was introduced in 2015 that two storms have been named in August, following Ellen and Francis in August 2020.

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