When England begin their trophy defence at Euro 2025, the television audience is likely to be the biggest for a Lionesses game since 12 million switched on to watch the World Cup final in 2023. That alone illustrates the challenge facing Hannah Hampton.

For millions of casual viewers, Chelsea’s treble – and Hampton’s role in it – will have passed them by. Many among those millions might not have watched a game since Mary Earps’ penalty save against Spain and her subsequent Sports Personality of the Year award.

The scrutiny on the 24-year-old goalkeeper who has earned this opportunity as England’s No 1 will be unlike anything experienced before in women’s football in this country. “It is absolutely huge,” former England international Sue Smith tells Sky Sports.

“Mary set such a high standard and, with winning all those awards, everybody knows England goalkeeper Mary Earps, don’t they? Even just walking down the street, people say to me, ‘What has happened to Mary Earps? Why has she retired? Who has come in?'”

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 disallowed due to a player putting her off while stood in an offside position was a talking point, nevertheless.

“People will be looking at literally everything Hannah does so that level of scrutiny will be something that she has never, ever experienced before. There is a lot of pressure on Hannah but she does seem like the type of character to be able to cope with that.”

Hannah’s development has been amazing. She has got a lot of qualities and deservedly got the No 1 shirt, I think.

Hampton has paid her dues as Earps’ deputy at each of the last two major tournaments and though it was through injury and rotation that she was initially trusted with more game time by England coach Sarina Wiegman, she has seized those opportunities.

The statistics reflect her improvement since being thrust into Women’s Super League action as a teenager for Birmingham City. There was progression at Aston Villa before Hampton proved her worth by winning back-to-back WSL titles as Chelsea’s No 1.

In the 2023/24 season, Hampton’s goals prevented stats were superior to Earps’ at Manchester United, and she followed up with another solid showing this past season, while her rival did not play as much as she would have liked at Paris Saint-Germain.

But it is with the ball at her feet that Hampton has the edge. “Obviously, Mary has got the experience but the only real difference I could see on the pitch was the fact that Hannah’s distribution is that little bit better in terms of being both footed,” says Smith.

“I think it’s impressive that she can do it from both sides, so she can play out both ways. The fact that she can go short and go long, she is just very comfortable with the ball at her feet and I think that is the main difference in terms of how Sarina wants to play.

“She wants the goalkeeper to be able to do both. She wants to build from the back, go through the defence and into midfield, but also go direct if the opportunity is on for a quick transition, so I think that is a bonus and the main reason Hannah has the shirt.”

Again, the statistics reflect this, highlighting Hampton’s evolution. In her final season at Birmingham before linking up with Carla Ward again at Villa, her passing accuracy was below 50 per cent – largely because the style of those sides was often to look longer.

That began to change in 2022/23, demonstrating that Hampton’s short passing was a strength and since moving to Chelsea, she has flourished. A passing accuracy in her own half of 92 per cent this past season eclipses anything by Earps in her WSL career.

“Chelsea are even more possession-based with Sonia Bompastor,” explains Smith. “With Emma Hayes, it was a little bit more direct. I would not say there is a massive difference but they want to have more of the ball and Hannah just fits that perfectly.”

For all the drama of Earps’ retirement on the eve of a tournament, it is a familiar tale. Youth usurping experience. A change was inevitable given the eight-year age gap. Only the timing of it has surprised. “I thought there was going to be a battle,” says Smith.

“I thought it might be Hannah’s shirt for a little bit, then Mary might take over again. I am not saying 32 is old for a goalkeeper but Sarina did have to think about bringing someone through and Hannah has excelled. The saves against Spain were brilliant.”

That Nations League game was the first big examination of how Hampton would respond. Her reflexes were tested early on and she delivered, although her command of her box was a little lacking as Spain upped the pressure in the second half, going on to win 2-1.

“Those were top-class reaction saves. That is something she is very good at. Speaking to coaches who have worked with her, she is very much someone who wants to learn and wants to get better. She knows where her weaknesses are and where to improve.

“You could always see that she had potential. When you speak to goalkeeper coaches, they would tell you that she is top class and that she just needed to keep learning, keep getting different experiences with different managers. Remember, she is only 24.

“She came through at Birmingham and they were struggling but that obviously helped her learn her trade and gain experience. She went to Villa and developed from there. Upon moving to Chelsea, she just seems to have quickly gone from good to excellent.

“When you go and win the treble as part of that stingy Chelsea defence, it just proves you have the ability to play at the top end. She has been to tournaments, she has gained experience as a number two and she has played for Chelsea in big pressure games.

“So she is used to all that and Sarina is very good at getting them to block out the noise from outside. She always talks about keeping them in their own little bubble and making sure that they are focused, not reading things about what other people are saying.”

A note of caution, however. Hampton’s style, the very reason for her inclusion, comes with inherent risk. The sample size at a tournament is small. Any lapse assumes outsized importance. And there were lapses by Hampton even as she won admirers.

Opta records that Hampton made five errors leading to shots during the 2024/25 WSL season – more than any other player in the competition. There was the routine catch dropped against Tottenham but most of those mistakes were misplaced passes.

Inevitable, perhaps, when attempting to thread the needle. Only one of them was punished – and even that was late on in a 4-2 win over Brighton. Hampton will have to hope that any error that awaits her in Switzerland will be similarly inconsequential.

“Hopefully, she does not make any mistakes and it is all brilliant. But being number one is a different pressure and all players make errors at some point. How do you handle that? How do you cope and react if that mistake comes at a high-profile tournament?”

That is the unknown and with two goalkeepers behind her lacking in international experience, it is all on Hampton now. “She seems like she has got the mental toughness to handle it,” says Smith. In front of the watching millions, we are about to find out.

Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season

From next season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.

And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports.