England fans gathered in Berlin and draped flags over a bridge, ahead of tonight's Euro 2024 showdown with Spain. 

Martin and Nicola Hopkinson, from Bury, (pictured below) joined countless others outside Murphy’s Irish Pub on Friedrichstrasse in the centre of Germany's capital city on Saturday night. 

They told how they had booked tickets to the final for themselves and their sons Oliver, 16, and Sam, 15, in January.

Mr Hopkinson, 50, said he was “nearly crying” during the semi-final.

(Image: YouTube/BeanymanSports)

He said: “We had the tickets, we had the flights, we had the accommodation booked and it was like it’s not going to happen… oh it might do… it might do… it’s bloody happened, it’s happened!

“It’s a family trip, once in a lifetime.”

Mrs Hopkinson, 51, added: “You can’t even dream of this, can you? Experience of a lifetime.”

Gareth Southgate has said he hopes England’s footballers can bring “happiness to our nation” by winning their first major competition in almost 60 years.

The Three Lions manager also said a victory would bring “credibility”, as the King, the Prince of Wales and the Prime Minister threw their support behind the team ahead of the final.

England manager Gareth Southgate (left) and Harry Kane during a press conference at Olympiastadion in Berlin

The men’s side have never won a European Championship, with the World Cup win in 1966 their last and only major silverware.

Asked what it would mean to win a trophy, Southgate told England Football, the team’s official website: “We’d be bringing happiness to our nation, bringing credibility.

“I think we’ve brought credibility back to English football in terms of how we’re viewed around the world in recent years.

“To win a trophy would ultimately answer a lot of the questions that are still posed.

“For the group of players and staff, and also the players who have been with us for the past six or seven years, I’d be hugely proud of them.

“There are a lot of people who haven’t got enough credit and that would all come together in my head.”

READ MORE: Euro 2024 - Trippier's childhood pals off to Berlin in custom campervan

William, who will attend the match, said in a social media post on Saturday: “We are so proud of you all England, just one last push to finish the job!

“Go out there and show the world what you’re made of. We believe. W.”

The prince, who is president of the Football Association (FA), attended England’s quarter-final victory over Switzerland a week ago and the group stage game against Denmark, and was seen cheering in the stands.

His father, the King, also commended the team after their 2-1 semi-final win over the Netherlands on Wednesday but quipped that they should avoid more last-minute drama.

READ MORE: Euro 2024 - Seven pubs in Bury to watch England V Spain final

In a message to Southgate’s side, Charles sent the players the royal family’s “very best wishes” and “warmest congratulations”.

He added: “If I may encourage you to secure victory before the need for any last minute wonder goals or another penalties drama, I am sure the stresses on the nation’s collective heart rate and blood pressure would be greatly alleviated!

“Good luck, England.”

Sir Keir Starmer suggested there would be some form of celebration if England wins.

The Prime Minister, who is attending the match, has refused to commit to an extra bank holiday if the team secures victory, saying he did not want to “jinx anything” by pre-empting the result.

England fans have paid thousands of pounds, travelling by air, road and rail to Germany to be at the match.

Pubs and bars across England will be allowed to stay open until 1am on Monday morning.

British Beer And Pub Association chief executive Emma McClarkin said: “On what promises to be a hugely exciting day for the country we expect an incredible 10 million extra pints to be poured in our pubs this Sunday to toast England’s Euros final.

“A huge £48 million in additional trade for pubs and breweries will be generated by fans across the nation.”

Trade body UK Hospitality said England’s performance in the tournament would see the entire sector benefiting from an overall sales increase of £800 million.

Much of England will see sunny spells before and during the match, with highs of 24C in southern and central areas of the country.

Supermarket chain Lidl said it anticipates that beer sales will increase by more than 35% due to the combination of sun and football, while Tesco expects to have sold four million packs of beer and cider over three days.

Aldi anticipates selling 37 beers every second in the lead-up to kick-off, saying it expects 3 million packs of crisps to fly off its shelves and pizza sales to jump 50%.

Meanwhile, airlines British Airways and Iberia announced that they will livestream the match to passengers during flights.

It is the first time the men’s side have reached a final outside England after playing the 1966 World Cup final and 2021 Euro final at Wembley.