The Lionesses inspired millions last year when Sarina Wiegman led her side to European Championship glory on home soil, beating Germany 2-1 after extra time in front of a sold-out Wembley.
It was the first time the England women’s national football team had won a major trophy in their 50-year history, but they are in with a very good chance of following up with a victory in the World Cup just 12 months on.
The ninth renewal of the tournament is due to get underway in Australia and New Zealand later this month and England are the second favourites at 7/2 in the Women’s World Cup odds behind serial winners the United States (USWNT).
If England are to win their first World Cup, they are going to have to overcome some hammer blows as Weigman has lost several key players due to injury. Experienced Chelsea attacker Fran Kirby and the Lionesses’ captain Leah Williamson, who picked up a devastating ACL injury when playing for Arsenal in April, are going to be huge losses.
However, the most notable absentee is arguably Beth Mead. The Gunners striker also picked up an ACL injury while playing against Manchester United for the north London side last November and hasn’t recovered in time for the World Cup. The 28-year-old was integral to England in the Euros, scoring six goals and providing four assists throughout the tournament.
That doesn’t mean Weigman’s side is running thin on class or quality though. 16 players who helped England win the Euros last year have been named in the 23-women squad, which could prove crucial as they set their sights on a World Cup triumph, while the likes of Lucy Bronze — who is playing her sixth international tournament and is the only player in the fold with over 100 caps — can be relied upon to help those around both on and off the field.
Ella Toone is likely going to be England’s main source of goals in Australia and New Zealand, as the Man United midfielder has found the back of the net an impressive 16 times in 31 appearances — including in last year’s European Championships final — which makes her the leading goalscorer in this squad, while Bayern Munich midfielder Georgia Stanway could also be influential after playing a big role at the Euros.
Those two aforementioned players are just 23 and 24 respectively, but England have already proven that their young squad is more than capable of delivering on big occasions. The average age of the squad that won the Euros was just 26.4 and rather than that increasing 12 months on, it has actually dropped to 25.7 for the World Cup — making this England’s youngest squad for a major tournament since the 2000s.
As well as a younger squad overall, this Lionesses outfit is also much less experienced than it was 12 months ago — with the average caps per player down substantially to 31.9 from 40.1. But there is still a good mix of youth and seasoned professionals, with five players over the age of 30, eight 23 or under and 10 in between (24-29). It’s worth noting too that five of the eight under-23s were in the Euros squad.
Then there is the relentless nature in which England play under their Dutch coach. The Lionesses have been constantly praised for their no-holds-barred approach since Weigman replaced Phil Neville and they have consistently wiped teams aside with ease, including in qualifying for this tournament — winning all 10 of their games while scoring 80 goals and conceding none.
Will England win the World Cup? The bookmakers making them second favourites in the football betting is justifiable on current form, but there’s perhaps too much to consider. The standard of opposition is going to be tough and the weight of expectation on the shoulders of the Lionesses is going to be substantial after their recent success. It’s also hard to tell at this stage just how big of a miss the likes of Mead and Williamson are going to be.
