Players from all over the globe are making the trip to New Zealand and Australia, meaning the World Cup is finally upon us. Following on from their success at the European Championships, the Lionesses’ World Cup charge is in full swing as they look to challenge the dominance of the USWNT.
Looking Ahead at the Lionesses’ World Cup Chances
The Lionesses’ World Cup Squad
Kicking things off in between the sticks and Mary Earps’ rise to prominence has been quite something. It wasn’t that long ago that she was just about making it into the squad whilst Ellie Roebuck was the regular starter and now the roles are reversed.
In front of Earps there may be a new look backline as well given that Arsenal‘s Leah Williamson is out injured and Steph Houghton is no longer a mainstay in the squad. This doesn’t mean there is a lack of experience by any means though given the presence of Millie Bright and Alex Greenwood, both of whom are very likely to start every game.
Our @Lionesses' squad numbers for the @FIFAWWC have been confirmed! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/vHMMwYe9lf
— England (@England) July 3, 2023
On the topic of Williamson, she won’t be the only high-profile absentee from this Lionesses’ World Cup squad due to injury. Her Arsenal teammate Beth Mead will be missing which can allow Manchester City’s young duo Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly to come to the fore even more in an England shirt. When you add those two into the mix alongside the likes of Ella Toone and Lauren James, Sarina Wiegman has a number of dangerous attacking weapons in her arsenal.
A couple of names whose inclusion may have raised a few eyebrows are Katie Robinson and Laura Coombs. They lack any huge experience when it comes to the international level but they can make a difference from the bench, particularly when paired with veterans Jordan Nobbs and Lucy Bronze to name just two.
Read More: LWOS’ Players to Watch at the 2023 Women’s World Cup
Group Stage Games
The tournament will begin for England with a clash against Haiti, on July 22nd. The CONCACAF nation are being touted as an underdog- they defied expectations getting to this stage alone and so the sky is the limit. Sadly, they are one of several teams who have had off-the-field issues to deal with entering this tournament. The same goes for the Lionesses’ World Cup to some extent, pay disputes being far too prevalent in the sport at the moment.
Next up is, what should be, on paper, the Lionesses’ toughest fixture. Denmark may not have any trophies to their name but the squad boasts a number of star names. At the heart of this is of course their captain, 30-year-old Pernille Harder. She was excellent in both a Wolfsburg and a Chelsea shirt and is now returning to Germany to play for Bayern Munich. Harder’s brilliance will need to shine through if her country are to threaten the Lionesses’ expected dominance of group D.
China are the third and final opponents of the group stages for Wiegman’s Lionesses. The former World Cup and Olympic Games runners-up have more recently enjoyed success at the Asian Cup. Experts spoke of a varying style of play in their run to Asian Cup glory last year and so it will be fascinating to see how that plays out down under.
Read More: Women’s World Cup Betting Odds: Can the USWNT Win Once Again?
Can They Go All the Way?
Meaning no disrespect to the opponents, but England should be able to ease through their group. The difficulties will truly appear in the knockout stages and this will begin with the runner-up of Group B. Australia and Canada are the two big hitters there and we predict that the latter will come second, and therefore face England.
Canada won gold in Tokyo and the vast majority of that squad has remained together heading into the World Cup. They have difference makers like Jessie Fleming and Jordyn Huitema who will be here for many years to come and then at the other end of the spectrum, 40-year-old record goal scorer Christine Sinclair who continues to dominate in the women’s game.
Canada are another nation embroiled in disputes with their federation, something which hopefully won’t affect their on-the-field abilities. A win over the Canadians would see the Lionesses face one of France, Germany or Brazil most likely, our predictions leaning towards the Germans. They have a similar group to Canada in that Alex Popp is a long-standing icon whereas someone like Lena Oberdorf is already excelling at just 21-year-of-age.
In the first of our special #FIFAWWC series, we hear from @JordanNobbs8 on her knowledge, experience and thoughts on the two host nations…
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 11, 2023
Beating Germany just like the Three Lions did at Euro 2020 would mean a semi-final matchup with, potentially, hosts Australia, or the winner of Group F. It is surely between Brazil or France to come out on top in said group and so a clash with the French is how we see it going. They are another nation who have hierarchical issues overshadowing the players, plus star-forward Delphine Cascarino is another huge name set to miss this tournament thanks to an injury.
Spain and the USWNT are the fancied favourites on the other side of the draw and so if the Lionesses’ World Cup story was to progress all the way to the final two, then either of them would stand between England and just a second-ever major trophy, after last summer’s success.
Sarina Wiegman is perceived by many to be one of, if not the best coach heading into this tournament which can only work in England’s favour. She took the Netherlands to the final four years ago, can she go one step better this time around at the helm of the Lionesses?
Featured image credit: Liondartois, 23 June, 2019.
