Women’s World Cup 2023 team guides: England
England have already touched down in Australia ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, where the European Champions will be fighting for football glory on the world’s biggest stage.
The Women’s World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, is set to be the biggest and most competitive World Cup to date.
Sarina Weigman’s Lionesses harbour few fears about shape-shifting from their preferred 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formations. During the Euro quarter-final against Spain, when England looked close to defeat, Weigman switched to a 3-4-3 and was rewarded with victory.
Weigman and her team are happy to tailor the team’s style and tactics to the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses.
England are generally big on patient passing and are not afraid to go direct or counterattack at speed. Under Wiegman, the Lionesses are encouraged to focus on nuanced ball work. Wiegman is also an expert at knowing when to bring in substitutes and which ones will make the biggest impact.
But it’s not plain and simple. Unlike the EUROS, England is without key players. Beth Mead – the Golden Boot winner, Captain Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby. All three are out injured.
Record-goalscorer Ellen White and midfielder Jill Scott have both retired since EURO glory.
But it also gives an opportunity for young players to step up and have their moment to shine. England’s coach can be ruthless and, while in charge of the Netherlands, was noted for unemotionally phasing out older players.
“Sarina’s a top, top coach; one of the world’s best,” says her Chelsea counterpart, Emma Hayes. “She’s got the skills, the experience, the personality and the right staff.”
Scott agrees. “Led by Sarina we can win the World Cup,” she says. “We’ve got a few injuries and it’s a young squad but it’s still very strong. It’s a great opportunity.”
England’s coach Sarina Wiegman
Sarina Wiegman, former manager of the Netherlands, succeeded Phil Neville as England’s boss in 2021 and let the Lionesses to EUROs glory at Wembley just a year later. Under Wiegman, England also won the Women’s Finalissima 2023 and the Arnold Cup.
Wiegman, a former PE teacher from The Hague, had won the EURO 2017 when she was boss of her native Netherlands and steered the team to a World Cup final in 2019.
A former defensive midfielder, the University of North Carolina graduate was capped 104 times by her country.
She eventually went into coaching and accepted a secondment with Sparta Rotterdam men where she became the first Dutch woman to coach at a male professional club.
She has been described as a control freak by former colleagues, is unsentimental – able to phase out older players with ease, and is a firm believer that the devil is in the detail.
England’s star player Keira Walsh
Keira Walsh is key to England’s World Cup success. She is widely considered the world’s best central midfielder and helped her club side Barcelona win the Champions League.
The general rule is that if Walsh plays well, so too does England.
Nick Cushing, her former manager at Manchester City, describes the Rochdale-born 26-year-old with an unerring eye for a pass as “the most tactically intelligent player I’ve worked with”.
England’s rising star Lauren James
Lauren James, 21, is heading into the competition with much buzz around her name, following an incredible season with Chelsea.
It will be James’ first major international tournament but she has plenty of high-stakes situations with Chelsea in the Women’s Super League.
James is aggressive and opportunistic with the ball and often appears to have effortless control. When playing in the centre the danger flows in from all angles. “You can tell she can play there,” Wiegman said. “Tight on the ball, powerful, with vision, she did good things.”
James has been described as England’s rising star, a secret weapon of sorts. On top of her talent is also a woman trying to make a name for herself and away from her famous footballing relative – her brother is England and Chelsea player Reece James.
No doubt James will have the fire in her to make this tournament her own and establish her name on a global stage.
Women’s football in England
Women’s football was wildly popular in England after the first world war but in 1921 the FA banned women from playing on affiliated grounds for 50 years.
Once the ban was lifted it took time for women’s football to become mainstream. But Lionesses’ success in recent years – especially the EUROs 2022 has turned England’s Women’s players into household names.
England’s chances of winning the World Cup?
Yes. England are second-favourites to win the World Cup and although it won’t be easy, it’s a realistic expectation that the Lionesses will win.
They’ve now won a major title – the EUROs and reached the last two World Cup semi-finals.
If England qualifies from their group they will likely meet Australia or Canada in the first knockout round, with Germany and France to quite possibly follow at the quarter-final and semi-final stages.
England’s first loss under Wiegman came in a friendly against Australia. But having touched down in Australia earlier this month, the squad have had plenty of time to prepare.
We predict an England World Cup win.
