The England women’s national team are among the favourites the lift the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup which begins on July 20 in Auckland, New Zealand.
The Lionesses head to the tournament on the back of winning the 2022 European Women’s Championship (Euro 2022), their first-ever international title and second in the country’s history after the men’s team lifted the FIFA World Cup in 1966. The England ladies also won the Women’s Finalissima in April, by seeing off South American champions Brazil at Wembley.
All of this is thanks to the revolution by former Netherlands manager Sarina Wegman who has been in charge of the team since 2021.
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Pure magic from the @Lionesses defender four years ago today! ????#FIFAWWC
— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) June 22, 2023
One player who has stood out for England is full-back Lucy Bronze. The Berwick-upon-Tweed native’s career began at Sunderland where she spent three years before moving to Everton. It was however at Liverpool that Bronze’s career came to prominence, helping the Reds to back-to-back Women’s Super League titles in 2013 and 2014. She then moved to Manchester City in 2014 and took things up a notch winning a domestic treble in 2016 before moving to French giants Lyon Feminin where she won nine titles between 2017 and 2020 including three UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies.
Bronze returned back to City in 2020 winning three titles before moving to Barcelona Femeni last year where she already has her third Champions League title, making her the first English female player to win the Women’s Champions League with two different clubs.
For England, Bronze is the most experienced player in the team with 105 caps. Her level of success at club level also makes her the most iconic and biggest name in the country. She has also scored 12 goals for the country which is a testament to her offensive abilities and not forgetting her defensive abilities. At 31 years of age and 12 years with the national team, Bronze is simply a class apart.
England have been paired in Group D in the Women’s World Cup along with Denmark, China and debutants Haiti, and will be expected to easily go through to the knockout phase.
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— Lionesses (@Lionesses) June 20, 2023
The Lionesses are playing at the World Cup for the fifth time and made it to the knockout phase in their previous outings, their best result being third place at the 2015 edition in Canada followed by fourth place in the 2019 edition in France.
Winning the title itself is what remains elusive, something that has never been done before. With their Euro 2022 success and Bronze’s leadership and qualities, England will be more than determined to bring the World Cup trophy home from down under.
