The England Women's senior squad – better known as the Lionesses – are back in action as they take on their biggest challenge yet: winning the FIFA Women's World Cup. And so far? They're making light work of it.
After easing through the group stages, England held their nerve to beat Nigeria on penalties in the Round of 16, showed their class to advance past Columbia in the quarter-finals, and broke Australian hearts as they advanced through the semi-finals to secure their place in the FIFA WWC final – England's first since 1966.
Expectations are high as the squad, coached by Dutch football manager Sarina Weigman, reached dizzying heights last summer, beating Germany 2-1 to claim their first UEFA European Championship title.
The FIFA Women's World Cup Final takes place at 11:00 GMT on Sunday, 20 August. Have you booked your bottomless brunch yet?
In the meantime, we've compiled a comprehensive guide to the Lionesses, including their history, the squad, and some iconic quotes from the team…
Who are the Lionesses?
The Lionesses is the nickname for the England women's national football team, officially formed in 1972. We say “officially” because women's football was, of course, banned in England between 1921 and 1970 – we can thank the Football Association (FA) for that.
While the ban didn't stop women from playing football, it drastically delayed the formation and funding of women's national sides. Case in point: the first Women's World Cup was in 1991 (61 years after the men's). And even now, teams (including the Lionesses) are fighting to get the respect and remuneration they deserve.
The Lionesses moniker was first used in June 2012 to help differentiate between the men's side, known as the #ThreeLions, who were playing the UEFA Euros in 2012, and the women's squad, who were competing in the UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifiers at the same time.
The England senior squad may have embraced the Lionesses label, but it's often been accused of patronising women players. For example, after the squad finished third at the FIFA World Cup in Canada in 2015, the official England Twitter account welcomed them home with the following message: “Our #Lionesses go back to being mothers, partners, and daughters today, but they have taken on another title – heroes.” Excuse us while we hurl.
Despite dealing with sexism from the offset, the Lionesses have been pushing the women's game to new heights with every major tournament. And we can't talk about the likes of Leah Williamson, Chloe Kelly, and Lauren James without paying homage to Alex Scott, Fara Williams, Kelly Smith, Karen Carney, Eniola Aluko, and Jill Scott (we could go on…), who, despite competing for England with significantly less fanfare and media attention than their successors, set the highest standards for English football.
In the last ten years, the popularity of women's football has rocketed. In 2019, the squad – led by Phil Neville – won the SheBelieves Cup and reached the semi-finals at the FIFA Women's World Cup. Since Sarina Weigman took charge, the Lionesses have won the European Championships in 2022 and the Women's Finalissma in 2023. The only way is up.
Are you ready to meet all the Lionesses? Here's a complete list of the 2023 World Cup England squad:
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