England captain Millie Bright has eased concerns over her fitness going into the Women’s World Cup and says she is ahead of schedule in her recovery from a knee operation.
Chelsea centre-back Bright, who has not played since March and will skipper the Lionesses in Australia in the absence of long-term captain Leah Williamson, says she is “really confident” about being ready in time, with England’s first match of the tournament, against Haiti, taking place in Brisbane on July 22.
Bright, who is not yet back in full training, said Saturday’s friendly against Portugal will come a bit too soon.
“The knee’s really good. I think we are a little bit ahead. But there’s a big chunk of time before the first game so we are really confident and everything is going exactly the way we want it to go,” Bright said. “I’ve been putting in the work and I’ll be doing that until the tournament, so I have no concerns at all.”
Who is in the England squad?
Goalkeepers
Mary Earps, Ellie Roebuck, Hannah Hampton
Defenders
Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright, Alex Greenwood, Jess Carter, Niamh Charles, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Esme Morgan
Midfielders
Laura Coombs, Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Jordan Nobbs, Katie Zelem
Strikers
Alessia Russo, Rachel Daly, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Lauren Hemp, Bethany England, Katie Robinson
Bethany England has been recalled and believes her call-up is a reward for her decision to leave Chelsea for Spurs.
England had been with Chelsea for seven years and helped them win eight major trophies, but as their back-up striker to Australia star Sam Kerr, she prioritised the World Cup when making her decision to leave, for a transfer fee understood to be in the region of £250,000.
“[At Chelsea] I wasn’t getting used, I was stuck on the bench and as Sarina said, rightly, I wasn’t getting picked [for England] because I wasn’t getting minutes. It was up to me to make sure I was,” England said.
“I had to take it into my own hands and make sure that I put myself in the best position because I’m not getting any younger. It was a big risk. I didn’t really like the thought of change. Ultimately I did not want to be sat in a position where I didn’t try and give my everything to go [to the World Cup].
What does the England kit look like?
The team will wear gym blue shorts with the home shirt (the away kit is “coast blue with a gym blue trim”). Players had expressed concerns about white shorts while on their periods.
“I really like the new kits,” Keira Walsh said. “The home kit is just classic, very England. That is what we love about it. It really represents us as a nation.”
The FA says that it pays homage to the 1984 Lionesses.
How will England’s injuries affect their chances?
By Tom Garry
Earlier this year if you had asked most women’s football aficionados who they were tipping to win this summer’s World Cup, most would have mentioned England, along with the holders the United States and two-time champions Germany as the leading contenders.
But then the Lionesses had captain Leah Williamson and Chelsea star Fran Kirby both ruled out of the tournament because of knee injuries, and with Euros Golden Boot-winner Beth Mead now also confirmed as missing the World Cup too, the outside, global perception of England’s threat will be very different.
Can England still win the World Cup, without those players? Yes, it’s certainly possible, as Sarina Wiegman’s squad remains one of the strongest that will fly Down Under.
But will they win it? That now seems much more doubtful, and frankly, even reaching the latter stages would register as another big achievement in the circumstances.
It’s a fairly youthful England squad compared to most previous tournaments, with an average age of 25.7, down from 27.1 for the 2019 World Cup. There is plenty of exciting talent – not least skilful stars including Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Lauren Hemp – but there will be rival teams at these with far more major-tournament experience, particularly in view of England’s injuries.
It is not just that trio’s absences that will matter: Centre-back Millie Bright has been selected, but still faces a race to be fit in time for the opening game, having been sidelined since March. And even before their injuries worries mounted, the Lionesses already knew they were in the tougher half of the draw.
In the same half of the draw – which is entirely separated from the other half until the final because of the divide between teams based in Australia and teams based in New Zealand for the tournament – are most of the world’s in-form sides: A strong-looking Germany side, a resurgent France with their new manager Herve Renard, co-hosts Australia and the competition’s poster star Sam Kerr, Olympic champions Canada and South American champions Brazil. Four-time winners the United States find themselves in the other half of the competition and unable to meet any of those sides prior to the final.
The Lionesses reached the semi-finals at each of the past two World Cups. Another run to the semi-finals should not be sniffed at. In order to achieve that – if they both win their groups and tough-looking last-16 games – England would have to get past Germany in a blockbuster quarter-final, as they are on collision course for a last-eight meeting in Sydney. To get past a tie like that will require a performance for the ages.
How have England done before?
England have now qualified for the Women’s World Cup six times. They have reached the quarter-finals three times and the semi-finals twice, most recently in 2019 when they were knocked out by eventual winners US.
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