England's 2023 World Cup Squad

One year after being crowned European champions and securing their first major women's trophy, England have another opportunity to create history by winning the Women's World Cup for the first time when they take on Spain in the final.

A number of key figures from that momentous triumph 12 months ago are not involved this time around, with the Lionesses having an injury list which includes captain Leah Williamson, Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner Beth Mead and midfielder Fran Kirby, while vastly experienced pair Ellen White and Jill Scott have retired. 

Head coach Sarina Wiegman’s 23-player squad for the 2023 tournament consists of many familiar faces from last summer, as well as six players who are at their first major tournament.

BBC Sport takes a closer look at those who have been part of the squad in Australia.

Hannah Hampton

Club: Chelsea
Caps: 2 (0 goals)
Born: 16 November 2000, Birmingham
Debut: Spain (Arnold Clark Cup) on 20 February 2022

Hampton has only been involved with the senior set-up for two years, but she has managed to create a few headlines, on and off the pitch.

She made a huge impression on her debut in the Arnold Clark Cup in 2022, winning player of the match in a 0-0 draw with Spain. The performance contributed to her selection for Euro 2022, although she was an unused substitute at the tournament.

After the highs of last year, it has been pretty rocky for Hampton since. She was dropped from the national squad, with Wiegman saying she had "personal issues" that needed sorting amid reports of poor behaviour.

Hampton was also left out of the Aston Villa team for a few weeks, although she later revealed she had an injury.

Since returning, her form has been outstanding and she once again became the undisputed number one at Villa as well as fighting her way back into the England fold when, earlier in the season, World Cup selection looked in doubt. She also secured an end-of-season move to Women's Super League champions Chelsea.

Hampton has spoken about being born with poor eyesight - a condition called strabismus, which affects her depth perception. She revealed it threatened to stop her playing football but, despite the challenges it causes, she said it made her more determined to reach the top.

 

Ellie Roebuck

Club: Manchester City
Caps: 11 (0 goals)
Born: 23 September 1999, Sheffield
Debut: Austria (friendly) on 8 November 2018

Roebuck made her England debut aged only 19 but, after breaking through so early in her career, she has had to take a back seat under Wiegman in recent years..

She became England's preferred goalkeeper in 2021 when she took over from experienced duo Karen Bardsley and Carly Telford.

That summer Roebuck started every game for Great Britain at the delayed Olympic Games and was expected to play a key role for England at Euro 2022 before injury hit.

By the time Roebuck returned from a calf issue, after being ruled out for five months between September 2021 and January 2022, Earps had cemented her place as England's number one under Wiegman and Roebuck had to settle for being an unused substitute at Euro 2022.

Despite this setback, she continues to be the undisputed number one at Manchester City, where she made her first appearance as a substitute aged 17 in the final game of her team's WSL-winning campaign in 2016.

Her strongest season came in 2019-20, when she won the Golden Glove having kept 10 clean sheets in 16 WSL appearances.

 

KEY PLAYER

Mary Earps

Club: Manchester United
Caps: 40 (0 goals)
Born: 7 March 1993, Nottingham
Debut: Switzerland (friendly) on 10 June 2017

Perseverance on the international stage has finally paid off for Earps. Having acted as third-choice goalkeeper for the majority of her England career, she was dropped by former manager Phil Neville after the 2019 World Cup and two years ed without her making an appearance. She even contemplated retirement, but her fortunes completely turned around under Wiegman. She was recalled to the squad in September 2021 and has remained the undisputed number one ever since.

Earps started every game as England won Euro 2022, where she finished the tournament with four clean sheets - the t-most with goalkeeper Merle Frohms - and her starring role helped her win goalkeeper of the year at the 2022 Best Fifa Awards.

She made a rare error in the inaugural Women's Finalissima at Wembley in April against Brazil which led to a stoppage-time equaliser, but she made amends with a crucial save in the penalty shootout as the Lionesses lifted another trophy. Her saves at the 2023 World Cup have played a pivotal role in the team's run to the final.

Earps' response to adversity has made her a popular team-mate and player among the fans, while she has also formed a strong bond with Wiegman.

At Manchester United Earps has become one of the key players and last season kept a WSL record of 14 clean sheets to win the Golden Glove as her side finished league runners-up, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time, as well as reaching their first FA Cup final.

 

Lucy Bronze

Club: Barcelona
Caps: 111 (12 goals)
Born: 28 October 1991, Berwick-upon-Tweed
Debut: Japan (friendly) on 26 June 2013

Not only is Bronze one of England's most decorated players with her ever-expanding medal collection at club level, but she is by far the most experienced player in the squad after the retirements of White and Scott.

Several coaches and team-mates have previously labelled her the best player in the world and she has numerous individual honours to back it up, including the Fifa Best Player of the Year in 2020, Uefa Player of the Year in 2019 and Ballon d'Or runner-up in 2019.

Having ed Barcelona last summer, she has now won four Champions League trophies and seven league titles in three countries - , England and Spain. But she had to wait until England's victory at Euro 2022 for her first significant silverware on the international stage.

The former Manchester City defender's position in the team has not been under threat since she claimed the right-back spot off Alex Scott in 2015, which was the year she truly announced herself on the international stage at the World Cup...

Bronze is known for the attacking threat she offers, which has also seen her score some memorable goals. Her iconic winner against Norway in the last 16 of the 2015 World Cup was included in a Fifa list of the best goals in the history of the competition.

Bronze, who won her 100th England cap in October, has struggled with knee injuries throughout her career and had surgery in April for another one, but returned to fitness in time to claim her position at the World Cup as England's undisputed first-choice right-back.

 

Jess Carter

Club: Chelsea
Caps: 23 (1 goal)
Born: 27 October 1997, Warwick
Debut: Kazakhstan (World Cup qualifier) on 28 November 2017

Carter had largely remained on the fringes during her England career prior to the 2023 World Cup. She made her debut in 2017 but had to wait another four years to make another appearance.

The Chelsea defender, who also holds American citizenship, has a big er in her club manager Emma Hayes, who has said she is worthy of more England caps.

Having ed Chelsea in 2018 from Birmingham, Carter started only 11 WSL games in her first three seasons. She made the starting XI for the Champions League final against Barcelona in 2021 at right-back, but was one of several players who struggled in a chastening 4-0 defeat.

The following season was her breakout campaign as she played a key role in a defensive back three for Chelsea. And she has continued to prove her versatility since, playing effectively as a centre-back in a back three and as a full-back on both sides for club and country.

It is this trait which has proven most useful for Wiegman and earned Carter a starting place in all but one of the Lionesses' games en route to the World Cup final.

Away from football, she has also needed to provide to her partner and club-mate Ann-Katrin Berger, who needed treatment after discovering her thyroid cancer had returned last summer.

Niamh Charles

Club: Chelsea
Caps: 9 (0 goals)
Born: 21 June 1999, Wirral
Debut: (friendly) on 9 April 2021

Charles was one of the five players to miss out on the final squad for Euro 2022 after being included in the provisional 28-player longlist, but she made the cut this time to be involved in her first major tournament.

She began her career as an attacking midfielder and winger but, since moving to Chelsea in 2020 following Liverpool's relegation, has dropped further back and developed into a versatile full-back, capable of playing on either side of a back five or four.

Charles was only 21 when she started the Champions League final defeat by Barcelona at left-back in 2021 and, while she struggled in that game, she demonstrated her improvement with an impressive display against the same opponents last season in a 2-1 semi-final defeat.

Despite being a regular starter for Chelsea, she remains a squad player for England. However, the injury to centre-back Williamson opened the door for more opportunities for other defenders to get some game time. She made her World Cup debut as a substitute in the 6-1 win over China.

Alex Greenwood

Club: Manchester City
Caps: 81 (5 goals)
Born: 7 September 1993, Liverpool
Debut: Italy (Cyprus Cup) on 5 March 2014

Greenwood is one of England's most experienced players but has struggled to nail down a starting role despite an impressive career, partly a victim of her own versatility as well as competition in the squad.

Known for her attacking intent and expertise at set-pieces, she has spent the majority of her club career at left-back.

After sharing the left-back role for England, first with Claire Rafferty and then Demi Stokes, Greenwood was moved to centre-back by Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor, which proved to be an inspired decision. She has excelled and made the position her own in the past two seasons.

Wiegman also favoured Greenwood in the centre-back position, playing her there regularly in the build-up to Euro 2022. But just before the tournament captain Williamson was moved back from an experimental midfield role to the heart of the defence, pushing Greenwood on to the bench.

During the tournament she made only substitute appearances, coming on in five of the six matches.

Greenwood's pedigree has grown over recent months, though, with her captaining England in a match in the Arnold Clark Cup and starting regularly in World Cup qualification. That has continued at this summer's tournament as she has capitalised on Williamson's absence through injury.

 

Esme Morgan

Club: Manchester City
Caps: 5 (0 goals)
Born: 18 October, 2000, Sheffield
Debut: Czech Republic (friendly) on 11 October 2022

It has been a big year for Morgan, another young defender who has fought her way into the squad having played only a handful of times for England..

She has spent her entire career at childhood club Manchester City, progressing from their academy, impressing in a season-long loan spell at Everton, then breaking into the first team as a regular.

Morgan suffered a horrific injury in September 2021, fracturing her lower leg, which ultimately harmed her chances of selection for Euro 2022, but she came back stronger last season and finished in great form..

An impressive year saw Morgan make her England debut in October as a half-time substitute against the Czech Republic, and a month later she captained City for the first time.

Throughout the campaign Morgan showed great composure as a full-back with a good ing range. She likes to get forward, much like England's first-choice right-back Bronze. Wiegman likes squad players who show versatility and Morgan has done that throughout her career, playing left-back, right-back, centre-back and as a defensive midfielder for City.

Off the pitch, Morgan is best friends with England and City team-mate Lauren Hemp and the two lived together for several years as they progressed through the ranks.

Lotte Wubben-Moy

Club: Arsenal
Caps: 10 (0 goals)
Born: 11 January 1999, London
Debut: Northern Ireland (friendly) on 23 February 2021

Born and bred in north London, Wubben-Moy, who speaks fluent Dutch because of her father, plays for childhood club Arsenal. She has developed impressively since returning to England in 2020 after two years playing and studying in the United States, where her room-mate was England forward Alessia Russo.

Last season she faced competition for an Arsenal place at centre-back with Williamson, Scotland's Jen Beattie and Brazil's Rafaelle Souza, but injuries opened the door for a starting spot and Wubben-Moy took full advantage.

She helped Arsenal reach the Champions League semi-finals, but her costly mistake in the second leg led to an extra-time winner for Wolfsburg at Emirates Stadium.

However, her consistent performances and the experience she gained in recent months helped her beat Manchester United's impressive youngster Maya le Tissier to a place in England's World Cup squad.

Despite being an unused member of the Euro 2022 squad, Wubben-Moy certainly made her mark, using the tournament victory to lead discussions with the government to ensure girls were given the opportunity to play football in schools.

 

KEY PLAYER

Millie Bright

Club: Chelsea
Caps: 72 (5 goals)
Born: 21 August 1993, Chesterfield
Debut: Belgium (Euro 2017 qualifier) on 20 September 2016

Stiff competition at centre-back meant Bright had to bide her time to force her way into the team, but once she had it did not take long for her England career to flourish. Now she is widely regarded as one of the Lionesses' most important players having formed a brilliant partnership with captain Williamson at Euro 2022, later wearing the armband in her absence, which she has continued to do this summer.

At club level Bright has been a mainstay in a Chelsea squad that have dominated English women's football for almost a decade, including winning a fourth successive WSL title this season.

Her breakthrough with England came at the 2019 World Cup when she made four appearances, but it ended on a sour note as she was sent off in the semi-final defeat by the United States.

Bright is an imposing defender who enjoys one-on-one battles, as well as providing a threat in the box at set-pieces. Under Wiegman, she has been pushed up to a centre-forward position late on in games, doing so effectively at the 2022 Arnold Clark Cup, where she surprised everyone by finishing t-top scorer with Ballon d'Or holder Alexia Putellas.

There were concerns over Bright's fitness heading into this summer's tournament as she had not featured since March because of a knee injury that required surgery.

She was a little rusty in England's World Cup opener against Haiti - playing her first competitive match for four months - but she has returned to her formidable best in subsequent games and is one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Laura Coombs

Club: Manchester City
Caps: 7 (0 goals)
Born: 29 January 1991, Gravesend
Debut: China (China Cup) on 23 October 2015

After eight years in the international wilderness, Coombs itted her return to the England set-up this year was a shock.

The 32-year-old won two caps under Mark Sampson in 2015, but her international career never really got started.

Four goals and five assists in 22 WSL games last season for Manchester City thrust her back into the limelight and she was rewarded with a recall for the Arnold Clark Cup in February.

Such has been Coombs' form this season that she was not a surprise inclusion in the World Cup squad. And she was the player Wiegman turned to when key midfielder Keira Walsh was taken off on a stretcher in the Lionesses' second game of the tournament in Australia.

After building a reputation as a hard-working defensive midfielder earlier in her career, she has been used more recently in an attacking midfield role by City, whom she ed from Liverpool in 2019.

In the first half of the 2022-23 season she almost matched her total appearances from her previous three campaigns with City.

Jordan Nobbs

Club: Aston Villa
Caps: 71 (8 goals)
Born: 8 December 1992, Stockton-on-Tees
Debut: Italy (Cyprus Cup) on 6 March 2013

Nobbs' inclusion in the World Cup squad was described as a "fairytale" by former England striker Ellen White because she has suffered so much heartbreak with injuries.

Serious knee issues have been a regular hinderance to Nobbs' decade-long international career and forced her to miss three successive major tournaments with England and Great Britain between 2019 and 2022. Despite these injuries, Nobbs has still managed to achieve an impressive number of caps - an indication of the esteem she has been held in by various managers.

An agile and technical playmaker, Nobbs has always stood out with her creativity and vision.

She made the Euro 2013 squad aged 20 and by the time the 2015 World Cup had come around Nobbs was a regular, being named vice-captain, but she played only one match in Canada because of injury.

A ruptured anterior cruciate ligament ruled her out of the 2019 World Cup and she suffered knee ligament damage again in 2022, missing the Euros.

Nobbs' desperation to stay fit, gain regular game time and play at a World Cup led to a bold decision in January to leave Arsenal after 13 years and Aston Villa - and it paid off.

 

Georgia Stanway

Club: Bayern Munich
Caps: 56 (16 goals)
Born: 3 January 1999, Barrow-in-Furness
Debut: Austria (friendly) on 8 November 2018

Now widely considered one of the best attacking midfielders of her generation, Stanway has arguably been underrated for most of her England career.

The 24-year-old has always had immense talent, breaking into Blackburn Rovers' first team at 16 before being snapped up by Manchester City in 2015. She spent seven successful seasons there, becoming the club's all-time top scorer in January 2022, before moving to German giants Bayern Munich last summer.

At Euro 2022 she formed an instrumental midfield partnership with Keira Walsh. Her most important contribution came in the quarter-final when she scored a sublime long-range winner in a 2-1 win over Spain. It was a goal which epitomised what Stanway is about - she has courage on the ball, loves to shoot from long range and likes to take on players in the opposition half.

Stanway's tenacity is a strength but she has also earned a reputation for risky tackling. She has twice been sent off in the WSL, while a yellow card early on in the Euro 2022 final left her walking a disciplinary tightrope.

She has played a key role again at the World Cup, scoring the only goal in the win over Haiti, and is deservedly one of the first names on England's teamsheet.

Ella Toone

Club: Manchester United
Caps: 37 (17 goals)
Born: 2 September 1999, Wigan
Debut: Northern Ireland (friendly) on 23 February 2021

Toone's stock on the international stage has risen hugely in two years and she headed to Australia as a regular starter for England despite making her senior debut as recently as 2021.

She was one of England's go-to 'super-subs' at Euro 2022 alongside best friend and former Manchester United team-mate Alessia Russo and she more than made a name for herself on the way to the tournament victory.

Toone appeared in every match as a substitute and scored twice, with both goals hugely important - and memorable. Her first sent the game against Spain into extra-time, while her second was a perfectly placed lob against in the final at Wembley.

Wearing the number seven shirt for United, Toone has evolved into one of the WSL's trickiest and most creative players. She was understudy to Kirby at the Euros but, with the Chelsea player injured for most of last season, responsibility at England fell on Toone's shoulders, although she has not been guaranteed a starting spot.

The 23-year-old has continued her love of scoring on the biggest stage at this summer's World Cup with a ferocious strike in England's semi-final win over Australia.

She has also become a fan favourite with her funny interviews and energetic playing style.

Katie Zelem

Club: Manchester United
Caps: 10 (0 goals)
Born: 20 January 1996, Manchester
Debut: Latvia (World Cup qualifier) on 30 November 2021

Manchester United captain Zelem has been selected sporadically by Wiegman but, after one of the best seasons of her career, the experienced midfielder has been rewarded with a place at her first major international tournament.

Zelem, who provided eight assists in 21 league games last season, is something of a set-piece specialist. In February 2022 she scored directly from a corner in an FA Cup match and then, astonishingly, did it again - twice - in the next league game.

That is a weapon that has helped her gain greater recognition and perhaps aided her inclusion in the squad. An injury to Chelsea's Kirby meant another midfield place was up for grabs in Australia.

Zelem, who has also played for Liverpool and Juventus, made the 28-player preliminary squad for Euro 2022 but missed out on the final 23.

Despite her limited caps, she is a very useful and talented squad player to have available if England suffer injuries to their key midfielders. She found herself unexpectedly thrust into the limelight at the World Cup as the replacement for the injured Walsh in the Lionesses' impressive 6-1 win over China.

KEY PLAYER

Keira Walsh

Club: Barcelona
Caps: 64 (0 goals)
Born: 8 April 1997, Rochdale
Debut: Kazakhstan (World Cup qualifier) on 28 November 2017

Walsh is considered one of the world's best players in her position and is a key player for England and Barcelona, but she goes about her business quietly, rarely in the headlines.

Like most defensive midfielders, her best work is the simple stuff. She dictates the tempo, controls play from a deep position, reads the game well and finds pockets of space effectively. But Walsh has also shown she has the ability to cut through defences with sharp and precise ing.

All of these traits were on show as England won Euro 2022 and Walsh played all but five minutes of England’s run. She was named player of the match in the final for a brilliant display which included an exquisite assist for Toone's opening goal. Walsh was deservedly included in the team of the tournament.

A month later Barcelona signed her for a world record fee for a female player as she ended her eight-year stay at Manchester City.

Walsh's selection for the World Cup was never in doubt, but her England career has not always gone smoothly. She worked with psychologists in 2019 as she considered quitting football following a disappointing World Cup in .

Walsh suffered an injury scare in England's second match at this summer's tournament when she left the field on a stretcher against Denmark. But those fears proved short-lived and she returned two games later.

Rachel Daly

Club: Aston Villa
Caps: 75 (14 goals)
Born: 6 December 1991, Harrogate
Debut: Serbia (Euro 2017 qualifier) on 4 June 2016

One of England's most intriguing talents, Daly has been selected regularly by the last four permanent and interim England managers - Mark Sampson, Phil Neville, Hege Riise and Wiegman - but until more recently was seen as a versatile squad player.

Having made her England debut a decade ago, and spending the majority of her international career as a defender, the Aston Villa striker went to the World Cup as the WSL's player of the year and Golden Boot winner after finishing the season with 22 goals in 22 games.

Her pedigree as a number nine is not in doubt - she has more than proven her worth - but Daly's performances as a left-back under Wiegman at Euro 2022 were also hugely impressive.

Her form as a striker for Villa, whom she ed last summer after a spell in the US, saw her rewarded with her first start as a centre-forward for England in November 2022 - and she scored in a 1-1 draw with Norway. A few months later she scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Italy in the Arnold Clark Cup.

As one of the most experienced players in the squad, Daly has a key role at the World Cup on and off the pitch.

Her versatility has once again been invaluable to Wiegman in Australia, where she has found herself being mainly used at left wing-back. She also scored in the 6-1 win over China.

Beth England

Club: Tottenham
Caps: 25 (11 goals)
Born: 3 June 1994, Barnsley
Debut: Belgium (friendly) on 29 August 2019

One of the biggest decisions Wiegman faced when selecting her World Cup squad was whether to include England - whom she had not selected since September 2022 - but the Tottenham striker's excellent goalscoring form since January made her impossible to ignore.

Throughout her career England has proven herself a deadly goalscorer, netting consistently for every club she has represented. The bulk of her career has been spent at Chelsea, where, despite being used as back-up to superstars Sam Kerr, Pernille Harder and Fran Kirby, she managed 74 goals in 164 appearances.

England's frustrations at being left on the bench at Chelsea ultimately became too much and she made a British record move to Tottenham in January, going on to score 12 goals in 12 WSL games and finishing the season as England's second-highest scorer in the league.

That earned her a place in the World Cup squad - reward for taking the risk of leaving a trophy-laden seven-year spell at Chelsea to a side battling relegation.

England, an unused substitute at Euro 2022, is strong in the air and a predator in the six-yard area, with the knack of always seeming to be in the right place at the right time. She has looked dangerous when given her chance as a substitute at this World Cup and she crucially scored in the Lionesses' penalty shootout win over Nigeria.

Lauren James

Club: Chelsea
Caps: 15 (4 goal)
Born: 29 September 2001, London
Debut: Austria (World Cup qualifier) on 3 September 2022

Chelsea forward James is widely regarded as a generational talent who could one day win the Ballon d'Or - if she fulfils her undoubted potential.

Those high expectations have come despite her making her England debut as recently as September 2022, but it has always felt like only a matter of time before she would make her mark.

Talent runs in the family as older brother Reece is also a Chelsea player and current England international.

She gave Lionesses fans a taste of what was to come at this year's Arnold Clark Cup - her eye-catching performance in a 4-0 win over South Korea included winning a penalty and scoring her first international goal.

Her ability to glide past opponents, along with her scintillating footwork, make her one of the most exciting talents in England.

James ed Chelsea from Manchester United in 2021 and was part of a squad which won a fourth successive league title last season and reached the Champions League semi-finals.

She has certainly made headlines at this summer's tournament - for the right and the wrong reasons. She put in two player-of-the-match displays against Denmark and China, scoring three goals and providing three assists, but then was needlessly sent off for a stamp in the last-16 match with Nigeria.

Chloe Kelly

Club: Manchester City
Caps: 32 (7 goals)
Born: 15 January 1998, London
Debut: Austria (friendly) on 8 November 2018

Kelly was responsible for one of the lasting images of England’s memorable victory in the Euro 2022 final over . The sight of the Manchester City winger swinging her shirt around her head after poking in the winning goal in extra time was plastered across the front and back pages.

It was reminiscent of a celebration by USA defender Brandi Chastain, who famously took her shirt off to reveal a sports bra in the 1999 World Cup final.

Kelly's iconic moment capped off a tough year as she spent the majority of the 2021-22 season recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury which kept her out for 11 months.

She made a late bid for the Euros squad and, despite having never played under Wiegman, she was one of nine players called up without major tournament experience.

Kelly carried on last season where she left off in the summer, playing an integral role in Manchester City's league campaign, netting five goals and providing nine assists in 22 appearances.

Kelly, who ed City in 2020 after spells with Arsenal and Everton, has proven herself to be one of England's most talented players and is someone clearly valued by Wiegman, whether she starts or is used from the bench.

Katie Robinson

Club: Brighton
Caps: 5 (0 goals)
Born: 8 August 2002, Cornwall
Debut: Norway (friendly) on 15 November 2022

Young talent Robinson was one of six players named in the squad with fewer than 10 caps and she is relatively unknown on the international scene.

She fought off competition from Manchester City youngster Jess Park and the vastly more experienced Manchester United forward Nikita Parris for a place at the World Cup.

Robinson's performances for a struggling Brighton side last season caught the eye. She is a tricky, pacy winger with an excellent delivery. In her brief cameos for England this year she has been bright, full of confidence and creative.

Wiegman is a fan and you can see why after Robinson scored five goals and assisted eight in 29 games for Brighton in all competitions in the last campaign.

Robinson has had to overcome a major injury already in her fledgling career, after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament during training in 2020.

She bounced back from that to establish herself as a key figure at club level and will have gained valuable experience by being at the World Cup as she looks to build on her early promise.

Alessia Russo

Club: Arsenal
Caps: 28 (14 goals)
Born: 8 February 1999, Maidstone
Debut: Spain (SheBelieves Cup) 11 March 2020

Russo became a household name last summer after lighting up Euro 2022 with her goalscoring cameos.

Her impact off the bench was crucial in England's historic victory as she scored four goals as a substitute, with her final goal of the tournament going down as one of England's most iconic at a major tournament. It was an audacious, instinctive backheel which went between the legs of Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl to make it 3-0 in the semi-final.

Russo's first international goals were scored in record time as she claimed the fastest hat-trick by an England player - in the space of 11 minutes against Latvia in 2021.

Russo, who spent the early part of her career in the US, became Manchester United's star striker before the Euros but is now one of the biggest names in world football, attracting two world record bids from Arsenal in January.

Speculation had surrounded her future at club level since last summer but those distractions were put to one side after she completed a move to Arsenal in July.

After Ellen White's retirement, Russo was handed England's number nine shirt, but it was the in-form Daly who got that coveted number for the World Cup. Yet Russo continues to be the first-choice striker and she has scored three goals in the Lionesses' run to the final.

KEY PLAYER

Lauren Hemp

Club: Manchester City
Caps: 44 (13 goals)
Born: 7 August 2000, North Walsham, Norfolk
Debut: Portugal (friendly) on 8 October 2019

Hemp has won more accolades at the age of 23 than most players have by the end of their careers. She has long been considered England's best youngster, winning the Professional Footballers Association’s young player of the year award four times in five seasons between 2018 and 2022.

Her other individual honours include being named in the WSL's team of the year twice.

Despite her age, Hemp is a well-established international, having started every match at Euro 2022 a year after being part of the Great Britain squad that competed at the Olympics.

The Norwich City fan made her England debut in 2019 under Phil Neville. It took a while for her to open her goalscoring , but when she did the floodgates opened - she scored four in a 20-0 win over Latvia in 2021.

One of her most important contributions on the international stage came in the Euro 2022 final, when her corner was scrambled over the line for the extra-time winner. She has also had a pivotal role at the 2023 World Cup, with a match-winning display, including a goal and an assist, against Australia in England's semi-final win.

Hemp's biggest asset is her pace, with her ability to beat players and create chances making her a dangerous weapon for club and country.

Credits

Written by Emma Sanders

Graphics by Thiago Braz

Edited by Katie Wright

Sub-edited by Justin Goulding

Images by Getty Images

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