Expect the unpredictable seems to be the new mantra for Sarina Wiegman’s side. After a vivacious performance in front of a partisan Adelaide crowd, the Lionesses progressed to the Round of 16 in style with a 6-1 victory over China. A brace from Lauren James and goals from Alessia Russo, Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly and Rachel Daly completed the rout. The Chinese pulled a goal back through a controversially awarded penalty that Wang Shuang duly converted. “I said before the game, we had to do things a little different than we did before,” Wiegman remarked afterwards. “It shows how adaptive we are ..read more

A 52nd minute penalty was enough to see Australia edge past the Republic of Ireland in a competitive World Cup opener. Steph Catley converted to the delight of the 75,000 watching fans as the Matildas achieved a valuable opening day win. “We knew that this was going to be a very tough opening game,” Tony Gustavsson remarked. “We’ve seen Ireland against top teams before. They’re extremely difficult to break down. They are really committed in their defending actions. They are very physical. They’re dangerous in transition and probably one of the tournament’s best teams in attacking set plays ..read more

With just over 24 hours to go before the start of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the feeling emanating from both the Australia and the Republic of Ireland camps was excitement. The tournament will officially open earlier in the day at a sold out Eden Park as New Zealand take on Norway but all eyes will then turn to Sydney with the promise of over 80,000 fans turning out at Stadium Australia. “I think we’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time so it’s nice that it’s finally here” Australia captain Sam Kerr told the gathered media. “To come to the stadium and have the realisation that ..read more

“It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s been a really positive whirlwind.” This was how Gemma Grainger described the three weeks since she was revealed as the new Welsh Women’s National Team Manager. It is hardly an understatement as the new coach attempts to hit the ground running, getting used to new surroundings, building relationships with a new set of players and even learning a new national anthem. It is a set of challenges that doesn’t seem to faze Grainger. Taking over from Jayne Ludlow’s six-year stint at the helm, she is fully aware of the foundations that have been built, the progress m ..read more

Around 16:00 BST today, we will finally know who will host the 2023 FIFA World Cup, one of the most eagerly awaited decisions in the women’s game. We have certainly been made to wait! With a hugely successful tournament in France under their belt last summer, FIFA opted to expand the competition from 24 to 32 teams, requiring bidders to re-consider, re-format and expand their submissions. An initial list of around ten potential hosts has now been whittled down to two – Australia/New Zealand and Colombia – with Japan dropping out of the running just a few days before decision day.   Austr ..read more

It has been a difficult end to the tournament. To be honest, we can’t even really process today’s game as the USA one still feels like a punch in the gut. This sport has an amazing ability to make you both love and hate it at the same time. We guess that is why it’s addictive, riding those extreme waves of emotion. We’ve seen the term “failure” bandied about the place. We really do not like that word. The Lionesses did not achieve what they set out to but we don’t think that you can say getting to the semi-finals of a World Cup is a failure. We are improving but so are other teams around the ..read more

There is lot of talk about this being the biggest and best World Cup ever and this has been demonstrated not only by the performances on the pitch but also the media coverage and record TV viewing figures. But it’s doing so much more than that and it’s something we have noticed on a personal level. 2015 was a fantastic adventure. Having been in a Canadian bubble for a month, we couldn’t believe the level of support when we got back home. It was unprecedented and the Lionesses had captured the hearts and minds of a nation. But this tournament has raised the bar once again. I (Sophie) have been ..read more

The second set of Group matches are over. We’ve had a couple of shocks, plenty of top goals and a few controversial decisions.   Group A France 2-1 Norway France secured their place in the next round with a 2-1 win over Norway. The first half was a tight affair, with each side trading waves of pressure. But the hosts hit early in the second period, when Valerie Gauvin snuck in behind the defence to turn home. Norway got themselves back into the game when a bad misjudgement from Wendie Renard saw her put a cross into the back of her own net. It was a controversial moment that won it for F ..read more

The second set of Group matches are over. We’ve had a couple of shocks, plenty of top goals and a few controversial decisions.   Group A France 2-1 Norway France secured their place in the next round with a 2-1 win over Norway. The first half was a tight affair, with each side trading waves of pressure. But the hosts hit early in the second period, when Valerie Gauvin snuck in behind the defence to turn home. Norway got themselves back into the game when a bad misjudgement from Wendie Renard saw her put a cross into the back of her own net. It was a controversial moment that won it for F ..read more