Who are the Lionesses? Meet the women bringing football home (again)
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:
Naomi Baker - The FAWho is the England women's team manager Sarina Wiegman?
Sarina Weigman joined the senior England women's squad as head coach in 2020.
She succeeded Phil Neville, who had proved to be a divisive appointment amongst England fans. While she's beloved for bringing England to the finals of this year's Women's World Cup (not to mention a certain European Championships title in 2022), she's originally from the Netherlands, where she joined the national team at the age of 16, going on to earn 104 caps for her country.
Since turning her attention to football management, she's won the European Championships twice, first with the Netherlands in 2017 and then with England in 2022. The final on Sunday is her fourth major tournament in a row. Please, don't ever leave us Sarina.
The FAWho is the England captain Millie Bright?
Millie Bright is the captain of England women's senior squad. She started her footballing career with Sheffield United and Doncaster Belles before joining Chelsea WFC, where she soon became a club legend. She got her first senior England call-up in 2016 before becoming a first-team regular in subsequent international friendlies and tournaments.
Earlier this year, she was announced as Leah Williamson's replacement to captain the England side at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.
Age: 29
Instagram: @mbrighty04
Position: Defender
Club: Chelsea
Words of wisdom: On captaining England at the World Cup, Millie says: “There aren’t enough words. Anyone in my position would say honoured and proud.
“But, for me, nothing changes, I stay the same, I’d like to think people see the same Millie every day, no matter what. I always lead for the team, that’s just natural to me.”
Who is the England women's team's goal keeper Mary Earps?
Mary Earps is the England women's team's first-choice goalkeeper – and having made countless crucial saves in the FIFA Women's World Cup 23 so far, we can see why. At home, she plays for Manchester United and won the Women's Super League Golden Glove award after keeping 14 clean sheets last season.
As well as keeping England's tournament hopes alive, Earps has been calling for change off the pitch. Earlier this year, she called out Nike for not stocking a ‘Mary Earps’ goalkeeper shirt online. She described the decision as “hugely disappointing and very hurtful.” A petition calling for Nike to reverse their decision is gaining traction. You know what to do.
Age: 30
Instagram: @1maryearps
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Manchester United
Words of wisdom: On accepting the Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper award in 2022, Mary said: “This is for anyone who has ever been in a dark place: just know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel… there’s only one of you in the world, and that’s more than good enough. Be unapologetically yourself.”
Chloe Kelly
Age: 25
Instagram: @chloekelly
Position: Forward
Club: Manchester City
Words of wisdom: On the legacy of the Lionesses, Chloe says: Now “It’s about keeping our foot on the gas. It’s a great opportunity for everyone involved in women’s sport to push forward.”
Lauren James
Age: 21
Instagram: @laurennjjames
Position: Forward
Club: Chelsea
Words of wisdom: On comparisons with her brother Reece James who also plays professionally for Chelsea, Lauren says: “Yes, I do feel like that, a lot […' Even just: ‘That’s Lauren James, that’s Reece’s sister’, but I want to carve that out and be known as ‘this is Lauren James’."
Ella Toone
Age: 23
Instagram: @ellatoone
Position: Midfielder
Club: Manchester United
Words of wisdom: "I like that young girls can now look up to women like us.
"I love getting my lashes done, my nails done. I always say: you feel good, you look good, you play good.
“I can still go out there and play football. There should be no stigma around the way you look and how you dress.”
Alessia Russo
Age: 24
Instagram: @alessiarusso99
Position: Forward
Club: Arsenal
Words of wisdom: “Of course, we would love to just play football, but you're playing for something that means a little bit more than just football. You’re a role model – we're out there performing and trying to make sure that the game’s left in a better place, just like hundreds of other women did for us. Without them, we wouldn't be where we are today.”
Jess Carter
Age: 25
Instagram: @_jesslcarter
Position: Defender
Club: Chelsea
Words of wisdom: On winning the UEFA European Championships, Jess said: “For us, we want to inspire the next generation. We want to inspire everybody but to be able to have little kids look up to us and say, ‘I want to be them’ and ‘I can be them’ is really special.
“For me, I just hope that people all over the world see this and encourage young kids to get involved, play football and follow their dream.”
Ellie Roebuck
Age: 23
Instagram: @ellieroebuck_
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Manchester City
Words of wisdom: “Going forward, we want to get as much visibility in women’s sport as we can, but also to grow the opportunities for young people coming through from school.”
Laura Coombs
Age: 32
Instagram: @lccoombs
Position: Midfielder
Club: Manchester City
Words of wisdom: On her England call-up, Laura said: “It's an amazing group to be a part of, and you just feel lucky when you're out there training that the level is so high, so you're only going to be tested every day and it's great to be a part of it.”
Esme Morgan
Age: 22
Instagram: @esme.morgan
Position: Defender
Club: Manchester City
Words of wisdom: “I think leadership is something that's always been ingrained in me and I've always had. I don't think it’s necessarily something you can teach someone.”
Hannah Hampton
Age: 22
Instagram: @_hannahhampton
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Chelsea
Words of wisdom: “There were so many pioneers of the women’s game that helped to pave the way for the younger generation of players. Players like me.”
Georgia Stanway
Age: 24
Instagram: @stanwaygeorgia
Position: Midfielder
Club: Bayern Munich
Words of wisdom: On moving to Germany to join Bayern Munich, Georgia says: “In terms of the way I am as a person, I’m just so much more open.
"I went to a country where no one knew who I was, and I’d never met anyone I was with before, and I could be whoever I wanted to be, and no one was going to judge me for that."
Keira Walsh
Age: 26
Instagram: @keirawalsh
Position: Midfielder
Club: Barcelona
Words of wisdom: On mental health, Keira says: “I speak honestly to the girls about going to see a psychologist – what help I need and what works for me – but that might not be the same for some players. They might have different ways of switching off or building confidence. For me, it was a massive first step to even talk to a psychologist, and then to carry on meeting her.”
Rachel Daly
Age: 31
Instagram: @racheldaly3
Position: Forward
Club: Aston Villa
Words of wisdom: “Football and sport in general don’t belong to men. Growing up in PE, it always felt like it was the boys who were able to do football and girls had to do netball, but every sport is for all. The hardest thing about playing women’s football is the constant comparison between the men’s and women’s games, but that shouldn’t be a thing.”
Katie Robinson
Age: 20
Instagram: @katierobinson_1
Position: Forward
Club: Brighton & Hove Albion
Words of wisdom: “I love the feeling of being on the ball and being able to be as expressive as possible. I’m at my happiest when I’ve got the ball at my feet and I get to run at players. Just that feeling, it’s the best really.”
Jordan Nobbs
Age: 30
Instagram: @jordannobbs
Position: Midfielder
Club: Aston Villa
Words of wisdom: “I think it's a huge part of football, to remember that you’re part of a team and it’s not just down to one person, and who knows, when you think like that a little bit of luck might come your way.”
Niamh Charles
Age: 24
Instagram: @niamhcharles17
Position: Defender
Club: Chelsea
Words of wisdom: On the Women's World Cup, Niamh says: “It’s such an exciting time for football in this country, but also women’s football across the world. There’s no greater tournament to play in than that.”
Lotte Wubben-Moy
Age: 24
Instagram: @lottewubbenmoy
Position: Defender
Club: Arsenal
Words of wisdom: “If every single person could do that about something they feel passionate about, I do think the world would be a better place.”
The FAKatie Zelem
Age: 27
Instagram: @katiezelem
Position: Midfielder
Club: Manchester United
Words of wisdom: “I think there’s always judgements around women in sport in general. There’s certain people that believe that sport is a male-dominated industry and should be a male-dominated industry and it’s a very outdated view. It doesn’t need to be that way and I think the more women in sport the better.”
Lauren Hemp
Age: 22
Instagram: @lauren_hemp
Position: Forward
Club: Manchester City
Words of wisdom: “It’s important to focus on getting better and trying not to add pressure because ultimately, when I’m enjoying it I play my best football week in, week out.”
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Alex Greenwood
Age: 29
Instagram: @alexgreenwood5
Position: Defender
Club: Manchester City
Words of wisdom: “The game has evolved and we’ve come so far that I don’t think there should be any excuse for girls not to play football.”
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Lucy Bronze
Age: 31
Instagram: @lucybronze
Position: Defender
Club: Barcelona
Words of wisdom: On winning the UEFA European Championships, Lucy says: “That feeling of winning is so addictive. And the feeling of not winning is super horrible as well – I’m not a great loser. We had finally done something and then, for me, it was: ‘OK, this is what it feels like, but how many more times can we do this?’”
Naomi Baker - The FABethany England
Age: 29
Instagram: @bethanyengland4
Position: Forward
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Words of wisdom: “I think they'll be a lot of pressure and expectation on us, but the girls know that pressure is a privilege. Anything can happen in tournament football, we'll go out there and give it our all.”
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