England and Spain will meet in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final.
Goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo fired England into their first World Cup final since 1966 with Sam Kerr’s reply not enough for Australia, who bow out of their home tournament.
Toone gave England the lead in the first half with a rocket from inside the box before Kerr levelled for Australia with a brilliant strike from range.
Hemp restored the Lionesses’ advantage before Arsenal forward Russo wrapped up the victory and a place in the final.
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They will now face Spain after Olga Carmona’s 90th minute winner saw them emerge victorious in a rollercoaster semi-final win over Sweden on Tuesday.
Salma Paralluelo had given Spain the lead with just 10 minutes remaining before Rebecka Blomqvist’s last-gasp equaliser was outdone just 93 seconds later by captain Carmona’s winning strike.
Here is everything you need to know about the Women’s World Cup final:
When is the Women’s World Cup final?
The 2023 Women’s World Cup final is on Sunday, August 20.
The game will kick off at 8pm local time (which is 11am BST and 6am ET) at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia.
Who is in it?
England will take on Spain in the final.
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How can I watch the final from the UK?
All parties cut it incredibly fine but with the tournament a little over a month away BBC and ITV finally struck a deal to broadcast the World Cup in the UK.
A long-running dispute over the cost of the rights saw FIFA even threaten a blackout, but the two broadcasters, who usually cover both men’s and women’s and major tournaments in the UK, have done so again.
The final will be broadcast on both BBC and ITV, as it customary.
Where can you stream the World Cup in US and Canada?
The Women’s World Cup has been broadcast in the US in the same format as the men’s tournament at the end of last year.
Back in 2015, FOX and Telemundo signed a deal with FIFA to show all of the men’s and women’s World Cup matches between 2018 and 2026.
This is the fourth World Cup they have shown in that time — men’s in 2018 and 2022, women’s in 2019 and 2023 — with the last World Cup of their broadcast cycle being the marquee tournament: the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Those of you wanting to watch the Women’s World Cup final in Canada will find the action on TSN and RDS after Bell Media, similarly to FOX, extended their World Cup coverage until 2026 back in 2015.
Spain beat Sweden to reach the final (Photo: Fiona Goodall – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
How did Spain and England do it?
_ How Spain got to the World Cup final_
Spain made a fine start to the tournament, hammering Costa Rica and Zambia 3-0 and 5-0 respectively, but they then suffered a shock defeat by Japan in their final group game.
That loss meant they finished second in Group C, setting up a knockout match with Switzerland. But the Spaniards roared back into form, thumping their fellow Europeans 5-1.
They then took on Netherlands, winning 2-1 in extra time, before beating Sweden — conquerors of the USWNT — to secure their place in a Women’s World Cup final for the first time.
_ How England got to the World Cup final_
England made smooth progress through the group stage, beating both Haiti and Denmark 1-0 before turning on the style against China. They won 6-1 to top Group D.
But they were made to sweat in the round of 16 against a stubborn Nigeria, particularly after Lauren James saw red for a stamp. But they clung on and prevailed on penalties.
They also had to work hard against Colombia, falling behind for the first time in the tournament. But they battled back to win 2-1 and then overcame the host nation Australia to reach the final.
Have Spain or England ever won a Women’s World Cup?
No, neither team in Sunday’s final have won a Women’s World Cup.
England won the European Championship last summer, having beaten Spain the quarter-finals.
Spain’s women’s team have never won a major tournament.
What is the early team news?
James missed the quarter- and semi-finals (Photo :Matt Roberts – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
It remains to be seen how both sides pull up after dramatic semi-final victories with more news to come in the coming days.
For England, Lauren James’ involvement will be the key selection decision for manager Sarina Wiegman.
The Chelsea forward was sent off in the last-16 victory over Nigeria and saw her suspension upgraded from one game to two by FIFA, ensuring she missed the quarter-final and semi-final victories.
With the ban now served, she will eligible to play on Sunday. Toone stepped in for James against Australia, scoring the opening goal.
For Spain, Jorge Vilda will be mulling over whether to play Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas together again as he did in the semi-final.
Bonmati has shone so far in Spain’s journey to the final while Ballon d’Or holder Putellas continues to work her way back to top form after an ACL injury suffered on the eve of last summer’s European Championships.
What is the prize money for the Women’s World Cup?
As women’s football has grown significantly across the globe since the last World Cup, there is more money on offer to the nations competing than there ever has been previously.
The prize pot — which will be divided between all 32 teams — stands at $110million (£88m), an upgrade of almost 300 per cent on the $30m (£24m) on offer in 2019.
FIFA have announced that a percentage of the prize money will be distributed directly to the players, so there are separate amounts for the prize money received by players and by the football associations of the participating nations.
Each player will get $195,000 (£155,200) for reaching the final with the winners getting $270,000 (£214,875).
Each participating nation will earn $3.02m (£2.4m) for making it to the final match with the winning nation getting $4.29m (£3.41m).
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Answering your questions about the 2023 Women’s World Cup
(Photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
