England and Spain will meet in the final of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Goals from Ella Ton, Lauren Hemp and Alicia Russo took England to their first World Cup final since 1966, and Sam Kerr’s response wasn’t enough for Australia, who bowed out of the tournament on home soil.
Toon gave England the lead in the first half with a missile from inside the penalty area before Kerr equalized for Australia with a wonderful strike from distance.
Hemp regained the advantage for the Lionesses before Arsenal striker Rosso finished off the win and a place in the final.
They will now face Spain after Olga Carmona’s 90th minute victory, as they emerged victorious in their semi-final clash with Sweden on Tuesday.
Selma Baraluelo put Spain ahead with just 10 minutes remaining before a late Rebecca Blomqvist goal after just 93 seconds eclipsed Captain Carmona’s goal.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Women’s World Cup Final:
What is the final date of the Women’s World Cup?
The 2023 Women’s World Cup Final will take place on Sunday 20 August.
The match will kick off at 8pm local time (11am BST and 6am ET) at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia.
Who’s in it?
England will meet Spain in the final.
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How can I watch the final from the UK?
Incredibly all parties cut it but with just over a month to go until the tournament ended, the 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 led FIFA to threaten a blackout, but the two broadcasters, who cover men’s, women’s and UK majors, have done it again.
The final will be broadcast on both the BBC and ITV, as is normal.
Where can you stream the World Cup matches in the US and Canada?
The Women’s World Cup was broadcast in the United States in the same format as the men’s tournament at the end of last year.
In 2015, FOX and Telemundo signed a deal with FIFA to show all matches of the men’s and women’s World Cups between 2018 and 2026.
This is the fourth edition of the World Cup being shown at that time – men’s in 2018 and 2022, women’s in 2019 and 2023 – and the last World Cup for their broadcast cycle was the highlight: the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Those who want to watch the Women’s World Cup Final in Canada will find the action on TSN and RDS after Bell Media, similar to FOX, extended its World Cup coverage through 2026 in 2015.
How did Spain and England do it?
How did Spain reach the World Cup Final?
Spain made a good start to the tournament, defeating Costa Rica and Zambia 3-0 and 5-0 respectively, but then suffered a shock defeat to Japan in their final group match.
This loss meant that they finished second in Group C, setting up a knockout match with Switzerland. But the Spaniards returned to their level, crushing their European counterparts 5-1.
They then faced the Netherlands, winning 2-1 in overtime, before defeating Sweden – the conquerors of the USWNT – to secure their place in the Women’s World Cup Final for the first time.
How did England reach the World Cup Final?
England made smooth progression through the group stage, beating both Haiti and Denmark 1-0 before turning their game against China. They won 6-1 at the top of Group D.
But they were forced to sweat in the last 16 against stubborn Nigeria, especially after Lauren James saw red for a stamp. But they clung on and won on penalties.
They also had to work hard against Colombia, where they fell behind for the first time in the tournament. But they fought back to win 2-1 and then beat hosts Australia to reach the final.
Have Spain or England ever won the Women’s World Cup?
No, neither team in Sunday’s final won the Women’s World Cup.
England won the European Championship last summer, beating Spain in the quarter-finals.
The Spanish national team has never won a major tournament.
What’s the early team news?
It remains to be seen how the two sides fare after thrilling semi-final victories with more news in the coming days.
For England, the participation of Lauren James will be the main decision for the selection of team manager Sarina Wegman.
The Chelsea striker was sent off in the round of 16 victory over Nigeria and saw her serve a one-two match ban by FIFA, ensuring a winless run in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
With the ban now over, she will be eligible to play on Sunday. Tony tackled James against Australia, scoring the opening goal.
As for Spain, Jorge Vilda will consider whether to play Aetana Bonmati and Alexia Potellas together again as he did in the semi-final.
Bonmatti has shone so far in Spain’s trip to the final while Ballon d’Or holder Botelas continues to return to top form after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury on the eve of last summer’s European Championships.
What is the Women’s World Cup award?
With women’s football growing exponentially around the world since the last World Cup, there is more money on offer to competing nations than ever before.
The prize pool – which will be split among all 32 teams – is $110m (£88m), an almost 300 per cent upgrade over the $30m (£24m) on offer in 2019.
FIFA has 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 the players and the football associations of the participating countries.
Each player will receive $195,000 (£155,200) for making it to the final with the winner receiving $270,000 (£214,875).
Each participating country will earn $3.02m (£2.4m) for reaching the final with the winning nation receiving $4.29m (£3.41m).
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Answering your questions about the 2023 Women’s World Cup
(Photo: Katherine Ivel/Getty Images)
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