The Fifa World Cup gets underway on Thursday and England will be hoping to build on their historic Euro 2022 triumph last summer by spreading their dominance worldwide.
Sarina Wiegman and her players head to Australia and New Zealand as the second favourites (7/2) to win the tournament behind reigning champions and four-time winners the USA.
The Lionesses are no strangers to this stage and have experienced their fair share of heartbreak over the years in their pursuit of football’s biggest prize.
1995 - QUARTER-FINALS
England’s first appearance at the World Cup finals came in Sweden back in 1995 when the Lionesses boasted the likes of Hope Powell and Marieanne Spacey and were managed by Ted Copeland. England won their first World Cup match against Canada in Group B, 3-2. A brace from Gillian Coultard and a penalty from Spacey set the Lionesses on their way to progression from the group stage.
READ MORE:
They were beaten 2-0 by Norway in their second fixture but bounced back with another 3-2 victory, this time over Nigeria. It was a game that could’ve been described as the Karen show with Karen Farley and Karen Walker providing the goals to send them through to the knockout stage.
England’s bubble was burst by eventual runners-up Germany in the quarter-finals. The Lionesses were comfortably beaten 3-0 as they were shown just what was needed to thrive at this level.
2007 - QUARTER-FINALS
After failing to qualify for the 1999 and 2003 World Cup finals tournaments, England certainly had a point to prove in China when 2007 rolled around. Under the stewardship of Powell, who had experienced the disheartening quarter-final exit back in 1995, England were out to show what they were made of.
The Lionesses had stars such as Fara Williams, Kelly Smith, Casey Stoney and Sue Smith in their ranks, and started off with a 2-2 draw with Japan which felt like a defeat as they were in front with five minutes left on the clock thanks to Kelly Smith’s quickfire brace. Their next fixture saw them meet Germany, and there was a chance to enact revenge for 1995. They were able to secure a goalless draw against the eventual champions, becoming the only team DFB-Frauen were unable to beat.
Powell’s side then ran rampant against Argentina in a 6-1 routing. They were in need of a win to have any chance of progressing to the knockout stage and they delivered in style. Smith was on hand to provide another brace as Jill Scott, Williams and Vicky Exley also got on the scoresheet to book a tough test with the United States in the quarter-finals.
After seemingly holding their nerve against The Stars and Stripes with a goalless scoreline at the break, England were stunned as USA showed their might with three goals in the space of 12 minutes to send the Lionesses home early for the second time.
2011 - QUARTER-FINALS
There was a feeling that there had been a change in the wind when England landed in Germany 12 years ago and finished top of their group for the first time. Powell’s team drew with Mexico before beating New Zealand 2-1 and rounding off the group stage with a 2-0 win over Japan.
But of course the quarter-finals were going to be England’s biggest test. This time around it was France who stood in their way and when Scott scored just before the hour mark at the BayArena, it felt like this was England’s moment to shine. That all came crashing down, however, when Elise Bussaglia levelled the match in the 88th minute to force extra time.
After a nervy additional 30 minutes, penalties were required to separate the two sides. Faye White stepped up needing to score after Claire Rafferty had squandered her opportunity in the previous spot-kick. White’s strike rattled against the crossbar and at that moment it felt like the Lionesses were cursed to never reach the World Cup semi-finals.
2015 - SEMI-FINALS (THIRD PLACE)
Under the leadership of Mark Sampson, the Lionesses travelled to Canada in 2015 hoping to change the world’s perception of the England national team. After getting back to the familiar position of the quarter-final stage, they broke new ground by knocking out the host nation thanks to two early goals from Jodie Taylor and Lucy Bronze. It felt like a turning point in the Lionesses’ history.
Their dream of reaching their first World Cup final was dashed when they were beaten by familiar foes Japan in the semi-finals. The decisive goal was cruel as not only did it come in injury time but it was an own goal to make it even worse. Laura Bassett tried to cut out a cross from the right and her intervention carried the ball over Karen Bardsley and into the net via the crossbar.
The Lionesses were crushed but they still had a third-place play-off to play, and it just had to be against historical rivals Germany. After a gruelling 90 minutes between the two sides, England managed to avenge their 1995 exit through Fara Williams, whose spot-kick ensured the Lionesses left with the bronze medal.
2019 - SEMI-FINALS (FOURTH PLACE)
England were once again under new management when the next World Cup in France rolled around. Phil Neville was the man trusted to take the Lionesses one step further after their trailblazing campaign in Canada.
They got off to a flyer by smashing their group with nine points against Scotland, Argentina and Cameroon. England then demonstrated their strength against 1995 winners Norway in a convincing 3-0 victory. Scott, Ellen White and Bronze were the heroic scorers on the day. The only downside was that they had to tussle with the USA to get to the final.
History sadly repeated itself as goals from Christen Press and Alex Morgan were enough to cancel out White’s strike and confine the Lionesses to the third-place play-off for the second tournament running. Unlike 2015, England were unable to come home with the bronze medal as they were undone by two early goals from Sweden, falling to a 2-1 loss.
*18+ | BeGambleAware
