England Women: History of the Lionesses at the World Cup
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England Women at the World Cup
England’s hopes of winning a first World Cup ended in Sydney where they lost 1-0 to Spain.
Lauren Hemp hit the crossbar for the Lionesses, but went down to a low, angled drive from Olga Carmona just before the half-hour mark.
The Lionesses had reached the semi-finals in the last two editions and here we look at the history of England Women at the World Cup since the first tournament in 1991.
1991 (China): Failed to qualify
Securing a place at the inaugural tournament in China came via qualification for the European Championship, with four semi-finalists guaranteed a place at the World Cup.
England finished second in their group behind Norway which meant a daunting quarter-final encounter with Germany which they lost 6-1 on aggregate over the two legs.
1995 (Sweden) Quarter-finals
Ted Copeland led England to the World Cup finals for the first time by reaching the semi-finals of the European Championship, but their exit followed a similar pattern to the one from four years earlier.
The Lionesses finished second to eventual champions Norway in the group stage but once again were no match for Germany in the quarter-finals where they lost 3-0 in Vasteras in a match played in front of little over 2,000 supporters.
1999: (USA) Failed to qualify
Hope Powell became the first female England Women’s coach in 1998 and for the first time UEFA set up separate qualifiers to secure places at the World Cup.
The former Millwall Lionesses attacker could not have been handed a much tougher set of qualifiers, losing five of their six matches against Germany, Norway and Netherlands to finish bottom of the group with just three points.
2003: (USA) Failed to qualify
Powell must have shaken her head in disbelief when the qualification draw was made as England once again were pitted against Germany, although at least this time they made it to the play-offs by finishing in second spot.
In the semi-finals a late goal from Amanda Barr gave England a 3-2 aggregate victory over Iceland, but 1-0 defeats in both legs against France in the final meant the suitcases had to stay on standby.
2007: (China) Quarter-finals
It was third time lucky for Powell four years later when England topped their qualification group ahead of France and the Netherlands with six wins and two draws from their eight games.
In China, Kelly Smith struck twice in the final 10 minutes to give England a 2-1 lead against Japan in their group opener, only to concede an equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Encouragingly, the Lionesses drew 0-0 with world champions Germany in their next game and a 6-1 victory over Argentina in their final group match meant they went through to the knockout stage as runners-up.
Despite going in at the break goalless in their quarter-final with the USA, England conceded three times in 12 minutes shortly after the restart to crash out of the tournament.
2011: (Germany) Quarter-finals
Powell’s final World Cup as head coach started well enough, finishing top of their qualification group unbeaten with seven wins from eight games.
In Germany, England drew their opening game 1-1 with Mexico and four days later overcame a half-time deficit to beat New Zealand 2-1 thanks to goals from Jill Scott and Jessica Clarke.
Goals in both halves from Ellen White and Rachel Yankey secured a 2-0 win against Japan and top spot in the group but once again there was heartache in the quarter-finals where England came up against France.
Scott’s opener just before the hour mark put England within touching distance of a first semi-final, but the French equalised two minutes from the end and the teams could not be separated in extra time.
England led 3-2 in the penalty shoot-out but Claire Rafferty and Faye White missed their spot-kicks unlike Les Bleus, who advanced to the last four where they lost to the USA.
2015: (Canada) Semi-finals
Mark Sampson was put in charge of the national team following Powell’s dismissal and he engineered England’s best ever performance at a World Cup which by this time had been expanded from 16 to 24 teams.
England won all 10 matches in qualifying, scoring 52 goals and conceding just once, but the group stage in Canada got off to a disappointing start as they lost 1-0 to France.
However, Karen Carney scored in 2-1 wins against Mexico and Colombia to ensure second place in the group and a place in the round of 16 where they fought back from a goal down to beat Norway 2-1 thanks to goals from Steph Houghton and Lucy Bronze.
Jodie Taylor and Bronze secured a 2-1 victory over tournament hosts Canada in the last eight which meant they faced Japan for a place in the final.
First-half penalties meant the sides went in at the break level and as the game was heading for extra time, Laura Bassett scored a calamitous own goal to break English hearts.
2019: (France) Semi-finals
Sampson was sacked in 2017 and replaced by Phil Neville, who led England to the semi-finals of a major tournament for the third successive time.
Qualification was once again a formality and wins against Scotland, Argentina and Japan meant the Lionesses went through to the knockout phase as group winners.
England crushed Cameroon 3-0 in the round of 16 and beat Norway by the same scoreline in the quarter-finals which meant they faced defending champions USA in the semis.
Christen Press headed the Americans into a 10th-minute lead but White converted Beth Mead’s excellent cross from the left shortly afterwards.
Just after the half-hour mark, Alex Morgan headed in the winner on her 30th birthday and unforgettably marked the occasion with a tea-sipping celebration which sparked controversy from those without a sense of humour.
Houghton had the chance to take the game into exrra time but her 84th-minute penalty was saved by Alyssa Naeher shortly before Millie Bright was sent off for a second yellow card.
2023: (Australia and New Zealand) Final
England’s dream of lifting a first World Cup was dashed at the final hurdle after Olga Carmona’s first-half strike proved enough to secure Spain a 1-0 victory in Sydney.
Sarina Wiegman’s side still achieved a best-ever second-place finish, but that will be little consolation to the Lionesses, who came within inches of an opener when Lauren Hemp clipped the crossbar in the first half.
FIFA Best goalkeeper Mary Earps produced several fine saves to keep England in the contest, including the block to deny Jennifer Hermoso’s second-half spot kick as her determined team-mates tried to stage a comeback.
That never came, and while the Lionesses had their chances they ultimately could not find a way past speedy Spain, who survived 13 minutes of stoppage time to secure a deserved maiden world title.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
