Following a month of exhilarating Women’s World Cup action in Australia and New Zealand, Spain and England will meet in the final Accor Stadium on Sunday.
Spain booked their place in the showpiece with a 2-1 victory over Sweden in the semi-finals, while England defeated Australia 3-1 to punch their ticket to the final.
A thoroughly competitive semi-final.#Lionesses | @GoogleCloud_UKI pic.twitter.com/SgpWx7eKrk— Lionesses (@Lionesses) August 16, 2023
A thoroughly competitive semi-final.#Lionesses | @GoogleCloud_UKI pic.twitter.com/SgpWx7eKrk
The Lionesses find themselves in back-to-back major finals after winning last year’s European Championship, while La Roja have never previously made it past the last 16 in a World Cup.
Spain kicked off their World Cup campaign with easy victories over Costa Rica (3-0) and Zambia (5-0) before suffering a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Japan in the final group game.
However, the Spaniards bounced straight back with a 5-1 win against Switzerland in the last 16 before defeating the Netherlands 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
On Tuesday, La Roja scored in the 81st minute and 89th minute to claim a 2-1 victory over Sweden in the semi-finals, finishing the match with 63% possession and 13 shots.
Thanks to the triumph against Sweden, Spain have now won 15 of their previous 17 matches across all competitions – including friendlies.
On the flip side, England claimed maximum points in the group stage, dispatching Haiti (1-0), Denmark (1-0) and China (6-1).
After 120 minutes of goalless action in the round of 16, the Lionesses defeated Nigeria on penalties before beating Colombia 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
On Wednesday, England knocked out host nation Australia to book their place in the final, courtesy of goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo.
Having won the European Championship on home soil last summer, the Lionesses will be determined to secure back-to-back major titles Down Under.
Head-to-head: Spain and England have met 11 times over the years, with La Roja winning on only two occasions since 2007.
The two sides met on a couple of occasions last year, including during the Euro quarter-finals, when England claimed a 2-1 victory after extra time.
Team news: Aitana Bonmati and Jennifer Hermoso have both bagged three goals and two assists for Spain since the tournament began.
As for England, Lauren James – who has notched three goals and three assists – will return from suspension this weekend after serving a two-match ban.
It goes without saying that Spain and England will both be desperate to lift the trophy on Sunday, but the Lionesses should have enough quality to secure the silverware.
In fact, Forebet predicts that England will notch a high-scoring victory over Spain in the final, adding the World Cup title to last summer’s European Championship triumph.