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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Jack Lacey-Hatton

Lionesses road to Women's World Cup finals with 100 days until opening match

100 days from now reigning European Champions England will face Haiti in their first game at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The biggest tournament ever, which will have 32 teams competing for the first time, sees the Lionesses drawn in Group D, with Denmark and China also involved. Sarina Wiegman remained bullish after the European champions lost their final game of the regular season, 2-0 against Australia this week, saying they still had momentum with the tournament now firmly on the horizon.

England will take to the field to face the CONCACAF side at the Lang Park in Brisbane on July 22 at 10:30am UK time. But what is the path laid out for Wiegman's team between now and then?

Here is the path laid out from now until that first competitive kick of a ball.

End of May: Domestic football season finishes and squad is named

The majority of the England squad play in Europe and will play their last competitive domestic games in May. One notable exception is USA-based forward Ebony Salmon, with her season at Houston Dash having only just begun.

But a large percentage of Wiegman's squad play in the WSL and will play their final game of the season on May 27, a Saturday. This was brought forward a day to avoid a clash with the finale of the men's Premier League.

After this a good number of the players who will be in contention for the final squad will be able to recharge their batteries, at the end of a long, hard campaign.

Sarina Wiegman will then select and inform the 23 players that will make up her final squad. The announcement of the final 23 will then be made in late May. The England boss will also select players to be on standby in case of any late withdrawals, but it isn't yet known if these names will be made public.

By the time the new month starts we will know who is making the trip Down Under. Wiegman was amongst a group of international managers calling on FIFA to expand the squad size to 26 players for the tournament, but this call was rejected in December.

June 3: UEFA Women's Champions League final

Although England's World Cup squad will be public at this point, their will be one final club fixture for some Lionesses to navigate, which Wiegman will have to keep tracks on. At least one of Chelsea or Barcelona will contest the 2023 Women's Champions League final in Eindhoven on June 3, with the two sides contesting a semi-final later this month.

Both sides have English representation, with Millie Bright, Fran Kirby, Lauren James, Jess Carter and Niamh Charles all potentially involved for the Blues, although Bright and Kirby have had injury problems recently, with Wiegman saying after the Australia game she was more "concerned" about Kirby's potential participation.

If Barcelona get through the key England duo of Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh will have one last game to get through before meeting up with the national team. The likes of Lionesses captain Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben-Moy will also be involved in this one if Arsenal can get past Wolfsburg in the other semi-final. Beth Mead isn't expected to be back fit for any of Arsenal's season including this potential final.

This means if we get an all-English final, as many as seven members of the World Cup squad could be in action. England fans will be just hoping they all come through unscathed.

June 19: Squad meet at St George's Park

Although some players will have already arrived and anyone involved in the Champions League final will arrive later, the first official squad meeting for World Cup preparation will come on June 19. This will be the first chance Wiegman and her staff get to address the selected 23 and work on the training pitch.

During this time the players will stay at the national football centre in Burton, beginning what could prove to be around two months together, should the Lionesses reach the final.

The Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort - where England will stay during the first part of their time in Australia (Getty Images)

Early July: Send-off game before flying out

In welcome news after the Lionesses flat night against Australia at Brentford, England will play one more time on home soil before heading Down Under. Fans will be able to watch the European Champions live in a warm-up game, only days before the team fly out.

This will give Wiegman a chance to get back to winning ways after the 30-game unbeaten run was ended by the Matildas. The venue, opponent and exact date is all yet to be confirmed.

But it will definitely take place before July 5. That is the day England fly to Australia to begin their final preperations.

July 7: First base camp at Sunshine Coast Stadium

On arrival in Australia, England will head to the Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort, which is also located in Queensland, for a training camp ahead of the first game.

The Sunshine Coast Stadium is part of a multi-sport facility that had a significant upgrade in 2011 and has played host to several elite Australian sports teams. Now at a capacity of 12,000, it is part of Brisbane’s plans for hosting the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

On announcement of the venue for England's first camp, Sarina Wiegman said: “We can’t wait to get out to Australia. It is great we know where we will continue our World Cup preparations and we are very happy to have this perfect combination of training ground and hotel.

"The work we do in the last weeks before the tournament will be essential for making sure we get off to a good start on 22 July.

"I was very impressed with what I saw when I visited Sunshine Coast Stadium just after the New Year. We will have everything we need on the pitch, as well as high performance gym and recovery facilities.

"We had such a warm welcome from all the people there which is also important. I know everyone will be behind the host nation, but we felt Sunshine Coast will feel like a home away from home for us."

July 17: Move to Brisbane before Haiti clash

After adapting to life in Australia and getting in their final tournament preparations on the training pitch, England will travel to Brisbane five days before their first match at the finals.

Here Sarina Wiegman's team will be able to take in the first few games of the tournament and become familiar with the Lang Park stadium in the state capital. The Lionesses then take on Brisbane at 7:30pm local time (10:30 UK time) in their first match at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

For an early diary call, should they go all the way, the final is on August 20 at Sydney's incredible Stadium Australia in front of 82,500 fans.

NEW! Our Year: European Champions 2022 - The Official England Winners Book

With a foreword by England manager Sarina Wiegman, this is the only official book of the historic triumph, reliving every kick of a thrilling tournament and telling the stories of the players who made it all happen.

Order from https://reachsportshop.com/book/our-year-european-champion-2022/

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