Lionesses have golden World Cup opportunity as disruption hits main rivals
It's almost too easy to get carried away with England's performances at the moment.
The Lionesses retained the Arnold Clark Cup last week after sweeping aside South Korea, Italy and Belgium, the final performance against the Red Flames the best of the lot. The likes of Leah Williamson, Lauren James and Chloe Kelly all shone as Sarina Wiegman's team reaffirmed the status as one of the best teams on the planet - serious contenders for the FIFA Women's World Cup this summer.
More seem to be tipping England for the trophy than they were before this international break, but probably not due to anything we saw from England on the pitch. On Friday, France, one of the other favourites to lift the World Cup, fell into crisis when captain Wendie Renard announced that she wouldn't play at the tournament to preserve her mental health.
PSG pair Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani then announced that they too would not be making the trip to Australia for the World Cup. In a statement released following the withdrawals, the French Football Federation (FFF) said it would take up the issue when its executive committee next meets, but did ominously add that "The FFF would like to reiterate that no individual is above the institution that is the French national team."
Corinne Diacre, the national team manager, is reportedly considering her position as coach. Les Bleus are on the verge of total disarray with the biggest tournament in the game only a matter of months away. Sadly for the international women's game, this is not exclusively a French issue. The World Cup kicks off on July 20 when New Zealand meet Norway in Auckland, yet some of the biggest teams won't field their strongest sides, as things stand.
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European neighbours Spain saw 15 senior players resign from international duty, amid a civil war with coach Jorge Vilda who currently remains in post, working with a skeleton squad. They remain fourth favourites with most bookies behind USA, England and Germany but La Roja's chances of going all the way almost certainly rely on getting some sort of resolution.
Kadidiatou Diani is the latest France player to say she won't be playing international football going forward (Getty Images / 2022 Aurelien Meunier - PSG)Canada are currently involved in a labour dispute with their federation, Canada soccer, after funding cuts with the team threatening to strike before their SheBelieves Cup campaign. They did eventually take to the pitch for their three ties, but finished in last place and were thrashed 3-0 by Japan in the final game.
The dispute remains unsettled and captain Christine Sinclair and the rest of the squad aren't ruling out strike action for the April international window. This was a side who won Olympic Gold only 18 months ago, one of the best teams in the world.
Three teams who could all win the World Cup are in nothing short of crisis, although it is terrible news for neutral fans, a reduction in competition only increases the chances of England going all the way. But that won't be the way most fans want to see things play out, the circumstances across all three are nuanced and different, but the reoccurring theme is that players feel let down by their national federations.
The USA remain the favourite with most leading bookmakers, but even they aren't in the perfect headspace five months out from the tournament.
Mallory Swanson's superb run of form saw them lift the She Believes Cup, but they suffered three defeats on the bounce at the end of 2022, with England and Spain among the sides to beat them and the US only narrowly beat 45th ranked Nigeria prior to that. Off-the-pitch, the game in America is still dealing with the fallout from a damaging report delivered after a year-long independent investigation into abuse and sexual misconduct in US women’s soccer.
US soccer's president described the findings as "heartbreaking." The Americans will always have one of the strongest teams at the World Cup on paper, but winning the tournament probably isn't the top priority of the governing body's management right now.
But this is an event that needs its best players and the best teams. Every Women's World Cup seems to be bigger than the last, but this one could be vital to the sport's health for the next four to five years.
Not only is the tournament expanding to include 32 teams for the first time ever, with 10 stadiums in use, it is also going to take place across two sport-mad nations, with the hype and coverage likely surpassing what we saw in France four years ago.
But it will only be able to recognise its potential if there are a number of contenders to lift the trophy. To have the likes of Renard, Alexis Putellas and Janine Beckie all not in Australia or New Zealand is a shuddering prospect to anyone who sees how the game grows through its stars.
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All top-level sport is driven by competition and England or Germany potentially winning a half-empty World Cup due to boycotts and politics wouldn't have the same impact on the game as it would after a fiercely competitive tournament.
The Lionesses do deserve their status as one of the favourites. Sarina Wiegman has not a put a foot wrong since taking the job and is yet to lose a game. They are unbeaten in 29 games, are European Champions and their strength in depth is bordering on ridiculous.
We may yet find out more about their chances after April's double header against Australia and Brazil, who may well provide the toughest opposition they have faced since the Euros. But if England are to go all the way this summer, hopefully - for the good of the game - it will come after beating the very best in the world.
The Lionesses want to be World Champions. Not paper champions.
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