England and Spain will both make history when their players step out onto the pitch at Stadium Australia to play in the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday. It’s both squads’ first championship appearance.
Both teams come into the title match riding incredible highs. England was No. 4, and Spain was No. 6 in the FIFA women’s rankings before the start of the tournament, and both now get to compete for the championship.
England finished in fourth place in 2019 and in third in 2015. Their third-place finish was their best run up until this point. The U.S. booted England from the semifinals in 2019 in dramatic fashion. But that time, the U.S. failed to make it out of the round of 16. The Lionesses get to roar this time.
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England defeated Australia 3-1 in the semifinals and topped Colombia in the quarters. England eked by Nigeria in penalties in the Round of 16. Before the knockout stage, England won their group over Denmark, China and Haiti.
"I’m the lucky one — the last two tournaments I’m going to the final," said England coach Sarina Wiegman, who led the Netherlands to the final last year. "You make it to finals, it’s really special. I’m like, ‘Am I here in the middle of a fairytale or something?’"
Spain has had just as dramatic of a run in the Women’s World Cup.
La Roja nearly didn’t even get this far. More than a dozen players signed a letter complaining about coach Jorge Vilda back in September and the conditions for the national team. Players insisted they didn’t want Vilda’s dismissal. But through the controversy, Spain persevered and now has a chance at glory.
In only their third World Cup appearance, Spain is in the final. Spain topped Sweden in the semifinal, and the Netherlands in the quarters, and trounced Switzerland in the Round of 16.
Spain finished second in Group C behind Japan. But they finished ahead of Zambia and Costa Rica to get this far.
"Now it’s the final. I think we have to do what we’ve done in every match," Salma Paralluelo said after the semifinal win. "We’ve overcome every challenge, and now we face the ultimate challenge, the big one."
Here’s what to know about the Women’s World Cup final.
England vs. Spain will kick off at 6 a.m. ET on Sunday on FOX with coverage beginning at 5 a.m. ET Fans can tune in to watch the match here.
England are in their sixth World Cup appearance. Their first came in 1995, but they didn’t make it back until 2007. In each of their World Cup appearances, they’ve made it to at least the quarterfinal round. The 2015 tournament was their best as they won the third-place game.
Spain are only in their third World Cup appearance. La Roja made it in 2015 behind Verónica Boquete but didn’t get out of the group stage. The squad made it to the Round of 16 behind Hermoso but lost in the Round of 16.
