England Women Step Up World Cup Preparations

Last updated : 02 April 2019 By Three Lions

The Lionesses take on Canada and Spain over the next week, the first of two double-headers that will see them to the World Cup in France this summer.

Having won the SheBelieves Cup in the USA earlier in the year the expectations are increasing around the England team, now ranked third in the world, and manager Phil Neville will be looking for his squad to confirm their places on the place for the finals.

Chelsea forward Fran Kirby is a certainty to make the cut but misses the upcoming matches with a knee injury.

After a major new sponsorship deal for the Women's Super League was announced recently there was a further boost on Tuesday as Boots were announced as backers of all of the home nations and the Republic of Ireland's women's teams and Neville believes the women's game is on the verge of making a major breakthrough.

With big crowds watching club matches in Spain and Italy recently, Neville said:

"Looking at the attendances in our league [on Sunday], I actually think that's better than the one-off games in Spain or Italy.

"There was 2,800 at Kingsmeadow [where Chelsea beat West Ham], 1,500 at Solihull [where Birmingham lost to Arsenal]. I think we've got a good foundation.

"What I would say is that some of the big teams in England now have got to open their big stadiums and fill it. I think our game in this country is at a far better place than what it is in Spain and Italy."