Curly Theus, the goalkeeper from Haiti, doesn't make a big impression. Credit: PA/Zach Goodwin
It's been less than a year since the Lionesses infuriated the nation by lifting the European Championship trophy. This instantly made them one of the favorites for this World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
England has never won the biggest prize in a women's game. They advanced the furthest in the semi-finals in 2015 and 2019.
The first leg against Haiti should be a gift to Sarina Wigman's team.
What and when?
Begins on Saturday, July 22 at 10:30 am (Moscow time). This is the eighth match of the World Cup at the moment.
Where is the match?
Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, with a capacity of 52,500 spectators.
How to watch
England's first match of the tournament will be on ITV. A TV closure in the UK was avoided after the BBC and ITV agreed to broadcast each match live.
It is not known whether the BBC and ITV have increased their previous offer, but a £7-7.9 million deal has been reached where two free-to-air channels will broadcast all 64 matches. The games are split between the two networks.
Both BBC One and ITV1 will broadcast the final live on 20 August.
What do I need to know about Haiti?
The Caribbean islanders qualified for their first World Cup with a 2-1 win over Chile in the Intercontinental Playoffs in February. Hait are ranked 53rd in the world and are relatively obscure at top international level.
Sarina Wigman, England manager, says they have «left no stone unturned» in their preparation. Here are five things you need to know about your opponent.
The best young player in the world
The star player of the Caribbean nation, Lyon midfielder Melchi Dumornay, was named the «Best Young Player in the World» on the respected NXGN Prodigy List for 2022, along with the men's winner, England's Jude Bellingham.
Dumornay scored two goals in February's win over Chile in the Intercontinental Playoffs, securing a place in the final of the tournament. The 19-year-old grew up playing football barefoot on the streets of Haiti and participating in numerous youth international tournaments before achieving a dream move to French club Lyon, who was signed in January.
Speaking exclusively to Telegraph Sport about Haiti's ambitions for the World Cup in February, Dumornay said: “We want to write history for Haiti and take part in this World Cup. We want the world to see that there are great players in Haiti and to thank the people.”
5'4″ Goaltender
At just 5'4″, Curly Theus is one of the shortest goaltenders in the tournament. It is said that she never planned to be a goalkeeper, but has established herself as No. 1 in her country.
In a recent interview with the BBC Sport website, she said: “There was no goalkeeper in my age group. I didn't want to play in goal, but I learned the mechanics: how to hold the ball, know when to dive, how to dive and stuff like that.
«I've been to tournaments where people said, 'Haiti? What is this?» We want the world to know about Haiti and our talents.»
They think England has a 'finishing problem'
Manager Nicolas Delepin said in a pre-match press conference that England may not be shooting to their full potential in front of the net — referring to the Liones' three-match streak without scoring — saying: «They have great players, they are very difficult to play against, they are obviously very good in attack, but they may have problems finishing.»
He later added, when asked about the dangers of England: «We are not afraid of anything. Let's see [what happens] on the field, first we have to show our football, our strengths.”
Haiti are expected to play defensively on Saturday with five players on the back line.
They're in tough shape
The World Cup debutants have arrived in Australia after a four-game losing streak following defeats to Guatemala, Venezuela, Costa Rica and South Korea. However, earlier this year they defeated Senegal and Chile, and last year they defeated Mexico, Cuba and Costa Rica.
Their world ranking of 53 is the highest they have achieved to date, thanks to the fact that they finished third in their original qualifying group for this tournament.
Their first encounter with England
As the third lowest ranked team in the World Cup, Haiti could be happy to qualify as they say they want to «make history» by «doing something special» against the Lionesses.
The two teams have never met before, but this is not surprising since both sides are in different continental qualifiers.
There are no professional women's clubs in Haiti, a country of just over 11 million people. But they made it to the men's World Cup final in 1974, where they finished last in a group that also included Argentina, Italy and Poland, with three defeats out of three. Anything better than this will be seen as a big national sporting success this time around.
Who else is in England's group?
Together with Haiti, Kira Walsh & Co. will take on Denmark and China in Group D.
Sarina Wigman had this to say about the difficult pool. «This is an exciting group,» said the manager of the Lionesses. “We know Denmark very well, China is also a very good opponent. They are a bit in transition, or they were in transition.
“At the Olympics they had problems, they have a new coach and they won the Asian Cup. We don't know another yet. Three very different opponents with different styles of play.”
What do the other World Cup groups look like?
Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland
Group B: Australia, Ireland, Nigeria, Canada
Group C: Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, Japan
Group E: USA, Vietnam, Netherlands, Portugal
Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, Panama
Group G: strong> Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina
Group H: Germany, Morocco, Colombia, South Korea
What are the attachments? Women's World Cup 2023 schedule Who is in the England squad?
Goalkeepers:Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City)
Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Law tte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Laura Coombs (Manchester City), Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Thun (Manchester United), Kira Walsh (Barcelona), Cathy Zelem (Manchester United)
Forwards: Rachel Daley (As Ton Villa), Be Tanya England (Tottenham Hotspur), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Katie Robinson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Alessia Russo (Manchester United)
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