The England coach Mark Sampson has said it was “incredibly tough” to narrow down his World Cup squad to 23 players after announcing the group who will travel to the competition in Canada this summer.
He has picked Katie Chapman, who did not play for England between 2011 and 2015 after an impasse with the then England coach Hope Powell. The former captain Casey Stoney, Reading’s Fran Kirby and Birmingham’s Jo Potter were also named, but there were no places for the Liverpool striker Natasha Dowie, Gothenburg’s midfielder Anita Asante, the Notts County forward Jess Clarke and Manchester City’s left-back Demi Stokes.
Eight players will be taking part in their first senior World Cup – Lucy Bronze, Alex Greenwood, Jade Moore, Jordan Nobbs, Potter, Toni Duggan, Kirby and Jodie Taylor. There is also experience as Siobhan Chamberlain, Alex Scott, Stoney, Jill Scott, Fara Williams, Eniola Aluko and Karen Carney are all preparing for their third appearance at a World Cup, all having featured in 2007 and again 2011.
“This is a hugely exciting time for all the staff and players,” said Chapman. “We’re ranked sixth in the world, we are a good team and we’ve got some exceptional players. We’ve got a very compact, resolute unit and we’ve got a real togetherness in the group so we’ll certainly be a difficult opponent for anyone in Canada.
“I think as a group of staff we’re very clear about the direction we want to take the team in during the tournament and hopefully the players can pull together. With this group in particular we have a large number of players who have performed very well and contributed to get this team to where it is now. The ambition is to go to Canada and win the competition but we’ve got to treat every game like a final.”
Those selected will head, almost immediately, to a training camp at St George’s Park, Burton, before flying to Toronto for a final friendly against the tournament hosts on 29 May. After that England move to Moncton in New Brunswick where they face games with France on 9 June and Mexico four days later. Then comes the final Group F match, against Colombia, in Montreal on 17 June.
“A World Cup is the pinnacle of every player’s career and we want to enjoy every moment,” said the captain Houghton. “We worked so hard to get to the World Cup, now we just can’t wait to get started. We know we’ve got a tough group but we are prepared to go there and give it our all. It will be an honour and a privilege to lead these girls in Canada.”
England won all 10 of their World Cup qualifiers scoring 52 goals and conceding just one in the process, but are ranked behind the United States, Germany, Brazil, France, Sweden, the holders Japan and Canada in the betting.
Sampson, who was a coach under Roberto Martínez at Swansea and is the former manager of Bristol Academy, is aiming to steer England past the quarter‑finals, something the men’s side have struggled with at major tournaments. He has spoken of the need to select “good tourists”, capable of ensuring England’s camp remains harmonious over the course of what could turn into several weeks away from home. “It’s important we get the right players and the right people,” he said. “It’s important we get the right blend.”
Full squad
Goalkeepers: Siobhan Chamberlain (Arsenal); Karen Bardsley (Man City), Carly Telford (Notts County)
Defenders: Lucy Bronze, Steph Houghton (Man City), Alex Scott (Arsenal), Laura Bassett, Alex Greenwood (Notts County), Claire Rafferty (Chelsea), Casey Stoney (Arsenal)
Midfield: Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Fara Williams (Liverpool), Jill Scott (Man City), Jade Moore, Karen Carney, Jo Potter (Birmingham), Katie Chapman (Chelsea)
Forwards: Toni Duggan (Man City), Eni Aluko (Chelsea), Lianne Sanderson (Arsenal), Jodie Taylor (Portland Thorns), Fran Kirby (Reading), Ellen White (Notts County)
