England are a weakened outfit marred by injuries - but they still have Lucy Bronze
England will be without 2022 Ballon d'Or Feminin runner-up Beth Mead and captain Leah Williamson, who both suffered ACL injuries. Playmaker Fran Kirby is also missing with a knee injury, while they are still dealing with the retirements of Ellen White and Jill Scott.
But they will still most certainly be able to count on Bronze. When England won the Euros in 2022, she played a vital part in their success, starting all six games in the tournament as well as scoring in their semi-final victory over Sweden. She has become a real powerhouse and figure of consistency at right-back for club and country.
Alongside her seven league titles at four different clubs, Bronze has won four Champions Leagues (three at Lyon, one at Barcelona last season) while also being named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2020.
In 20 league appearances for Barcelona this season, Bronze has kept 17 clean sheets, staggeringly conceding just the two goals.
In Europe, she conceded eight goals in nine games, with four clean sheets to her name.
The World Cup is the only piece of silverware missing from her trophy cabinet, and she has already let it be known that her eyes are firmly fixed on the biggest prize in football.
Just a day after their European triumph on home soil last year, Bronze said: “There’s still one more trophy to win. There’s still a little star missing from our crest on the England shirt”.
Remarkably, Bronze was close to not even being an England player in the first place. After former manager Hope Powell insisted on leaving her out of the squad on numerous occasions, she contemplated playing for the Portuguese national team, with her father from Portugal.
Thankfully for the English, she eventually made her debut for England in 2013, before becoming a regular in 2015. The defender scored twice at the World Cup that year, cementing herself as one of the world's best defenders.
She scored once more at the next World Cup, but England fell at the semi-final hurdle on both occasions.
“Funnily enough, I’ve never actually sat down and watched a World Cup final - because we always get knocked out in the semi-finals and I just don’t like it… Obviously, I know the goals and what happened in them but I’ve never watched them," she said.
“Am I still heartbroken? Yes, because we’ve been close in every World Cup I’ve ever played in. The difference between us on that day was a VAR decision and a penalty save - that’s two things in one game. It was crazy, crazy close."
The Lionesses will be desperate to go a couple of steps further this time around, but they will undoubtedly need a large slice of luck with all their missing players. However, at 31 years old, Bronze will be well aware that she may never get another chance to clinch gold on the biggest stage.
England start their World Cup against Haiti on the 22nd of July.
