Historic World Cup Final
Just two teams are left at the Women's World Cup and they'll be battling it out for the coveted trophy at Stadium Australia on Sunday. Spain, with no fewer than nine FC Barcelona players in their ranks will be playing England, who have two Barça players of their own. Eleven players is a huge increase on the club's previous best of two in 2019 when Lieke Martens and Stefanie van der Gragt both featured for the Netherlands.
Barça final
What we know for sure is that FC Barcelona will have world champion players for the first time, although we don't yet know whether they will be Spaniards (Irene Paredes, Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, Alexia Putellas, Laia Codina, María Pérez, Salma Paralluelo and Cata Coll) or Englishwomen (Keira Walsh and Lucy Bronze).
First tiem finalists
Neither country has ever won the World Cup before. In fact, this is the first ever final appearance for both teams. England finished third in 2015 and fourth in 2019, while Spain had never made it any further than the round of 16 before.
England looking to add to Euro success
Spain are no strangers to success at different youth levels, including winning the U17 World Cup in 2018, but major trophies at senior level have thus far eluded them. Not only have they never played a World Cup Final before, but they have never made it to the last two in the European Championship either.
The Lionesses had never won a major honour either until they hosted and won Euro 2022, beating Germany 2-1 in the final.
Both countries have won the men's World Cup before, Spain in 2010 and England in 1966. They now hope to follow Germany and become only the second country ever to have had won both the men's and the women's World Cup.