Sarina Wiegman and England Lionesses on cusps of historic third international trophy

England will play Spain on Sunday with the chance of adding to last summer's European Championship win and 2023's Women's Finalissima trophy

England are the world’s best women’s football team. Although United States Women’s National Team fans and U.S. soccer media will argue the fact, which they have since the Yanks were knocked out of the World Cup in the round of 16, the Lionesses continue to get better and better.

The Lionesses will face Spain on Sunday in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final. La Roja were one of the favourites to win the tournament before it kicked off despite the problems between players and coach Jorge Vilda.

The final will feature two teams that have never played in a Women’s World Cup final previously. A new Women’s World Cup champion will be crowned in Sydney.

The Women’s World Cup final will be a rematch of England and Spain’s 2022 UEFA European Championship quarterfinal fixture. England came from behind on that occasion, scoring in the 84th minute to force extra time. There, the Lionesses won thanks to a Georgia Stanway goal to win and progress to the semifinals. England went on to win the Euros and claim their first major trophy.

Wiegman and the Lionesses reconfirmed their power in women’s football by winning the Women’s Finalissima in April of this year. England defeated South American champions Brazil 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

The architect behind the Lionesses’ success is Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman. The former North Carolina Tar Heel player will manage in a second consecutive Women’s World Cup final. In 2019, she led the Netherlands to the final against the USWNT, where the Dutch were beaten 2-0. She had already won the UEFA European Championship in 2017, taking the Netherlands to their first-ever major trophy.

Wiegman arrived in England after the departure of Phil Neville in 2021. Like his predecessor Mark Sampson, Neville led the Lionesses to a World Cup semifinal.

But like Sampson, Neville couldn’t get England over the line and into the final match in France. In 2015 and 2019, England reached back-to-back Women’s World Cup semifinals, losing both times. Sampson was able to pick up a bronze medal in Canada. Neville saw the Lionesses slump to a 2-1 loss to Sweden in the third-place playoff.

Since the 2015 World Cup, England have been on the rise in women’s football. Just four years after the start of the Women’s Super League, the Lionesses were starting to roar.

Hope Powell’s work with the England women’s national team shouldn’t be overlooked, however. Powell managed the Lionesses from 1998 to 2013. For newly minted Lioness fans, Powell is a forgotten (or unknown) figure in the building of the women’s national team programme. During Powell’s time with England, the women's national team wasn’t on the radar of the British sports media or sports fans.

Wiegman built on the foundations of the coaches that came before her. But the Dutch coach has taken England to a new level thanks to making timely decisions to get the most out of her squad. She has also benefitted from a fully professional WSL.

England reached the Women’s World Cup semifinals for the third straight tournament and will play for silverware for the second straight summer — the team will play for a third trophy in the last year.

Meanwhile, Wiegman will manage in her second consecutive World Cup final. It is a feat no coach had achieved in women’s or men’s football until Wiegman accomplished it.

Wiegman’s squad is made up of experienced players from the WSL, Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga, and Spain’s Liga F. No player in either the England or Spain team comes from America’s NWSL, showing the strength of women’s football in Europe and its impact on the international stage.

The last time a senior England team played in a World Cup final was in 1966. The England men’s team defeated Germany 4-2 after extra time. The men have not reached the final of a World Cup since.

England are now consistently reaching the final four of major tournaments. Wiegman’s impact has been significant, but it is only part of the rise of the Lionesses. The domestic league and UEFA Champions League have also helped the team’s development.

The Lionesses can lift the Women’s World Cup on Sunday against Spain. If so, England can pull off a trophy double under Wiegman to solidify their status as the best in the world.