World Cup 2035 countdown for Young Lionesses

How inspiring is the possibility of having a ‘home’ 2035 World Cup?

Naomi: As the WU23s, it’s probably a target for us, an amazing opportunity if we’re in and around the squad, to play at a home tournament in front of family and friends. There’s a lot of time between then and now, so it’s a goal that’s in the back of your head.

Katie: It’s exciting. Our age group are currently trying to qualify for the WU17 EUROs next year, so the possibility of being able to play in a home World Cup just replicates that. It motivates us even more to get there in the future.

Rachel: Throughout the whole youth set-up, everyone wants to get to the next step and ultimately get into the seniors. The fact that in ten years’ time there could be a World Cup that we could potentially be going to, we definitely speak about it at times, and it is a motivating factor.

Does the recent success of the seniors help your age groups to follow in their footsteps?

Rachel: I think it’s been massive, their success, and it just shows that we can do it, especially with young players like Michelle [Agyemang] going up. Young girls can see her going through the pathway, and they can go, ‘I can do that as well’.

Katie: Yeah, the amount of WU23s that are getting called up to the first team now, it’s almost like they’re
like us, they’re just young players. It proves it’s possible and motivates us even more to keep going.

Naomi: I do think that in the context of the growth of England women’s success, we want to keep being at that level and to then have a home tournament at that point where hopefully the squad has maintained that success, you’d hope that you’d be going into it with that in mind.

What’s your aim with England before 2035?

Naomi: In the WU23s, the aim for the squad is to try and get players ready to make the transition into the seniors. Having Brazil in mind as the next tournament in just under two years’ time would be one aim for me. I have had conversations with some of my WU23 teammates, saying that the 2027 World Cup is not a stretch of the imagination and if we’re doing well and pushing and competing, then that’s a realistic goal for us. And then looking towards the next EURO in 2029.

Rachel: We’ve got hopefully the WU19 EUROs, but then also the WU20s World Cup is next year too, so a lot of the younger girls can really look to have that as one of their aims. That helps bridge the gap from the seniors and the younger ones, seeing that you can get almost the same opportunities around playing a World Cup, but at a younger level and get that little taste of it before then hopefully progressing into the seniors.

Katie: The [U17 EUROs] next year, which we’ll hopefully qualify for, will be our first that we’ve experienced in the pathway, so I think it’s just learning new lessons.

Do you think the prospect of a home World Cup in ten years’ time will encourage more girls to get involved in football?

Rachel: There’s a lot more publicity around women’s football now. You can see even in the last couple of years, it’s really grown and I think that that will continue to grow, especially with the fact that the World Cup can be a home World Cup. And with everything that the Lionesses and the youth teams are continuing to do, I think it’s only going to go up.

Katie: I think the 2022 EUROs already showed that. When I was in year seven and eight at school, I was the only girl playing football, there were no other girls’ teams. But I’m in year eleven now, and each year has dozens of girls trying to get into their teams. If you go into any primary school now, the girls are playing the same as the boys, and it just shows the growth of the game.

Naomi: I think so. Since the home EUROs and then this year, I feel like the infrastructure and the interest in women’s football is growing. A lot of the young girls now who are probably teenagers or just going into secondary school, if they think, ‘oh wow, in ten years’ time, we could be hosting a World Cup’ and there is a pathway for women’s football as a professional, then compared to when I was younger, there are probably a lot more girls who would have that as a dream, as a goal.

And finally, what big career goal have you set for yourself?

Rachel: I’ve always had the dream to play at the top-level, whether that’s in the BWSL or internationally with England. I don’t have any time limits, but just keep working hard, and whatever happens, happens.

Katie: Mine is just to love football, no matter what happens.

Naomi: I’d say playing for the seniors, being in a major tournament and having success.