England riding wave of support, says Sarina Wiegman ahead of World Cup final

Sarina Wiegman says England feel buoyed by the levels of support for the team ahead of the World Cup final.

The Lionesses take on Spain on Sunday as they bid to win the trophy for the first time.

Boss Wiegman said: “It’s incredible what happened. We felt the support, we felt the support here, but also from the other side of the world in the UK. That’s something that we dream of.

“I feel privileged. I’m very happy in the place where I am now. There’s a lot of support, we have everything we need to perform at the highest level. It is a pleasure to work with these incredible people.”

Wiegman was concise when asked how the team had reintegrated Lauren James, who could start on Sunday after serving a two-match suspension following her red card against Nigeria in the last 16.

She said: “Of course she kept training and it’s really nice to have 23 players available for tomorrow.”

Former Netherlands boss Wiegman took over as England manager in September 2021 and led the team to Euro 2022 glory on home soil last summer.

Asked whether the bond between the players and Wiegman had grown, captain and centre-back Millie Bright said: “The longer you work together, the better the connection.

“The better you can be off the pitch, the better the conversation can be and then we can translate that to the squad.

“As much as people don’t want to face challenges, it’s part of the game, it’s part of life, and without those challenges we wouldn’t be where we are today.”