Spain head coach Jorge Vilda batted away questions about his country’s absent stars on the eve of their World Cup final clash with England.

Vilda has guided Spain to their first final amid a backdrop of controversy and rows over the treatment of the team.

The showpiece game in Sydney takes place on Sunday morning, less than a year after 15 players staged a mutiny.

The arguments, which broke out in September last year, threatened to derail Spain’s hopes before an uneasy peace was brokered ahead of the World Cup.

Dubbed ‘Las 15’, the players who walked away were Patri Guijarro, Aitana Bonmati, Mapi Leon, Mariona Caldentey, Sandra Panos, Claudia Pina, Lola Gallardo, Ainhoa Moraza, Nerea Eizagirre, Amaiur Sarriegi, Lucia Garcia, Ona Batlle, Leila Ouahabi, Laia Aleixandri and Andrea Pereira.

If an accommodation has been reached, it appears to be a delicate one. Only three members of the 15 – Bonmati, Caldentey and Batlle – were included in Vilda’s squad for the finals.

Despite the unrest and uncertainty, Spain have made it through to the final following a late win over Sweden in the last four.

Asked early on at his pre-match press conference about the relations between himself and some of his players, Vilda replied: “Next question please.”

Pushed on whether not having some key players in Australia made him “sad”, Vilda seemingly ignored the line of questioning.

“What we want to do tomorrow is to be the best in the world and we’ll do this by winning the final,” he said.

Spain lost 2-1 to England after extra-time at the quarter-final of the Euros last summer as the Lionesses went on to lift the trophy on home soil, with Sarina Wiegman and her players looking to add further silverware on Sunday.

“It was a game that we know we were on top, but the result is what counts,” Vilda said of the loss at the Amex Stadium,

“Games against England really require our best. She (Wiegman) is a trainer that with her results has shown the fruits of her work, it’s not easy what she has achieved.

“You don’t achieve this without excellent preparation and star players. It will be a tactical match and it’s a final that we’re going to fight with everything.”

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.”

Jon Lewis has opened the door for in-form Tammy Beaumont to force her way into England’s Twenty20 team before next year’s World Cup in Bangladesh.

Beaumont blitzed the first century in the women’s edition of the Hundred on Monday, smashing 118 off 61 balls for Welsh Fire, but she was only included in England’s ODI squad for the upcoming series with Sri Lanka on Friday.

England left Beaumont out of the T20 squad for the series with Sri Lanka, which begins on August 31, despite resting opener Sophia Dunkley.

Sophie Ecclestone will also sit out both series, while Danni Wyatt is only part of the T20 group and Nat Sciver-Brunt will only be involved in the ODIs but Lewis has preferred to give Maia Bouchier an opportunity in Dunkley’s absence.

He explained: “Obviously Tammy is playing fantastically well and I am really pleased with how she is playing.

“We had to make a choice around who would open the batting with Danni Wyatt.

“Maia Bouchier has been our travelling reserve for that whole time, so my view on that was Maia deserves that opportunity.

“I suppose on Tammy, and I said this to her, we have a year now until we pick a World Cup XV and I want her to keep doing what she is doing.

“The door is definitely not shut on her to play T20 cricket for England.

“I know she is desperate to play and how hard she is working, but I just want to try to develop the rest of the team to give us as many options as we can to put pressure on everyone who would be normally selected in the XI.

“I think Tammy is OK with the decision; I don’t think she is particularly happy but she understands if she continues to push her case, then she may well get the opportunity down the line but Sophia and Danni have done a fantastic job for us.

“I know what Tammy will do against Sri Lanka and I don’t know what Maia will do, so I am really interested to see how she goes because we’ve been carrying her around the world.”

England’s decision to manage the workload of Dunkley, Wyatt, Sciver-Brunt and Ecclestone has resulted in maiden call-ups for Mahika Gaur and Bess Heath.

Fast bowler Gaur has committed her international future to England after being selected in both white-ball squads.

The 17-year-old has represented United Arab Emirates in 19 IT20s but is set to make her debut for England after a fine summer where she helped North West Thunder make the Charlotte Edwards Cup Finals Day.

Heath hit 41 for England A against Australia A earlier this summer and is selected in both groups following a consistent run of form.

“I wouldn’t call it experimental. I would say it is exciting, young and fresh,” Lewis insisted.

“We have a year now until the World Cup and I am trying to work out which players we need to take to Bangladesh and it will be interesting to see how these young players do.

“Obviously Mahika is an exciting young talent. Six foot tall, left-arm swing bowler, that is very, very rare in the women’s game and unique.

“We have looked at all our options with the new ball around the country and we like what she offers.

“Will she play all the games? Probably not but we’d like to see what she can do and she is very much one for the future.

“Getting her playing cricket for England sooner rather than later is something we want to do to show her we like what she does and can help her develop.”

England’s countdown towards the World Cup final against Spain continues with expectations rising at home as well as for Lionesses fans Down Under.

Elsewhere, Sweden and co-hosts Australia are getting set to battle it out for a third-place finish.

Here, the PA news agency looks at all the latest news heading into the final weekend of the showpiece tournament.

Russo at the ready

Alessia Russo cannot wait to kick off England’s World Cup final – after years spent rehearsing the winning strike in her childhood garden.

On Sunday night in Sydney, the Lionesses could become the first England team to bring football ‘home’ since Sir Alf Ramsey and his men lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1966.

“Obviously this is the biggest game, the one you dream about and means the most,” said Arsenal forward Russo, who scored England’s third goal to seal a 3-1 semi-final win over Australia on Wednesday.

“I think it will hit when we’re in the tunnel and ready to walk out.

“It’s an incredible occasion, it’s been an unbelievable tournament and this is it. This is the moment we want to be in. We can’t wait.”

Sarina staying put

Sarina Wiegman intends to stay put as England boss amidst rumours the Dutch coach could be tempted into the recently vacated United States manager’s chair.

On Thursday, US Soccer announced Vlatko Andonovski would step down by mutual agreement following a disappointing World Cup campaign that saw the double-defending champions knocked out by Sweden for a worst-ever last-16 finish.

Along with Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, Wiegman finds herself already among the names tipped to fill the vacancy.

The 53-year-old Dutchwoman, though, issued a reassuring update as she prepared to lead the Lionesses into their first World Cup final.

“I’m staying out of that. I’ve heard it (rumours). I’m with England, I’m really happy with England and I have a contract until 2025,” Wiegman said.

“I’m really enjoying my job and I have the impression that people still like me doing that job. I have no plans to leave.”

Kerr targets bronze

Sam Kerr is determined to salvage third place for Australia to reward fans after their dream of lifting the Women’s World Cup on home turf was ended.

A superb strike from Kerr was in vain in Wednesday’s semi-final against England as Australia fell to a 3-1 defeat – leaving the vast majority of the 75,000 fans in Sydney disappointed.

“The support we’ve had has been amazing and we’ll do everything we can at the weekend to get those fans third place,” said Chelsea forward Kerr, who has been battling a calf strain throughout the tournament.

“The amount of people who’ve come out to support us, who’ve been there at our hotel, I’ll say it again: it’s been amazing. We never could have dreamed about this kind of support.

“We have to pick ourselves up and go again. And we’re going to do everything to win third.”

Open up!

Pubs across England are hoping a minister’s letter to councils across England means venues can open early for the World Cup final on Sunday.

Current regulations mean the sale of alcohol is widely prohibited before 10am on Sunday, but venues such as pubs also have specific hours they can stay open and serve alcohol depending on individual licences.

Pub bosses have warned that those licensing rules mean some venues will be unable to serve pints or open early for excited fans on the day.

Cabinet minister Michael Gove has written to councils across England to do everything they can to help venues seeking to extend their hours for the game.

“The whole nation is ready to get behind the Lionesses this Sunday in what is England’s biggest game since 1966,” levelling up secretary Mr Gove said.

“I’ve asked councils to do everything they can to help pubs get open earlier on Sunday, so people can come together and enjoy a drink before kick-off for this special occasion.”

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What’s next?

Third-place play-off: Sweden v Australia (Brisbane, Saturday 0900BST)

Final: Spain v England (Sydney, Sunday 1100BST)

Ireland and England step up preparations for the World Cup when they clash in a warm-up fixture in Dublin.

The rivals are at very different stages of their development.

Here the PA news agency examines five talking points ahead of their 141st meeting on Saturday.

Absent Farrell takes centre stage

Both teams are at close to full strength yet for all the stars on parade at the Aviva Stadium, the spotlight shines on a notable absentee. Owen Farrell was due to lead England in their penultimate fixture before facing Argentina in a pivotal Pool D fixture but instead Steve Borthwick’s captain and talisman is preparing for his second appearance before rugby’s judiciary in a week. The outcry at the decision to rescind his red card against Wales has seen World Rugby lodge an appeal, extending the controversy into a second week and disrupting England’s preparations both for Ireland and the World Cup.

England under siege

Borthwick knew he was leaping into the deep end when he took over a side that had lost its way under Eddie Jones, but even the resilient and thick skinned Cumbrian must be reeling from the controversy that has erupted around Farrell, who he claims is the victim of “personal attacks” on his character. On the field England have yet to provide any meaningful evidence of progress under Borthwick, who is fighting multiple fires including a disciplinary implosion against Wales with the World Cup starting in three weeks’ time.

Ford’s chance to shine

Into the fly-half breach steps George Ford, who makes his first Test start since 2021. The Sale ringmaster was outstanding as a replacement against Wales last Saturday and with Farrell likely to miss the start of the World Cup if the appeal succeeds, he has the opportunity to step out of his captain’s shadow and direct an attack that has yet to take shape under Borthwick. Assisting England’s smartest player is a well balanced centre partnership of Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant in what could be the first choice backline.

On the comeback trail

Ollie Chessum will make his long-awaited return from the serious ankle injury sustained during the Six Nations when he steps off the bench in Dublin. The 22-year-old Leicester second row was England’s breakout star of the Championship, bringing athleticism and energy to the engine room. With the World Cup fast approaching his return is well timed for England, although Tom Curry’s ongoing absence with his own ankle issue remains a concern.

Andy Farrell’s top dogs

Ireland will concede their place at the top of the world rankings to New Zealand if they lose to England and could fall as low as fourth should other results go against them, but the prospect of that happening is remote. Andy Farrell’s Six Nations champions have won the last three Tests against their rivals and are poised to make an impact at the World Cup, even if they are positioned on the savage side of the draw. Connacht back row Cian Prendergast is the latest talent to roll off the green production line with Farrell describing the full debutant as a “warrior”, while Keith Earls is poised to win his 100th cap off the bench.

Steve Borthwick believes Owen Farrell has been the target of “personal attacks” as England’s captain once again confronts the possibility of missing the start of the World Cup.

Borthwick has joined Andy Farrell in defending the 31-year-old, who must face rugby’s judiciary for the second time in a week after World Rugby appealed against the decision to rescind his red card for a dangerous tackle on Wales’ Taine Basham.

Andy Farrell, the head coach of Saturday’s opponents Ireland, offered impassioned support of his son by declaring that “the circus that’s gone on in and around all of this is absolutely disgusting”.

Borthwick had intended to select Farrell for the Dublin clash but revised that plan amid the furious outcry over the original disciplinary hearing’s failure to impose a suspension.

Instead, George Ford lines-up as chief playmaker against the sport’s number-one ranked side with Marcus Smith providing cover off the bench.

Farrell has travelled to Ireland with the squad but will be a spectator only as Borthwick anticipates the additional turmoil that will now affect England’s World Cup preparations when the saga enters a second week.

“Unfortunately, given the disruption to his week and the intrusion in terms of his preparation, I made the decision to pull him out of the team that he would otherwise have led this weekend,” Borthwick said.

“The situation is one I find really disappointing. We thought we had reached a conclusion in this matter on Tuesday.

“It had an impact in terms of the disruption for this week and now it’s going to be ongoing into the next Test week.

“The situation with the England team – and Owen in particular – seems to be amplified.

“The commentary around it seems to move from issues around the tackle to personal attacks on the character of the man, which I think is just wrong.

“We all feel for him and we all feel it when one of our group is on the receiving end of such personal attacks – we all feel it.

“Owen has handled himself through this process in a really respectful manner. We will continue to respect the process and the decision that is reached.

“One of the most experienced and senior panels that deal with these matters dealt with it on Tuesday. We thought it was the conclusion.

“Now, another panel is being convened to try and find some holes in what was done on Tuesday. Again, we will conduct ourselves in a manner that respects the process.

“The final two weeks of our World Cup preparation are going to be disrupted by this matter.”

Farrell is in fresh danger of missing the pivotal World Cup opener against Argentina on September 9 with the potential for a six-week ban – the mid-range sanction for dangerous tackle offences – back on the horizon.

The Saracens fly-half received a yellow card in the 63rd minute of Saturday’s 19-17 victory over Wales but this was upgraded to red by the bunker review system, which is being trialled in the Summer Nations Series.

At Tuesday’s hearing the Saracens fly-half accepted that he had made contact with Basham’s head, that it was a dangerous tackle and that the degree of danger involved warranted a red card.

However, he successfully argued there was mitigation that made the offence worthy of a sin-binning only when Jamie’s George’s attempted tackle on Basham caused the Wales flanker into a sudden change in movement and drop in head height.

The PA news agency understands that World Rugby will look to prove that on the balance of probabilities the tackle was never legal and therefore no mitigation should have applied.

It is stated in World Rugby’s guidelines state mitigation does not apply for “always-illegal acts of foul play”.

Farrell’s absence means that Courtney Lawes leads a starting XV that is close to full strength, bolstered by the presence of wing Anthony Watson and centre Manu Tuilagi, who are making their first appearances of the warm-up fixtures.

Second row Ollie Chessum will make his comeback from the serious ankle injury sustained during the Six Nations when he appears off the bench.

The Lionesses will face Spain in their first-ever World Cup final this weekend after knocking tournament co-hosts Australia out of the competition on Wednesday night in Sydney.

Should the European champions succeed in lifting the trophy on Sunday, they will have to navigate their way past a Spanish side rife with talent – including nine players from 2022/23 Champions League winners Barcelona.

Here, the PA news agency looks at five players to watch when the monumental meeting kicks off in front of over 75,000 fans at 11am BST.

Lauren James

The 21-year-old forward missed England’s quarter-final and last-four ties while she served a two-match ban for a red card she was shown after stepping on the back of defender Michelle Alozie in the Lionesses’ last-16 battle with Nigeria.

Before the incident, World Cup debutant James netted three times and is still in a three-way tie for the competition’s joint assist leader with three, despite her absence.

Replacement Ella Toone scored England’s opener in their 3-1 semi-final victory, so it remains to be seen whether England manager Sarina Wiegman will risk modifying a line-up that has more recently clicked in favour of James’ early-tournament potency, or save her as a weapon off the bench.

Jennifer Hermoso

With double Ballon D’Or winner Alexia Putellas seemingly struggling with her fitness, controversial Spain head coach Jorge Vilda has benefitted from strong showings by other members of his side.

Barcelona striker Hermoso – team-mate of England’s Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh and her side’s all-time top goal-scorer – has looked especially fearsome, scoring three times and providing two assists en route to Spain’s first World Cup final.

Team-mate Aitana Bonmati shares identical statistics, giving La Roja a potent power in attack even without Putellas on top form.

Mary Earps

Lionesses’ goalkeeper Earps could be called into action more than any other time in this tournament against Spain, who enter Sunday’s encounter with a competition-leading 17 goals.

The 30-year-old has thrived since becoming Wiegman’s first-choice between the sticks and last year was crowned the Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper after conceding just two goals and keeping four clean sheets across England’s Euro 2022-winning campaign.

The Manchester United shot-stopper has made some vital, potentially result-defining saves so far in this World Cup while conceding just three times –  Spain, meanwhile, have let seven in across their six matches.

Ona Batlle

You do not have to scroll far down lists of World Cup statistics before coming across Spain defender Batlle.

The former Manchester United full-back leads the competition in both passes and crosses into the penalty area and has won the most tackles, 15, of any player in the 32-team tournament.

Battle, 24, is also second to just England’s Alex Greenwood for touches taken with 37 fewer than the Lioness’ 669, and leads the competition with 34 progressive carries.

Alessia Russo

Russo got out to a quieter start to begin this World Cup after winning England’s starting centre-forward role from Women’s Super League Golden Boot winner Rachel Daly.

Her maiden World Cup goal came four minutes into England’s thumping 6-1 win over China in the group stage, an anomalous result in a campaign that had otherwise not seen the Lionesses score more than twice in a match until Russo netted late against Australia to set up the Spain showdown.

The summer Arsenal signing, who also scored the winner against Colombia in England’s 2-1 quarter-final clash, now leads the World Cup in both shots (22) and shots on target (12) and will hope at least a few more find the back of the net in Sydney on Sunday.

Owen Farrell’s participation in the World Cup is in doubt again after World Rugby appealed against the decision to overturn his red card from Saturday’s clash with Wales.

An independent disciplinary panel caused an outcry on Tuesday when it cleared Farrell to play despite his shoulder-led tackle to the head of Taine Basham that was expected to result in a significant ban.

But having examined the written judgement of the hearing, World Rugby believes there are grounds for an appeal, the date for which has yet to be confirmed.

The furore surrounding England’s captain – instigated by a verdict that 2003 World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward insists has “made the game a complete and utter laughing stock” – has had repercussions for Saturday’s clash with Ireland.

Steve Borthwick had intended to pick Farrell for the Dublin showdown but revealed when announcing his team that he had been forced to revise his plans, instead starting George Ford at fly-half with Marcus Smith present on the bench.

“In my original planning for the Summer Nations Series and as part of our World Cup preparation, Owen Farrell was due to be selected to play in Saturday’s Test,” Borthwick said.

“However, in light of the fact that so much of Owen’s training and match preparation time this week has been significantly affected and interrupted by the disciplinary process, I have not selected him in the matchday 23. Owen will travel to Ireland with our full support.

“Owen understands the situation but is of course disappointed, as I am, that he is missing such a special game that he would otherwise have played in.”

England are into the Women’s World Cup final for the first time after beating Australia in the semi-final on Wednesday.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at other English teams who have made World Cup finals in a number of different sports.

1966 World Cup final

England produced arguably their greatest ever day in sport when they won the World Cup on home soil in 1966. Sir Geoff Hurst has gone into folklore for scoring a hat-trick in a 4-2 extra-time win over West Germany at Wembley. It remains the men’s team only visit to the biggest game in football.

2019 Cricket World Cup

Eoin Morgan’s side ended a 27-year exile from the showpiece match of cricket’s 50-over format when they took on New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup final at Lord’s. One of the great spectacles unfolded as England got their hands on the trophy for the first time by the “barest of margins” with a boundary count win after a super over, thanks largely to the heroics of Ben Stokes.

2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup

The men followed in their women counterparts’ footsteps from two years earlier. With popularity in the women’s game exploding, England seized their moment on home soil by beating India by nine runs in a nerve-shredding victory at the home of cricket, with Anya Shrubsole taking the decisive wicket.

2003 Rugby World Cup

Twelve years after losing to Australia, England were back in the Rugby World Cup final, this time Down Under and Clive Woodward’s men cemented their position as arguably the best side this country has had. England never seem to do things the easy way in a World Cup final, whatever the sport, with Jonny Wilkinson’s last-gasp drop-goal sealing glory against the hosts.

2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup

Getting to the final of the Women’s World Cup was nothing new, but in 2014 England won it for the first time. They beat Canada 21-9 in Paris, with Emily Scarratt the hero, posting 16 points in a player of the match performance.

Ireland back-rower Cian Prendergast will make his first Test start in Saturday’s World Cup warm-up clash with England in Dublin.

The Connacht player, who has won two caps as a replacement, has been selected at number eight, with the influential Caelan Doris providing back-up from the bench.

Andy Farrell has recalled 11 of the team which clinched Six Nations Grand Slam glory against Steve Borthwick’s men in March.

Centre Garry Ringrose and lock Tadhg Beirne, who were both injured for that 29-16 win, and fly-half Ross Byrne join Prendergast in coming in to a strong starting XV.

Munster wing Keith Earls is poised to win his 100th cap from the bench.

Prendergast came on in the first half of Ireland’s 33-17 win over Italy on August 5 in place of the injured Jack Conan.

With Conan still sidelined by a foot issue, the 23-year-old is given a major opportunity to provide competition for key man Doris, who was named man of the match following two tries against the Azzurri.

Head coach Farrell has named a completely different team to the experimental side which began that match.

Gus Atkinson was caught unawares by his World Cup selection but England’s latest pace weapon believes The Hundred has primed him for a step-up to the international fold.

Atkinson was optimistic of being selected for four T20s against New Zealand but he can set his sights higher after his inclusion in the ODI squad, plus England’s 15-man preliminary party for the World Cup.

Jofra Archer’s troublesome elbow has all but ended his hopes of being involved in England’s 50-over title defence but Atkinson was still surprised to be given the nod and had to adopt his best poker face when taking a phone call from white-ball head coach Matthew Mott in the Oval Invincibles dressing room.

It has been at the Kia Oval-based club where Atkinson has caught the eye in recent weeks, regularly exceeding 90mph and topping out at 95mph while he also has a deceptive slower ball in his armoury, and he feels going up against some established names has set him up perfectly for England duty.

He told the PA news agency: “I wasn’t really expecting to be picked for the World Cup. I’d heard rumours for the New Zealand T20s but to be picked for the ODIs and the World Cup was pretty cool.

“I’m just overjoyed. It was tough to try and keep it a secret from people at first as I was at the Oval getting ready with the Invincibles when I found out so trying not to smile was very hard.

“But I spoke to my family who are obviously very happy and very proud. This summer been very good and it’s all happened pretty quickly. It’s been my first experience of The Hundred and it’s been very, very good.

“There’s top world-class batters in every team and bowling against them has helped. I’ve been performing well against international players in The Hundred, so there’s no reason why I can’t do that on the international stage.”

Atkinson was able to make an impression last week on England captain Jos Buttler, who landed a couple of blows on the quick for the Manchester Originals but was beaten all ends up by a 94mph free hit.

While he is unsure he can up his speeds – “I’m not sure about that,” he said with a laugh – Atkinson has enjoyed the exposure he has received with all matches in The Hundred televised.

He said: “Every game so far, my beans have been going. It’s the first time I’d played against Jos, you have it in your head what a world-class player he is.

“I wasn’t really thinking about the bigger picture when I was bowling at him but I was just trying to do my job – hit the pitch hard and try to bowl quick.”

Atkinson has always had that trait of natural pace but his development was stymied by three stress fractures in his back, which had the knock-on consequence of leaving him with internal doubts.

Trusting his body again was as complicated as recovering from those injuries but Atkinson is now at full-throttle and grateful his attributes have seen him fast-tracked into the England set-up.

He said: “This year, playing all the T20 games for Surrey in the (Vitality) Blast, it was nice to be backed and to know I was going to play. That’s helped a lot.

“My skills and ability have always been there, I’ve always had pace in me, but I’ve felt like I’m a few years behind with my career in terms of those injuries.

“To be selected by England without having to go through three or four years of graft is nice.”

Atkinson has just two List A matches under his belt and has never before been to India, where England will attempt to retain their world title in October and November.

But the 25-year-old, who intends to seek out advice from Surrey team-mate and good friend Reece Topley, is confident he has a formula to thrive in any conditions, irrespective of the format.

He said: “When I switch from four-day cricket to T20 cricket, I don’t change too much. I just try to focus on bowling my best ball and keep it as simple as possible, so I’ll do that when it comes to 50-over cricket.”

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham would not rule out the possibility that Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman could one day lead the England men’s team.

The 53-year-old’s stock as a serial winner has risen steadily since securing the European championship trophy with her native Netherlands in 2017, then doing the same with England last summer.

She has now guided England to a first-ever World Cup final, in the process becoming the only manager to do so with two different nations in the women’s showpiece after steering her home country to the same stage four years ago.

Asked if Wiegman could be seen as a potential successor to Gareth Southgate, Bullingham said: “I think it’s a bit disrespectful of the Lionesses to project it as a step up. People always say it is ‘the best man for the job’ or ‘the best Englishman’.

“Why does it have to be a man? I think our answer is always it’s the best person for the job. We think Sarina is doing a great job and hope she continues doing it for a long time.”

Pressed as to whether England was ready to have a woman in the top men’s seat, he added: “I think football is behind other sports in terms of lack of female coaches at the top level, and that has to change.

“Do I think Sarina could do any job in football? Yes, I do. I’m really happy with the job she’s doing and I hope she stays doing that job for a long time. If at some point in the future she decides she wants to move into the men’s game, that would be a really interesting discussion but that’s for her, right?

“I don’t think we should view it as a step up. If she decides at some point in the future to go in a different direction, I think she’s perfectly capable.

“If and when we get a vacancy in either of our senior men’s or women’s manager positions, we would go for the best person for the job, which would be the best person capable of winning matches.”

Wiegman’s current contract runs out in the summer of 2025, which would see her through England’s European title defence, with next summer’s Paris 2024 Olympics a possibility – though not a guarantee – should the new Nations League result in a qualification for Team GB.

The rampant rumour mill has Wiegman shortlisted as a potential candidate to replace United States boss Vlatko Andonovski, who is expected to step down after the double-defending champions were knocked out by Sweden for a worst-ever last-16 finish.

Wiegman has a strong affinity for the United States, where she played for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and was awed by the infrastructure that already existed around women’s football in late-1980s America.

But asked if the FA would reject an approach should the United States come courting the three-time FIFA Best award winner, Bullingham instantly replied: “100 per cent. It is not about money. We are very, very happy with her and we feel she is happy.

“We’ve seen lots of rumours, and look, she is a special talent. We know that. From our side, she’s obviously contracted through until 2025. We think she’s doing a great job. We’re obviously huge supporters of her and I think hopefully she feels the same way.”

Bullingham said the FA would wait until after Wiegman takes a well-deserved post-tournament holiday before striking up any conversations about extending her stay at St George’s Park.

While Bullingham believes Wiegman could have any job in football, he admitted it could still be some time before an England women’s manager would be compensated equally to his or her men’s counterpart.

He added: “I think over time, I think there’s where you’ve got to get to. If you look at the disparity in the market and the income coming in, that’s why you’ve got a difference.

“I would say that Sarina is, within the market she operates, well-paid. And if you look at the comparison in the men’s game, it’s a different market. I really want those markets to merge, over time, and I think that’s where you’ve got to go, but we’re not there yet.”

Rachel Daly’s former school teacher has hailed the Lioness as a “one-off” player as England aim for World Cup glory on Sunday.

Sarina Wiegman’s side reached their first ever World Cup final with a 3-1 win against co-hosts Australia on Wednesday in front of 75,784 in Sydney.

Aston Villa forward Daly, the WSL’s top scorer last season, has played a key part in their campaign – often featuring at wing-back for the side and scored in England’s 6-1 victory against China in the group stages.

The 31-year-old started her career at Killinghall Nomads in Yorkshire and Michael Sweetman, who was her teacher at Rossett School, admitted her mental and physical attributes stood out from an early age.

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Mr Sweetman told the PA news agency: “She was a one-off, she was completely different and the attributes she had, those winning attributes, it’s just pure focus on winning the game.

“It can in some ways not be great, but on a football pitch it’s ideal, it’s perfect. She’s been a success at every team she’s played in and that’s why I think, but she had the physical attributes as well.

“She wasn’t amazingly quick or amazingly fit, but she just played the game. Her touch was amazing, she was strong and nothing fazed her.

“She could take a boot, get up and get on with it. She’s skilful, she’d play up front or in midfield for me and she scored two or three a game.”

England are aiming to achieve back-to-back success in a major tournament final after their European Championship win at Wembley last year.

Daly was part of that Lionesses squad and Mr Sweetman reflected on how far she has come in her England career.

“I definitely believed she’d play for England, whether I believed she’d get to a World Cup final I don’t think you could ever comprehend that really,” he added.

“You just want your kids to achieve the best they can be, so to get to England is great.

“I actually rang the FA when she was 14 and asked them to come down and watch her. They came down to a final at Harrogate Town and we beat a school in York 5-0 I think, she scored two and that was the start of it.”

Beginning her domestic career with Leeds, Daly moved over to America to play in college for St John’s University and was selected by the Houston Dash the 2016 NWSL draft.

She spent six seasons in Texas before moving to the Women’s Super League last year to play for Aston Villa, where she instantly made a mark in her debut season finishing with 22 goals.

Those performances earned Daly the Barclays WSL’s Player of the Season award and on Wednesday she was nominated for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.

Mr Sweetman expressed his pride at her success, adding: “I don’t want to say I feel responsible, because I’m not, I was a small part for five years and basically I just let her play.

“The only thing I did differently was that football was just developing at the time.

“They were trying to say that there may be careers ahead and if you can keep playing, keep improving on your game maybe you could go to America or you could do this or you could do that.

“I never say I was responsible but the only thing I did let her do was let her play football with the boys in PE.

“You don’t feel responsible, but there is a sense of pride that one of your kids that you did your best to nurture during those years is playing at the highest level.”

George Ford insists England’s players must take responsibility for accelerating the team’s development into a force for the World Cup.

Steve Borthwick’s men ended a three-match losing run by defeating Wales 19-17 at Twickenham last Saturday but Ireland, the sport’s number one ranked side, are the next assignment on the schedule of warm-up fixtures.

England have yet to fire since Borthwick replaced Eddie Jones in September but with their pivotal Pool C match against Argentina fast approaching on September 9, Ford knows time is at a premium.

“Along with being led by the coaches, it’s the players’ responsibility to grab hold of the team and pull it in the direction we want to pull it in,” the Sale fly-half said.

“Especially when we have got the ball with that amount of experience and those combinations, we see it as our responsibility to get this team going and we have got to do it quicker than we have ever done it before.

“There are two more warm-up games and then there is the first game of the World Cup so we understand there is an urgency about it, but we are going to grab it.”

Since Borthwick took charge England have managed only 14 tries in seven matches, consistently struggling to finish chances or reflect their visits to the 22 on the scoreboard.

“I know the attack is the most spoken about subject at the minute. Let me reassure you we are working hard on it,” Ford said.

“We want to be more dangerous with the ball and cause more problems for the defence with the ball and score more tries, that’s what we want to do. It’s at the forefront of our minds and we’re working really hard to do it.

“My experience is that of all departments of the game, it takes the longest to get the attack functioning.

“We want to speed it up, we want to get there as quickly as possible. We know there’s an urgency that we need to start attacking better and causing problems and scoring tries – we understand that.

“The main thing is how we can be more potent when we’ve got the ball, how we can get the outside backs in space with the ball to create damage and cause chaos.”

Ben Stokes reversing his ODI retirement has had the knock-on effect of Harry Brook being nudged out of England’s preliminary squad for the defence of their World Cup crown.

England have named a 15-man squad for four tune-ups against New Zealand next month and, barring injury, that is the group which will bid to retain their 50-over world title in India in October and November.

Jofra Archer’s elbow troubles will be preclude his involvement until at least the latter stages of the tournament so England have bolstered their pace attack by calling up uncapped quick Gus Atkinson.

Archer and Brook may be selected as two of three travelling reserves, with England having until September 5 to submit a provisional squad and then September 28 by which to make any alterations.

The return of Stokes was widely-anticipated but less expected was Brook’s omission, as the Yorkshireman has excelled in the past 12 months even if schedule conflicts have limited him to three ODI matches.

“It’s as hard a decision as you’re ever going to get,” said England men’s national selector Luke Wright. “No doubting he’s someone we couldn’t think any more highly of.

“Everything’s going brilliantly with Brooky. There’s no denying what a superstar he is and what a huge future he’s got with us going forward in all forms.

“I’m sure he’s disappointed. But unfortunately in a 15-man squad, someone’s going to have to miss out. With Stokesy coming back, it made it incredibly tough.”

Stokes branded his three-format schedule as “unsustainable” when bowing out of ODIs last summer while he had initially planned to use a six-month gap between Tests to address a chronic left knee injury.

The issue meant he did not bowl in the last three Ashes Tests but he is set for a specialist batting role as England have selected an influx of all-rounders in Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran.

England’s Test captain was the inspiration behind their historic triumph in the 2019 World Cup final – he is one of nine survivors to make this autumn’s edition – and in last year’s T20 equivalent.

“It wasn’t really a case of changing his mind,” said Wright. “Once his body was in a good place and he’d had a rest, he was really keen to play. He still has time to do his rest and rehab, which he’s doing, and he says his knee does feel like it’s improving.

“The one thing we won’t be doing is pushing him to bowl unless he’s absolutely fit and raring to go.

“Ultimately the decision came down to ‘it’s a World Cup we want to win and we feel like we are better, and have more chance, with Stokesy than we haven’t’. If ever there’s someone for the big moments it’s Ben Stokes.”

Atkinson has featured in just two List A matches in his career but has impressed when called upon in recent months for Surrey and Oval Invincibles, where he was clocked at 95mph in The Hundred.

The 25-year-old gives England an additional express pace option other than Mark Wood, joining a fast bowling attack comprising Chris Woakes plus three left-armers in Curran, David Willey and Reece Topley.

“First and foremost, Gus deserves to be in there,” said Wright. “He’s been someone that I’ve been quite a big fan of for quite a while, he roughed me up on a few occasions when I was still playing.

“He’s a real asset for us and we’re delighted to give him an opportunity.”

Archer was England’s super over hero four years ago but is at the start of the comeback trail from another stress fracture in his bowling elbow and England do not want to rush his recovery.

“There has got to be a duty of care with Jof, we know how desperate we all are to have him, there’s no doubt about that, but we’ve also got to get it right for him,” added Wright.

“The best case scenario for Jof at the moment would probably be to be available for the back end of the tournament. But obviously, a lot of things have still got to go right with this rehab before then.”

Before four ODIs against New Zealand from September 8-15 – they play the same opponents in the World Cup opener in Ahmedabad on October 5 – England begin their white-ball summer programme with four T20s against the Kiwis from August 30-September 5.

Hampshire seamer John Turner has earned his first senior call-up, while Josh Tongue, who has caught the eye in the Test side this summer, is set for his maiden experience of England’s limited-overs set-up.

England ODI squadEngland T20 squad: J Buttler (captain), R Ahmed, M Ali, G Atkinson, J Bairstow, H Brook, S Curran, B Duckett, W Jacks, L Livingstone, D Malan, A Rashid, J Tongue, J Turner, L Wood.