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England women’s team were confident at Euro 2022. So confident, in fact, that they purposely chose not to pack their bags because they believed so strongly they would be returning to their hotel to stay after each game.
That confidence will be needed once again as they head to Australia and New Zealand for the Women’s World Cup 2023, but, as Lionesses midfielder Georgia Stanway explained to FourFourTwo, positivity dictated this tradition last year.
“That was something we really enjoyed doing: not packing our suitcases, leaving our stuff exactly where it was,” Stanway tells FFT, a smile cracking across her face at this small act of rebellion.
“It was never really spoken about, but for every matchday minus one, we would travel to a different hotel, and it became tradition to leave everything unpacked at our base hotel.
“It was where all of our clothes were and where everything was unpacked. We had made the rooms our own and made it the Lionesses’ hotel, and there was always a bit of, ‘Are we taking our bags?’ But it became normal to leave them because we knew we were coming back. That meant we were coming back to the hotel for the final.”
Come back to the hotel for the final they did. Navigating the group stages with three wins from three, England then beat Spain and Sweden in the knockouts to set up an encounter against Germany in the final.
Goals from Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly secured the Lionesses their first-ever major trophy, building their confidence immeasurably ahead of the Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.
Down Under, though, England will have to get a bit more used to packing their bags, considering the substantial distances they’ll be travelling for each game. Based in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, England play their final group match against China in Adelaide, a two-and-a-half hour flight away.
Sarina Wiegman’s side will already be hoping they’ve secured their spot in the last 16 by then, however, with clashes against Haiti and Denmark their first two games of the tournament. From there, they will face one of Australia, Nigeria, Republic of Ireland or Canada, regardless of where they finish in the group.
More England stories ahead of Women’s World Cup 2023
Alessia Russo is relishing the pressure ahead of the tournament, acknowledging that ‘England always have a target on their backs’.
Georgia Stanway acknowledges that the Lionesses are a different animal compared to last year, suggesting “the dynamic has changed but we’re still an unbelievable squad”.
Meanwhile, FFT columnist Jules Breach says that England can still win the World Cup, despite the loss of experience in the side.
We’ve also compiled everything you need to know ahead of the World Cup in a special tournament hub.
