Women’s World Cup LIVE: England prepare for final against Spain and latest reaction to win over Australia

England are through to the Women’s World Cup final for the first time after a stunning 3-1 win over Australia in Sydney set up an all-European title decider against Spain on Sunday.

The Lionessesbroke the hearts of the home nation as goals from Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo sealed a historic victory, after Sam Kerr sent the got the Matildas and capacity crowd of 75,784 rocking with a stunning individual goal.

England manager Sarina Wiegman said she was “in a fairytale” after guiding England to the final for the first time, while defender Lucy Bronze was overcome with emotion after playing in two previous semi-final defeats in 2015 and 2019.

The Lionesses will play Spain on Sunday in England’s first World Cup final since 1966 and the nation is set to come to a halt as England look to bring the game’s biggest prize back home.

Follow all the reaction to England’s win against Australia in the semi-finals and get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here:

Women’s World Cup LIVE: Latest England news ahead of Sunday’s final

• England will face Spain on Sunday with the World Cup on the line

• England beat hosts Australia 3-1 in Women’s World Cup semi-final as Toone, Hemp and Russo score

• REPORT: Sensational England capitalise on Sam Kerr’s missed moment to make World Cup history

• ANALYSIS: How England deployed dark arts and cool heads to silence Australian noise

• REACTION: ‘We all dreamed of being in the final’ - Lionesses discuss beating Australia

• Will Lauren James play in the Women’s World Cup final?

This World Cup means so much more for women than who wins and who loses

09:15 , Jamie Braidwood

Record attendances, standout goalkeeping performances, and penalty-taking fire-power to eclipse any strike by a man in last season’s Premier League.

Not bad for a bunch of girls, is it?

The 2023 Women’s World Cup has certainly been pulling in the fans. One of the home teams, Australia, has twice played in front of crowds exceeding 75,000 in Sydney, and that was only limited by the capacity of the stadium.

Well over 500,000 have attended fan zones in host cities to watch the games on big screens, and, after only two rounds of the tournament, attendance numbers had already exceeded the total attendance of the 2015 World Cup in Canada.

The football world governing body, FIFA, has been trying to grow women’s football at pace, and it seems to be working.

Gemma Abbott on the importance of this World Cup:

This World Cup means so much more than who wins and who loses

Ella Toone produces another big-game goal for England

08:46 , Jamie Braidwood

According to Opta, Ella Toone is the first England player, men’s or women’s, to score in quarter-final, semi-final and final of a major international tournament.

• QF - vs Spain at Euro 2022

• SF - vs Australia at 2023 World Cup

• Final - vs Germany at Euro 2022

Ella Toone celebration explained after goal against Australia in Women’s World Cup semi-final

08:15 , Jamie Braidwood

Ella Toone struck a magnificent opener for England against Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-final.

The Manchester United star smashed the ball high into the top corner before wheeling away in delight with her teammates.

The 23-year-old, who has grabbed her opportunity in place of the suspended Lauren James, explained her celebration ahead of time.

Ella Toone celebration explained after World Cup semi-final goal

England’s deadly duo have already provided the answer to the Lauren James debate

07:45 , Jamie Braidwood

Lauren Hemp didn’t need to look; she already had the picture in her head. After 86 minutes of being everywhere for England, Hemp found another burst to turn away from Katrina Gorry and ease into the space, gliding to the left to create room on the right. As Australia backed off, Hemp opened up the angle and reversed the ball back to Alessia Russo - her target all along. Then came the finish, low, controlled, a clinical way to round off a ruthless performance on a gutsy night. Cool, calm and collected, it booked England’s place in the World Cup final and summed up how they beat Australia.

“Incredible finish, incredible pass,” Sarina Wiegman said. For the second match in a row, her front two were both on the scoresheet, Hemp and Russo on target in the semi-finals, just as they were in the quarter-finals, just as Wiegman had planned. Except, of course, that no one would have planned for this, in a tournament where rarely anything has gone to script for England and they have been forced to adapt. The Lionesses came into the World Cup with seven forwards and they will likely start Sunday’s final with only two in attacking positions; Hemp and Russo stand as their unlikely combination.

England’s deadly duo have already provided the answer to the Lauren James debate

England finally reach the world’s greatest stage — and that is worth celebrating

07:25 , Jamie Braidwood

Alex Greenwood claimed she “cannot put it into the words”, so she just kept repeating the words that made her feel like that. “We’re in a World Cup final.”

“I just keep having to say it,” she laughed.

It is a glorious fact worth actually reflecting on, even as thoughts quickly turned to Sunday, what next, who starts, whether Lauren James comes in.

If actually winning the World Cup is the great ambition of any career, the final itself is the great stage. Those who step onto the pitch will leave their own mark on history, the very line-ups part of the record that makes football so rich.

“We wanted to take England and women’s football to a new level and we have certainly done that over the last 12 months,” Ella Toone said. They’ve taken it all to the highest level for the very first time.

That is worth celebrating, as Sarina Wiegman and the players insisted they would be doing.

By Miguel Delaney in Sydney

England finally reach the world’s greatest stage — and that is worth celebrating

Will Lauren James play in the Women’s World Cup final?

07:14 , Jamie Braidwood

Lauren James could return to play in the World Cup final after her England teammates earned their spot in Sunday’s Sydney showpiece with a 3-1 win over hosts Australia.

James was handed a two-game ban by Fifa after being sent off during the last-16 win over Nigeria for a stamp on defender Michelle Alozie during the knockout game, which England won via a penalty shootout.

The Chelsea star sat out both England’s 2-1 win over Colombia in the quarter-finals and the semi-final victory over Australia, where Ella Toone’s first-half piledriver, Lauren Hemp’s second-half finish and Alessia Russo’s late strike knocked out the hosts to set up a final with Spain.

James was given an automatic one-match suspension and feared being ruled out of the tournament altogether, with Fifa typically increasing cases of “violent conduct” to a three-game ban. However, the governing body’s disciplinary committee showed some leniency and James could now return for the World Cup final.

Whether she starts the game depends on whether manager Sarina Wiegman wants to change a winning team. The same starting XI saw off Colombia and Australia to reach the final, and Toone – James’s replacement in the No 10 position in those two games – scored a brilliant goal in the semis.

Will Lauren James play in the Women’s World Cup final?

When do England play the Women’s World Cup final?

07:12 , Jamie Braidwood

England stormed into their first ever Women’s World Cup final after defeating Australia 3-1.

Goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo were enough to put the Matildas away in Sydney.

Australia has been gripped by World Cup fever after the Matildas’ dramatic penalty shootout victory against France in the quarter-finals became the most-watched sporting event in the country since the 2000 Olympic Games, but Sarina Wiegman’s side had too much in the semi-finals.

But the European champions will now play Spain in Sunday’s showpiece in Sydney, after La Roja defeated Sweden 2-1 in the other semi-final.

Get all the latest football betting sites offers and get the latest odds on football matches here. Here’s everything you need to know about the Lionesses’ run down under:

Who and when do England play in Women’s World Cup final?

‘It’s the one thing I’ve always wanted’: Emotional Lucy Bronze tears up after World Cup semi-final win

07:02 , Jamie Braidwood

Lucy Bronze was visibly emotional after the Lionesses’ emphatic World Cup semi-final win over Australia. Interviewed by the BBC on the pitch and asked how she felt, Bronze was struggling for words.

She said: “I don’t know. This is the one thing I have always wanted, to make the final of the World Cup. After getting two times of such disappointment, I can’t believe it.”

Asked what coach Sarina Wiegman said in the huddle after the win, Bronze said: “Just that we played the game how we wanted to. We were resilient and we were determined.”

‘All I’ve wanted’: Emotional Lucy Bronze tears up after World Cup semi-final win

A robot? Inside the ‘genius’ mind of Sarina Wiegman

06:44 , Jamie Braidwood

English football has long found one specific hurdle to be insurmountable. Whether it’s the men’s or women’s game, reaching a final has been a step too far for even the most talented of teams; so-called ‘golden generations’ tried their luck yet no matter how hard England tried or how much they reinvented their game, it couldn’t be done.

That was the case until Sarina Wiegman came along, that is. A manager who is regarded as “phenomenal”, a “genius”, and undoubtedly one of the all-time greats.

Adam Millington from Sydney on the Lionesses’coach extraordinaire:

A robot? Inside the ‘genius’ mind of Sarina Wiegman

‘Massive congratulations‘: Harry Kane and the Prince of Wales laud Lionesses after win over Australia

06:22 , Jamie Braidwood

Harry Kane and the Prince of Wales led the congratulations after England swept aside co-hosts Australia 3-1 to reach their first World Cup final.

The Lionesses roared past the Matildas in front of a 75,784-strong crowd thanks to second-half strikes from Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo.

Ella Toone had fired England into the lead in the first half, but Sam Kerr produced a thunderous equaliser before Hemp and Russo helped Sarina Wiegman’s side end their run of World Cup last-four exits.

Kane, England’s men’s record goal-scorer, was able to provide instant reaction during an interview with Sky Sports, saying: “Massive congratulations to the Lionesses. It sounds like a heck of a game and massive congratulations. We’re all behind them and hopefully they can do it in the final.”

The prince tweeted his best wishes to the Lionesses for the final and offered his commiserations to Australia.

“What a phenomenal performance from the Lionesses – on to the final,” he said. “Commiserations to The Matildas, you’ve played brilliantly and been fantastic co-hosts of this World Cup.”

Women’s World Cup: How England deployed dark arts and cool heads to silence Australian noise

06:22 , Jamie Braidwood

England walked out and for a moment it might have felt like they had been there before. A crowd of over 75,000, millions elsewhere turning in. An expectant nation inspired by the power and momentum of a team who represent something greater than themselves.

But this wasn’t the Euros final. This wasn’t Wembley. This time England were the enemy, deep in the land of Matildas fever. This time they faced the crowd, the noise, the jeers and boos, the helicopters hovering over their training session and splashing photos of their plans across the morning newspapers. They faced Australia’s biggest night in a generation. They faced the spirit of Cathy Freeman, and a moment that would unify the country. They faced Sam Kerr, and they heard the eruption that greeted the star of the World Cup finally having her moment.

Full story by Jamie Braidwood in Sydney.

How England deployed dark arts and cool heads to silence Australian noise

Women’s World Cup: Sensational England capitalise on Sam Kerr’s missed moment to make World Cup history

06:22 , Jamie Braidwood

England reach the game’s grandest stage, having fittingly reached their greatest level so far.

Such was the professionally commanding nature of this 3-1 semi-final win over hosts Australia that they somehow made this moment of glorious football history feel like it was always coming. They have just got better and better as this World Cup has gone on, as symbolised by all of Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo coming to form with goals, and as crowned now with a place in the final itself.

It was celebrated, of course, with a delirious rendition of Sweet Caroline in the centre circle.

The full report by Miguel Delaney in Sydney:

Sensational England capitalise on Sam Kerr’s missed moment to make World Cup history