England’s opponents, Haiti, are the third-lowest ranked team at the World Cup; they are ranked 53 in the world. They are one of eight teams to be making their World Cup debut. England have never played Haiti before. There are no professional women’s clubs in Haiti, a country with a population of just over 11 million people.
But they did make it to the men’s World Cup finals in 1974, where they finished bottom of a group that also included Argentina, Italy and Poland, with three defeats out of three. They have lost their last four matches. However, earlier this year they enjoyed wins over Senegal and Chile, and last year they were victorious over Mexico, Cuba and Costa Rica.
Can England get their campaign underway with victory?