Thirty-two countries set out, but just two remain as Spain and England are ready to line up opposite each other in Sydney on Sunday morning in the final of the 2023 Women's World Cup.
Both nations were well-fancied before the tournament and while neither country has had flawless runs to the final, they are the last pair standing and just 90 minutes away from claiming the greatest honour in the women's game.
The last time they met was 12 months ago in the quarter-finals of Women's Euro 2022, a match that went all the way to extra time with England edging it 2-1.
It was tight back then and everything points to it being tight once again under the lights and in front of a packed crowd at Stadium Australia. Will England come out on top once again or will Spain have their revenge?
One of these European countries is going to be crowned world champions for the first time and it should be an absorbing and tense 90 minutes – and may well last longer than that.
- Draw
- Alessia Russo anytime scorer
Tight Margins Could See Extra Time
Spain are the slightest of favourites to win the 2023 Women's World Cup.
They are the lower-ranked of the two countries – Spain are sixth on Fifa's list, England fourth – and have lost a match en route to the final, unlike the Lionesses.
And when these nations last met, it was England who came good in a Euro 2022 quarter-final.
Yet it's Jorge Vilda's side who are just about the favourites, largely on the grounds that their squad, dominated by the outstanding club side which is Barcelona, have more imagination, swagger and X-factor moments which could decide a tight game.
They found something extra to pip the Dutch and the Swedes in the last two rounds and they have unquestionably had a tougher route to the final than Sarina Wiegman's European champs.
But while England might be short on tricks and thrills they are proving utterly focused and are outcompeting their opponents.
Admittedly, they really couldn’t have asked for a kinder knockout draw than Nigeria, Colombia and Australia when the seedings pre-tournament suggested they would be taking on Canada, Germany and France, but all you can do is beat the teams lined up against you and Wiegman's girls have done just that with a fair amount of good fortune but also real efficiency.
Both of these countries look well drilled and have a goal or two in them and it's hard to see much between them. In which case the 90-minute draw does stand out as a 1-X-2 bet.
Russo In Line For Scoring Honours
Spain are the tournament's top scorers with 16 goals, three ahead of England.
But no player is showing greater accuracy around the box than the Lionesses' three-goal Alessia Russo.
Russo's place in Wiegman's starting eleven was not guaranteed when the tournament started but now she is one of the first names on the teamsheet, having scored in three of England's last four games.
Twelve shots on target from a tournament-high 22 efforts puts her well clear of Spain's illustrious goal-getters of the calibre of Jenni Hermoso, Esther Gonzalez and Alba Redondo, and it would be fitting if the Arsenal star – with a goal every other game for her country – had a decisive say in the destination of the trophy.
