England Women’s World Cup squad LIVE: Sarina Wiegman announces 23-player Lionesses squad as Beth Mead misses out

Sarina Wiegman explained leaving Maya Le Tissier on the standby list: “She was really close. That was a hard call. All the defenders we had to think about. We also see her little bit more as a right full-back, she plays for her club as centre-back.”

Jess Park and Emily Ramsey are also on the list.

In the absence of Leah Williamson there was one big choice for Wiegman to make: who would wear the armband?

Lucy Bronze and Millie Bright were thought to be the two big candidates and it’s the latter who gets the nod from Sarina Wiegman.

“I haven’t told her she will be captain. We just talked about where she’s at in her rehab. We have a couple of weeks and she’ll be fine, she’ll be cool,” the manager said.

On being without key faces: “We want to be at our best. We’re a little bit in transition with changes in the team but I still think we’re really good. We just have to be at our best and see how far we get, we’re in a really good place.”

On calls to certain players: “Everyone you call is a nice message when it’s a positive one! We had some players who were very anxious about this moment.”

On Katie Robinson: “She has made a difference at Brighton, some decisive games. In our camp she has shown her quality too.”

On the new faces: “At some point it’s always the first time. We try to focus on the football, we know it’s going to be a big event. Just try to prepare them as well as possible – what’s your task?”

On no TV broadcast deal: “I’m not worried about it. Fifa have to solve it before the tournament starts. How it’s been covered in England since I came has been really good.”

Beth Mead has missed out on England’s World Cup squad after running out of time in her recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, but Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze have both been selected in Sarina Wiegman’s 23-player group despite recent fitness concerns.

Bethany England has been rewarded for her excellent form since joining Tottenham Hotspur, where the striker scored 12 goals in as many Women’s Super League appearances, with a recall, but among the surprise omissions were Manchester United defender Maya Le Tissier – who has been named on the standby list.

There were already set to be more than one huge star missing, with Fran Kirby and captain Leah Williamson both injured and set to watch on over summer as the England women’s team look to add the game’s biggest trophy to the one they won at Euro 2022 last summer.

But as ever, where big calls have to be made, the manager must always leave some out – here are the key unfortunate few who have missed the call this time around.

China, Republic of Ireland: 100/1

Colombia, Switzerland: 200/1

Philippines, Vietnam, Panama, Zambia, Costa Rica, South Africa, Argentina, Morocco, Jamaica, Nigeria, Haiti: 500/1

Maya Le Tissier, Jess Park and Emily Ramsey have been named on standby and will train with the squad when they report to St. George’s Park in June. Ramsey will leave the group prior to departure for Australia. Le Tissier and Park will join the group in travelling to Australia on 5 July for the final preparation phase of the tournament, remaining up to the opening match against Haiti on 22 July.

England boss Sarina Wiegman has named her chosen 23 – and of her picks has said: “I have huge belief in this squad and we’re very fortunate to be selecting a fantastic group of players to travel to Australia. We know we will face tough challenges from strong teams, and we will have to be competitive from the first match on 22 July. We will do everything to be at our very best again this summer.

“It is important the players get some well-deserved time to rest and recover over the next few weeks before we start the final preparations to get them ready. We learned a lot of positive lessons about how to get the players fit, fresh and ready from the EURO last summer and we know what we have to do to make sure we hit the ground running in the right way when the tournament starts.”

The Lionesses squad is here:

GK: Mary Earps, Hannah Hampton, Ellie Roebuck

DF: Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, Niamh Charles, Alex Greenwood, Esme Morgan, Lotte Wubben-Moy

MD: Laura Coombs, Jordan Nobbs, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Keira Walsh, Katie Zelem

FW: Rachel Daly, Bethany England, Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Katie Robinson, Alessia Russo

We are almost ready to go.

An impromptu BBC poll asking for who should be named captain in the absence of Leah Williamson saw Lucy Bronze just pip Millie Bright to top spot.

Another big call for Wiegman to make.