Lionesses set to arrive home to heroines’ welcome
England Women suffered an agonising 1-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup final.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.England’s Lionesses are set to arrive back on home soil to a rousing welcome following their World Cup final heartache.
Sarina Wiegman’s side are expected to touch down in the UK on Tuesday after departing from Sydney Airport.
The team’s return comes after they suffered an agonising 1-0 defeat to Spain in the showpiece match on Sunday.
Fans clapped and cheered to see the team off from Australia, with players stopping to sign autographs and take pictures.
A similarly proud reception will be waiting for the Lionesses after their run in the tournament drew unprecedented audiences domestically.
An average of 13.3 million people tuned into the final on television, making it the country’s most-watched women’s football match of all time.
That figure was more than two million higher than the previous record set at the Euro 2022 final at Wembley.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for the squad to be given honours after their World Cup exploits.
The Spain team had already landed back in Madrid on Monday, where they paraded the trophy in front of thousands of fans.