Rare chance to watch Lionesses roar on Sunshine Coast

Sunshine Coast football fans can catch an early dose of World Cup fever this week, with a chance to watch the England Women’s team fine tune ahead of their 2023 FIFA World Cup campaign.

The Lionesses will arrive on the Sunshine Coast on Friday, July 7, to kick off their pre-World Cup training camp.

The team will host an open training session at Sunshine Coast Stadium on Sunday, July 9, from 1pm to approx. 2.30pm and fans will have the rare opportunity to see their idols in person and get autographs and photos of the players.

Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson said hosting the England team reinforced our region’s reputation as a world class destination for major sporting events and training camps.  

“We’re very excited to host the England Women’s team at Sunshine Coast Stadium as it prepares for the World Cup, particularly ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games where this same venue will co-host the Olympic Games football competition,” Mayor Jamieson said.

“Having the Lionesses here is another terrific chance to showcase our world class sporting facilities, friendly hospitality and ideal climate.

“It’s also a great opportunity for our community to come and see some of the very best footballers in the world train right here at our Sunshine Coast Stadium.”

England Head Coach Sarina Wiegman said the Sunshine Coast was the ideal location for the Lionesses to put the finishing touches on their World Cup preparations. 

“We can’t wait to get out to Australia,” Sarina said.

“It is great we know where we will continue our World Cup preparations and we are very happy to have this perfect combination of training ground and hotel.

“The work we do in the last weeks before the tournament will be essential for making sure we get off to a good start on 22 July.

“I was very impressed with what I saw when I visited Sunshine Coast Stadium just after the New Year.

“We will have everything we need on the pitch, as well as high performance gym and recovery facilities.

"We had such a warm welcome from all the people there which is also important. I know everyone will be behind the host nation, but we felt Sunshine Coast will feel like a home away from home for us.”

The Lionesses are currently ranked fourth in the women’s FIFA world rankings and will kick-off their World Cup campaign against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22. 

Following their opening World Cup match, England will head to Terrigal, an hour north of Sydney, and set up camp for the rest of the tournament.