England's Women's World Cup dream was not to be in 2023, but that does not mean there shouldn't be a lot of optimism and excitement surrounding the future of this team. The Lionesses achieved an incredible feat by reaching the final of the tournament despite missing a number of key players, and many of those who stepped up during that historic run are still only in the early years of their careers.
Indeed, 13 members of England's 23-player squad were aged 25 or under, with veteran defender Lucy Bronze saying after the 1-0 defeat to Spain in the final that there will be much more to come from this group in the next few years.
“I think we have a really strong squad,” she said. “I think we showed that with the fact that we have made a final and nearly won, nearly took it to extra-time with many players from the Euros having retired or got injured. The starting XI tonight, in attack especially, was very young and they have got many, many tournaments ahead of them."
There are a number of exciting players who weren't part of this World Cup, too, that could well find themselves leading a title charge in 2027. So, who are those young stars that could be at the forefront of the Lionesses' battle to become world champions in four years' time? GOAL takes a look...