Alessia Russo believes England have what it takes to win the World Cup, describing Thomas Tuchels squad as strong enough to go all the way in the United States, Canada and Mexico. England have already secured their place in the knockout stages after beating Croatia 4-2 and drawing with Ghana, and they will look to finish top of Group L when they face Panama tonight.The Arsenal forward said she would love to see the mens team end Englands long wait for major international success.Table of ContentsRusso backs England to challenge for titleEnjoy the tournament messageLionesses focused on qualification taskRusso backs England to challenge for titleSpeaking ahead of the final group match, Russo praised the quality throughout Tuchels squad and said she believes the players have earned the right to be considered genuine contenders.I hope so, Russo said when asked whether England could bring the trophy home.England have such a stacked team. Theyre amazing. I think they deserve a trophy. Theyve been close for a few years now and Id love them to do it.England reached the final of Euro 2024 before losing to Spain and arrived at this tournament among the favourites to challenge for the title.Enjoy the tournament messageRusso knows the pressure that comes with representing England on the biggest stage, having helped the Lionesses reach the 2023 Womens World Cup final.The 26-year-old hopes the current mens squad can embrace the occasion and avoid becoming weighed down by expectations.Hopefully they just enjoy the tournament pressure-free, she said.I think English people love to put pressure on England teams, but I just hope they enjoy it.Lionesses focused on qualification taskWhile Russo has been keeping an eye on Englands progress in North America, her attention will soon return to the Lionesses own World Cup ambitions.Englands hopes of automatic qualification for the 2027 Womens World Cup suffered a setback after a heavy defeat by Spain, leaving them with work to do in the qualifying campaign.The Lionesses will begin the next phase of qualification against Greece later this year, with Russo confident the squad can respond.I know that all of our girls are desperate to play in another World Cup in Brazil, a massive football nation as well, she said.So we need to win those two games and then we can really look forward to it. Topics England National Football Team World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read World Cup 2026 third place points table and standings latest, confirmed knockout stage fixtures, full round of 32 schedule, qualified and eliminated teams Ben Miller 27th June, 2026 Manchester United face tense injury wait that could impact transfer plans Mitch Fretton 27th June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Full fixtures, dates, games, schedule and results from FIFA football finals Ben Miller 27th June, 2026 Neymar: World Cup 2026 playing schedule, fixtures, results, kick off times, confirmed injury news updates, full Brazil squad Ben Miller 27th June, 2026 Kylian Mbappe: World Cup 2026 playing schedule, fixtures, kick off times, where to watch, confirmed news updates and full France squad Ben Miller 27th June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Who makes the team of the group stage? 101 GreatGoals 27th June, 2026
