England vs Haiti - Women's World Cup preview: TV channel, live stream, team news & prediction

England get their eagerly anticipated Women's World Cup campaign underway against Haiti, who are making their debut in the tournament.

The Lionesses are reigning European champions and among the favoured teams to go all the way. But preparation hasn't been ideal, losing major players to injury in Beth Mead, Fran Kirby and Leah Williamson, as well as failing to score in their last three games - that includes a behind closed doors friendly against Canada since landing in Australia - nor winning inside 90 minutes since February.

Haiti, meanwhile, sprung a shock just to get this far, beating Chile in their inter-confederations play-off final earlier this year. But they will be determined to compete and not just make up the numbers.

Where to watch England vs Haiti on TV/live stream

• When is kick off? Saturday 22 July, 10:30 (BST), 19:30 (local), 05:30 (EST)
• Where is the match being played? Lang Park, Brisbane
• What time does TV coverage start in the UK? 09:40 (BST)
• Referee? Emikar Caldera Barrera (VEN)
• VAR?Juan Soto (VEN)

England vs Haiti H2H record

This is perhaps, unsurprisingly, the first time that England and Haiti are meeting. In fact, the Lionesses have never played an official game against any Caribbean nation.

England team news

The big news for England is that Millie Bright has been passed fit. The Chelsea defender is standing in for Williamson as captain but had been nursing an injury problem of her own in recent months, with the behind closed doors friendly against Canada her first action since March.

The Lionesses also have a fully fit squad otherwise and the big question is whether Sarina Wiegman will start Alessia Russo or Rachel Daly up front.

• England predicted lineup vs Haiti - Women's World Cup

Haiti team news

Melchie Dumornay is a player to watch, having signed for French giants Lyon this year and being ranked inside the top 100 in The Guardian's 2022 list of the best female players in the world.

Like Dumornay, many of the squad featured at the 2018 Under-20 World Cup.

• England Women's World Cup opponents: Everything you need to know about Haiti, Denmark & China

England vs Haiti score prediction

England have to be considered heavy favourites for this one and anything other than a win would be considered a major shock given that the Lionesses are ranked fourth in the world by FIFA and Haiti are 49 places lower in those global standings.

Wiegman's team haven't been in the best form of late, getting pushed hard by Brazil at Wembley in April, losing their long unbeaten run to Australia, failing to break down Portugal and then being held by Canada in an unofficial warm-up. But this match is more favourable.

An early goal would settle nerves, but the extra quality will eventually shine through.

Prediction: England 4-0 Haiti

Analysis - Sophie Downey (Girls on the Ball)

England's World Cup opener against Haiti has felt like a long, long time coming. There's been so much buildup, so many disputes around bonuses, call-ups and disruptions because of injury. England are missing three big players in Beth Mead, Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby so lots of talk has centred around how Sarina Wiegman will navigate those losses.

But we are now at the tournament and England are ready to go. In all honesty, they should be the favourites to win this quite comfortably. Haiti are at their first World Cup, though they are fearless and they have nothing to lose.

Watch out for their star midfielder, Melchie Dumornay, as she is one of the hottest young stars in world football. She signed with Lyon on a three-year contract which tells you everything you need to know about her ability. Fast and slick on the ball, she likes to score goals, so England will have to be aware of the threat she carries.

Though they should win comfortably, England have to figure out what their defensive line looks like. Millie Bright is obviously back fit, so she will start, and she will captain the team. But will it be Jess Carter or Alex Greenwood partnering her at centre back, and who will play left back out of those two?

And then up front, who leads the line? Is it the Golden Boot-winning Rachel Daly ,who got 22 goals in 22 games for Aston Villa, or will it be Alessia Russo, who has played in that role for much of the season. So those are some questions to be ironed out for Sarina, but they should be really confident going into this one. A comfortable win should be on the cards.

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