The majority of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad have agreed to end their boycott after “profound changes” to the Spanish football federation were promised, according to National Sports Council president Victor Francos.

A decision was reached in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a lengthy meeting between the players, RFEF officials and CSD in a hotel in Oliva.

Fifteen players of the group from this summer’s tournament were on Monday named in new head coach Montse Tome’s squad for the Nations League encounters with Sweden and Switzerland.

But 21 of the 23-player contingent had already stated they would not play for their country again until major changes had occurred within the RFEF, in the wake of former president Luis Rubiales kissing Spain forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the medal ceremony in Australia.

The threat of sanctions to the squad for potentially refusing to play for their country had been raised, but an agreement was finally reached with Francos confirming the news after the meeting.

“We’ve had several meetings that were conducted in an extremely cordial atmosphere in which people were able to speak freely,” Francos said, according to Spanish sports newspaper AS.

“We covered all issues. In terms of conclusions: firstly, we’ve reached a series of agreements that will be signed tomorrow by the RFEF and the CSD.

“Furthermore, a mixed commission will be created involving three parties – the federation, the CSD and the players – to monitor the (implementation) of those agreements, which are related to the development of Spain’s sports law in terms of gender policies, pay equality and furthering the infrastructure of women’s sport.

“The players also conveyed to us the need to make profound changes (in personnel at the RFEF). These changes are to happen immediately, and will be announced by the RFEF.”

Amanda Gutierrez, president of players’ union FUTPRO, was also present at the meeting, and was quoted by AS as saying: “It is considered a rapprochement of positions. It is the beginning of a long road that lies ahead of us.

“(The players), once again, have shown themselves to be coherent and the vast majority have decided to make the decision to stay for the sake of this agreement.”

The players had reluctantly turned up for duty on Tuesday amid talk of fines or suspension under Spanish sports law for “unjustified lack of attendance”, with Hermoso accusing RFEF of intimidation in her own statement on Tuesday.

Goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez also answered “no” when asked by reporters if she was happy to be part of Tome’s squad when a group of Madrid-based players met at a hotel in the Spanish capital before they travelled to their nation’s training base near Valencia.

However, lengthy talks between the players, RFEF and CSD officials resulted in the boycott ending, although two players will leave the camp ahead of Friday’s match in Sweden.

Francos added: “Two players have said they aren’t in the right frame of mind and have asked to leave the squad. Twenty-one players have expressed their desire to stay.”

Cheryl Foster’s performances at the Women’s World Cup have sparked a refereeing boom in Wales.

Foster, a former 63-times capped Wales international, has been awarded the third place play-off between Australia and Sweden in Brisbane on Saturday – her fourth game of the tournament.

The 42-year-old from Bangor refereed the Women’s Champions League final in June and her rise in the game comes at the ideal time for the Football Association of Wales, who last month launched its referee academy for women and girls.

“Cheryl is an incredible role model for the next generation,” FAW head of women’s and girls football Lowri Roberts told the PA news agency.

“She is an excellent referee and the fact she is a former player has encouraged a lot of girls in academies and youth teams to take up refereeing.

“A lot of girls are not going to make it as professional footballers and Cheryl has shown the life experiences that are possible when you take up refereeing.

“We have developed some elite officials in Cheryl – who has been so visible at the World Cup – Charlotte Carpenter and Ceri-Louise Williams, but we do not have enough referees currently in women’s football.”

The FAW has used FIFA funding to set up the Adran Leagues Referee Academy, a targeted programme to recruit and develop referees to service the rapid growth of the women’s game in Wales.

The Adran Under-19s League will be utilised as a development platform for referees as well as players.

More than 100 women and girls have signed up for September’s induction workshops in north and south Wales. At present Wales has 52 active female referees.

Although more than 50 per cent of referees in men’s football are over 35 years of age, 80 per cent in the women’s game are under 35 and 50 per cent are under 18.

Roberts said: “Girls make up 14 per cent of the total participation numbers in Wales, 10 per cent of the coaches but only five per cent of match officials.

“This has led us to develop this targeted plan to increase the number of women officials and the bespoke mentoring and training programme will be built around the needs of our referees.

“In order to professionalise our Adran Leagues, we need to develop all areas of the game, and we hope this programme will find us the next Cheryl Foster and Charlotte Carpenter.

“We are reinvesting in the game and normalising the role of women in football and the recruitment and retainment of referees is a key part of that.”

Goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan is certain her grandparents would be beaming with pride had they had lived long enough to see her play in the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup debut.

The Girls in Green kick off their campaign against tournament co-hosts Australia at 1100 BST in front of a sold-out crowd at Stadium Australia after demand forced organisers to relocate the meeting to the competition’s largest venue.

The Everton keeper is eligible for the Republic through her paternal grandparents Margaret and Brendan, who were born in Roscommon and Kerry but later emigrated to the United States, where Brosnan was born and raised.

Asked how she balances her dual identities as a New Jersey native pulling on a Republic shirt, Brosnan said: “I think it’s amazing. I feel like it’s really special because I feel like I’m able to learn so much about my family.

“They’ve both passed on now, but I think it’s just amazing for me to see.

“Like I know how close my dad was with them as well, and to be able to play for Ireland and still have that connection to them, even if they’re not here, it’s really hard to put into words how special that is.

“It just gives me an amazing chance to see all the different parts of my family history. They passed away when I was 15, 16, but growing up it was weekend trips all the time, and we were really close.

“They were from a place called Springfield, Massachusetts and they grew up there when they came over from Ireland. They lived in the same house their whole life, so it’s pretty cool.”

Brosnan posted five clean sheets in World Cup qualifiers, and also denied Real Madrid’s Caroline Weir the vital first-half penalty that would have given Scotland a 1-0 lead in their World Cup play-off to decide which team would make the tournament.

Instead, Brosnan’s save allowed substitute Amber Barrett to swoop in after the restart and score, her goal enough to ensure the Republic would win 1-0 and seal the momentous result.

She said: “Me and Amber laugh because people will come up to her and say, ‘Oh, you’re the best goalkeeper I know’ and people will come up to me and say, ‘Oh, what a finish!’ and I’m like, ‘Ok, I know we both have red hair but we are different people!'”

More people will surely tell the difference after the Republic walk out at Stadium Australia to begin the next exciting chapter in their history, before facing Canada and Nigeria to conclude the group stage.

Brosnan added: “I think it’s a really, really special moment that we’re able to take part in.

“This is something we’ve always dreamed of, then there’s the added bonus that you’re playing the host nation, that the crowd’s so big, that this is our first World Cup.

“We’ve discussed really openly about how we know the quality of the group that we’re in and the competition is really fierce. I think that underdog-ness is part of being Irish, that you love that challenge and stepping up, facing a big dog and showing what you’re capable of.

“We’re not just here to take part. This is something we’ve been working for for years and years. We’re doing everything we can to put ourselves in the best position to get results.”

Jamaica's Reggae Girlz defeated Morocco 1-0 in a friendly match at Galvin Park in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday, but the victory came at a cost as star forward Jody Brown suffered an injury that could keep her out for a few days ahead of their opening match against France in the FIFA Women's World Cup.

The Jamaicans were dominant for most of the match and should have gone ahead early after Khadija Shaw was fouled inside the box and was awarded a penalty. However, the Reggae Girlz leading striker fluffed her lines.

Jamaica made amends shortly after when Atlanta Primus scored in the 18th minute to give her team a 1-0 lead. The Jamaicans continued to create chances, but they were unable to add to their lead.

In the second half, Morocco came out with more urgency and put the Jamaican defense under pressure. However, the Reggae Girlz held firm and were able to see out the victory. After the match, Reggae Girlz head coach Lorne Donaldson was pleased with the team's performance, but he expressed concern about Brown's injury.

"Jody picked up a good knock," Donaldson said. "I thought she was done for the game, but she wanted to go on. I'm sure she's going to be out for a few days because it looked like it's a deep contusion. So we don't know yet. I'm not a doctor, but she might be hobbling around for the next couple days."

Despite the injury, Donaldson was encouraged by the team's performance overall.

"We did some good stuff," Donaldson said. "We moved the ball around well and we connected a lot more passes than I really expected. I thought we defended very well in the last 15 minutes, and that's something we've been working on. Overall, it was a good warm-up game."

The Reggae Girlz will now turn their attention to their opening match against France, which will be played on July 20. Donaldson is confident that his team will be ready for the challenge.

The victory over Morocco is a good confidence boost for the Reggae Girlz as they prepare for the World Cup but they will need to be at their best if they want to upset France on Sunday.

Republic of Ireland defender Louise Quinn is confident the Girls in Green have a plan in place to shut down prolific Australia striker Sam Kerr when they face the hosts in their World Cup opener.

Quinn’s side, after all, have done it before, spoiling the Chelsea forward’s 100th appearance for the Matildas with a 3-2 victory when they met for the first time in history at Tallaght Stadium in September 2021.

Dublin native Quinn powered in a second-half header to break the deadlock and memorably hand the Republic their biggest win over a higher-ranked opponent in over two decades.

“It’s rare but I felt like I got one up on her with the Irish team in Tallaght and that is something that I will carry forward with me,” said Quinn, speaking during a team training session at Brisbane’s Meakin Park.

“But she’s very impressive, she’s very strong, easily one of the best strikers in the world now. For me, you concentrate on the whole thing but I definitely have an individual battle on my hands that is essentially what I want.

“What I want to so is to not let her score essentially. Keep her out of the game. She really creates moments out of nothing but it has to be 100 per cent for the 90 minutes.

“Yeah, she runs off the back shoulders a lot. She is so nippy that she can come around the front and come off your blindside and make runs in behind. I can’t wait for the challenge to be honest, this is what you play for, to play against the very best in the world. And she is one of the best.

“We’ve proved before against Australia that we can put something up against her and she was on the pitch that day and had her chances.”

Matildas captain Kerr, Australia’s top goal-scorer of either gender with 63 from 121 caps, was named the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Women’s Footballer of the Year for a second straight season after a 2022/23 campaign that saw her score 17 goals and pick up six assists across the Women’s Super League and Champions League.

She was largely shut down at Tallaght, where Mary Fowler netted two to keep Australia in a game Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson would later tell media he felt was “some kind of record” for the number of technical mistakes he observed in his side.

They will have to do better to impress the 80,000-plus crowd who have sold out Sydney’s Stadium Australia on Thursday night, the second contest on a two-match opening day beginning with co-hosts New Zealand’s meeting with Norway in Auckland.

Sunday was a recovery day for the Republic, who are hoping midfielder Denise O’Sullivan will be fit in time for the biggest day in team history after she was injured in their aborted friendly with Colombia.

An initial X-ray and CT scan encouragingly showed no fracture to O’Sullivan’s shin, and she will be assessed again on Monday afternoon.

Quinn’s name will forever go down in history as one of 23 selected to represent her country in their first World Cup. It is an astonishing accomplishment that has struck her sharply and sporadically, often when she has least expected it.

She said:  “I had a really random one after the Zambia game and we had a weekend off.

“I was just chatting to my girlfriend about something, and I was saying ‘I’ll do that after I get back from the World Cup.’ And I actually stopped for a second and realised that yes, I am going to a World Cup.

“And I had to stop for a moment. I got emotional. Because we’ve been talking about this all along but now it’s really confirmed. It hit me. We were just getting the dinner ready and chatting, ‘We’ll do this after the World Cup. It was really bizarre, a really emotional moment and I didn’t think that was going to happen.”

The world’s finest in women’s football have descended upon Australia and New Zealand for the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Here, the PA news agency picks out five players who could shine at the global showpiece.

Lauren James (England)

The 21-year-old forward has both England fans and pundits alike buzzing after a stellar season with Chelsea, where she scored seven goals and provided two assists in 26 matches played across the Women’s Super League and Champions League.

While the World Cup will be James’ first major international tournament, she has plenty of experience in high-stakes situations with Emma Hayes’ WSL and FA Cup-winning Blues.

The one-time PFA Young Player of the Year nominee is aggressive and opportunistic with the ball while also displaying what often feels like effortless control, and says she is keen to carve out an identity separate to that of her older brother, Chelsea and England defender Reece James. This opportunity could well accelerate that mission.

Trinity Rodman (USA)

Rodman can no doubt relate to James – she is also a 21-year-old forward who is often mentioned in the same breath as her own famous relative, ex-NBA player dad Dennis Rodman.

But the 2021 National Women’s Soccer League Rookie of the Year and 2022 Ballon D’Or nominee has more than earned her solo spotlight since she became, at age 18, the youngest player drafted into the NWSL. And last February she extended her stay at Washington Spirit with what was widely reported to be a league record-breaking USD1.1 million, four-year deal.

Rodman seems to be in fine form ahead of the USA’s tournament opener against Vietnam after bagging a second-half brace in the Americans’ 2-0 win over Wales in a friendly earlier this month.

Khadija Shaw (Jamaica)

‘Bunny’ Shaw will be a familiar face to many from her time with the WSL’s Manchester City, particularly after a 2022/23 season in which she finished second only to England and Aston Villa forward Rachel Daly for the most goals scored in the English top flight.

The 26-year-old Reggae Girlz captain, who recently extended her stay at City until 2026, concluded her second season with 31 goals in 30 games and in the process became the highest-scoring women’s player across a single campaign in the club’s history.

Shaw is the first Caribbean player to win the CONCACAF Women’s Player of the Year award, and Jamaica will rely on the skipper’s leadership when they embark on just their second World Cup finals in a difficult Group F that includes heavy-hitters Brazil and France alongside Panama.

Sam Kerr (Australia)

Prolific striker Sam Kerr is precisely the sort of player you want on your side in those dig-deep, do-or-die situations when the pressure is at its most intense.

Fortunately for tournament co-hosts Australia, the 29-year-old back-flipping forward is one of their very own and could well be the weapon that ultimately deals the tournament-ending blow to two of World Cup debutants Republic of Ireland, Olympic champions Canada and Nigeria to send the Matildas into the knockout stage.

Chelsea boss Hayes has heaped praise on the ‘FIFA 23’ cover woman for her steely focus until the final whistle, often paying off in result-deciding goals like the one that won the Blues this year’s FA Cup. Kerr also scored in England’s only loss under head coach Sarina Wiegman, a 2-0 upset for the Lionesses against Australia in their April friendly.

Lena Oberdorf (Germany)

Germany’s young midfield star will be looking for retribution after narrowly missing out Euro 2022 glory last summer, when her side lost 2-1 to England in their dramatic Wembley final, although she did walk away with Young Player of the Tournament honours.

Though also just 21, the Wolfsburg talent will be making her second World Cup appearance, having made her debut in the 2019 French edition aged 17, where she sat school exams during the tournament.

Known for taking initiative, winning back possession and her well-timed challenges, Oberdorf will be a key cog in a strong German side’s title hopes as one of the tournament favourites kick off their campaign with group H matches against Morocco, Colombia and South Korea.

The ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off with New Zealand taking on Norway on July 20 followed by the Republic of Ireland’s tournament debut against Australia, the Kiwis’ co-hosts, at Sydney’s sold-out Stadium Australia later on the opening day.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the talking points.

Who will watch?

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Organisers are targeting a record two billion viewers for the 2023 edition, a figure that would double the audience who watched the 2019 World Cup in France. They believe the unique geographic position of the host countries has paved the way for strategic match scheduling that will allow fans, no matter where they live, to catch their side in action.

Yet one of the big issues ahead of the tournament was the lack of confirmed broadcast deals in a number of major markets – including the UK, Spain, France, Italy and Germany – just months out from the opening match, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino on several occasions accusing bidding broadcasters of lowballing offers and even threatening that his organisation could be “forced not to broadcast” the tournament if they did not step up.

Some in women’s football hit back, arguing the timings still would still prove challenging in engaging non-diehard audiences. England’s three group-stage kick-offs all begin between 9:30am and 12pm in the UK, with ITV and the BBC splitting broadcast duties across the tournament.

England’s injury woes

The Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph placed them squarely in conversations predicting World Cup favourites. Sarina Wiegman’s squad and unchanged starting XI benefited from generally excellent health throughout that unbeaten run, but this time the England manager is not so fortunate.

Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot last summer, is still recovering from the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture she sustained in November, while her Arsenal team-mate and England captain Leah Williamson was ruled out when she suffered the same injury in April.

And while defenders Lucy Bronze and acting skipper Millie Bright have both recovered from their own respective issues in time to board the plane, Chelsea midfielder Fran Kirby announced she would not be joining them after doctors determined she would require knee surgery, leading to questions about how Wiegman will cope without three of her top talents alongside the absence of the retired Ellen White and Jill Scott.

Denying the ‘three-peat’

For anyone not sporting the stars and stripes, it feels the world has grown weary of American dominance and would welcome a new world champion with open arms, particularly after USA’s back-to-back victories in 2019 and 2015 and competition-leading four titles since claiming the inaugural trophy in 1991.

While USA remain the bookmakers’ favourites to lift the trophy, more than half of head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s 23-player roster will be competing in their first World Cup, with just nine returnees from their victory four years ago – potentially opening the door for other hopefuls including England, Germany, France and Spain to deny the United States a “three-peat”.

The great armband debate

The rainbow ‘One Love’ armband ban was a hot topic during the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar and sparked questions about what would be permitted in Australia and New Zealand, particularly as the women’s game has historically featured many out members of the LGBTQ+ community, including a record number bound for the World Cup.

While the One Love armband itself will not feature, FIFA announced late last month that they had reached an agreement to give players a selection of approved options highlighting issues from gender equality to indigenous people, peace and ending hunger, while another celebrates the sport of football itself. None, however, explicitly advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Antipodean legacy

Australia’s World Cup opener will take place with Test four of the Ashes already under way. The National Rugby League (NRL) season is also in full swing as is Aussie Rules’ AFL, so there is plenty on to entertain sports fans in a country where other games dominate the headlines.

Still, the 2023 Australian Sports Commission’s official AusPlay revealed football was once again the country’s most popular sport to play.

So while World Cup posters featuring Australia and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr seem ubiquitous Down Under and local governments are pointing to figures in the tens of millions for their visitor economies, the true test of this tournament lies in how much headway the sport can make in the two host countries – and what women’s football will look like here a generation down the line.

England will head into the Women’s World Cup having played more total minutes than any other leading country, according to a report by global players’ union FIFPRO.

Workload and injuries have been a major talking point in the women’s game, with a particular focus on the number of players suffering ACL damage.

Arsenal defender Leah Williamson, who captained England to European Championship success last summer, and Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot and was named player of the tournament, will both miss the World Cup because of ACL injuries, as will Chelsea’s Fran Kirby with her own knee issue.

FIFPRO’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Workload Journey Report, published on Thursday morning, examined workload and playing opportunities for players at international and club level.

The England squad’s combined total minutes played in all competitive club and national team matches, from August 1, 2022 to June 3 this year, was 65,398, putting them ahead of Spain (61,894), Portugal (61,508) and the Netherlands (59,970).

England players played a total of 48,222 minutes in domestic club football, with an additional 7,109 coming from international club competitions such as the Champions League.

The domestic football set-up in three of the top five countries on the list – England, Portugal and the Netherlands – also included a second club cup competition, so adding more playing time.

By comparison, current world champions the United States played far fewer minutes overall (46,455), thanks to less club action from those based domestically in the National Women’s Soccer League than their European counterparts, with no international club or second domestic cup competitions.

However, total national team minutes for the USA were 11,316, placing them above both World Cup co-hosts Australia (11,182) and England (9,778).

Some squads in the report are preliminary, based on estimations from digital data and analytics platform Football Benchmark made in mid-June before the confirmation of the official World Cup selections.

Eight countries are missing from the analysis, including China, Argentina and South Africa, due to a lack of available data, with the scarcity of easily-accessible up-to-date match schedules and performance statistics for players another concern highlighted by the report.

“Player workload is an important lens through which to assess some the overall needs of women’s football from an access, development and competitive aspect,” said Sarah Gregorius, FIFPRO’s director global policy and strategic relations for women’s football

“By using the milestone of the Women’s World Cup and the context for participating players, we can see where football stakeholders can come together to improve the international match calendar and make data-driven decisions on how to add and innovate with competitions to better promote performance and well-being for more players.”

The report also addresses issues over the “uneven and fragmented” calendars in the women’s game, which FIFPRO said forces many players in countries where football is less developed to move abroad to improve or face having not enough matches to develop their potential.

Players from the likes of England, Spain and Portugal collectively played around twice as many minutes for their clubs and national teams over the last 10 months as those from Jamaica, Haiti and the Philippines, which FIFPRO feels could impact how ready players are to perform on the World Cup stage.

The players’ union highlighted the need for all regions to stage standalone qualifying competitions for the next Women’s World Cup. At the moment UEFA, Europe’s governing body, is the only one which does.

This would, FIFPRO said, help create a “more balanced qualification system that supports the growth of women’s football worldwide”.

FIFPRO also called for more international club competitions in women’s football and the sustainable growth of domestic leagues, which currently tend to have fewer teams and matches than men’s leagues.

“The FIFA Women’s World Cup is a fantastic celebration of the women’s game, but is also a time to analyse the sometimes patchy development of the sport,” FIFPRO general secretary Jonas Baer Hoffmann said.

“The data shows competitive opportunities for players globally is largely dependent on the context of domestic football in their home country, as well as the availability of international club football.”

Millie Bright has called for work to be done with regard to scheduling in the women’s game, stressing players are “not robots”.

Bright – captain of the England squad flying out for this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand on Wednesday after regular skipper Leah Williamson was ruled out by an ACL injury, and recovering from a knee issue herself – says burnout is “always in the back of your mind” as a player.

The 66-cap Chelsea centre-back, who helped England win the Euros last summer and played for Great Britain at the Olympics the summer before that, said: “It’s tough.

“I’ve been doing it for several years now. Playing back-to-back tournaments, it’s hard, when you’re playing every single minute for your clubs.

“That’s the demands of the game now, especially with how competitive it is getting. The quality has gone through the roof and the games are getting harder to win, especially when you’re competing for every trophy.

“I still think there’s work to be done in terms of scheduling, making sure we can compete in every competition and do back-to-back tournaments, but also we are not robots, we need time to recover.

“We want to perform, to be at the highest level. For me, I think the scheduling of everything needs to be looked at so we can keep the quality at the highest it can possibly be.

“As a player, it is always in the back of your mind.”

Injuries have been a major talking point of late in women’s football, with a particular focus on the amount of players suffering ACL damage – something that has left England heading into this summer’s tournament without not only Williamson but also Beth Mead, her Arsenal team-mate who was the Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner.

Asked if more research was needed, Bright said: “I think there always needs to be more done.

“We obviously know the (female) body is very different to the male, so the research needs to be done in that sense.

“For me, it’s more than just one factor, it’s everything that comes with it, whether it’s facilities, pitches, the amount of games we are playing, the amount of rest we’re having. It’s everything together, and I think all elements need to align.

“We want to be performing at the highest level but we can only do that if we are fully recovered. If you play under a lot of fatigue then you are bound to be picking up injuries. It’s just impossible to keep going.

“We don’t want to see this amount of injuries. I guess it will be a topic where the conversation will never die really until we see change and something done.”

Bright has not played in a match since sustaining a knee injury while in action for Chelsea in March, after which she underwent surgery.

While she was not involved in the 0-0 World Cup warm-up draw against Portugal in Milton Keynes on Saturday, she has expressed her confidence that she will be ready for the Lionesses’ Group D opener against Haiti on July 22.

The 29-year-old, who was “absolutely gutted” for Williamson after she got injured in April and has had “check-ins” with her, said of the prospect of captaining her country at this summer’s showpiece: “It’s a proud moment to even be going to a World Cup.

“I feel really grateful to be selected to go, let alone to be put in a position to captain the girls. It is a massive honour.

“But for me, nothing changes – I stay the same. I’d like to think everyone says they see the same Millie every day, no matter. I always think with or without the armband I lead for the team, I think that’s just natural to me.”

On the chances of Sarina Wiegman’s team adding to their Euro glory Down Under, Bright said: “For us it’s making sure we keep two feet on the ground, which I think we’ve always done, and know the challenge ahead will be even harder than any other tournament.

We will be prepared and ready to fight for the badge.”