Women’s football round-up: England Women drawn against France in World Cup draw

A look at the news from the last week in women’s football

(Getty Images)

England Women can now look forward to next year’s World Cup in Canada after Friday’s draw in Ottawa, Canada.

Mark Sampson’s side have been drawn into Group A alongside France (ranked 4 in the Fifa World Rankings), Mexico (25) and Colombia (31). Hosts Canada will kick off the tournament against China on June 6 in Edmonton.

Women’s Super League expansion
The FA have confirmed two teams will be promoted to the Women’s Super League from next season onwards. As part of expansion plans, an additional promotion place will see nine teams in the top flight in 2016, with 10 teams to contest for promotion in the WSL2.

Doncaster appoint new coach
Doncaster Belles have appointed Glen Harris as their new head coach. The former Lincoln Ladies boss was announced on Monday as the man brought in to replace Gordon Staniforth, who resigned after the club’s failure to gain promotion back to the WSL.

i player of the week: Monica Quinteros (Ecuador)
The only notable match of last week saw Ecuador face Trinidad & Tobago in Port of Spain for the final play-off game before the Women’s World Cup next year. With no goals to separate the two sides, extra-time was looming, until Quinteros headed home a 91-minute free-kick, sparking scenes from the South American nations bench.

Moment of the week
It’s common knowledge that Fifa are capable of cock-ups, but it’s rare that people get to see them. However, during the World Cup draw on Saturday, general secretary Jerome Valcke – the man in charge of proceedings – was left red-faced after Colombia were drawn in the same group as Brazil. Rules state countries from the same confederation cannot be drawn together in a group, meaning Colombia had to be swapped with South Korea.

They said...
“It's completely crazy to say that. It has nothing to do with [sexual] discrimination.” What Jerome Valcke, that man again, said asked about the controversial use of artificial turf at the World Cup next year.

Is stat true?
0 –England have never beaten France in the nine meetings between the two nations, losing six times.