Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025: Who can stop England?

The “Red Roses” ready for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup

With the atmosphere set by Shy FX & T Power, and a constant drizzle, the “Red Roses” completed their final preparation at the Stadium of Light. The English team appeared relaxed, making the final adjustments before their opening match against the United States. However, the pressure will increase considerably at the start of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup. This tournament arrives with England as the clear favorite, a status earned after only losing one match in the last 60 and maintaining a streak of 26 consecutive victories. But fifteen teams will seek to challenge them in the next five weeks, in what promises to be the biggest World Cup to date. Ticket demand has been high, with 375,000 tickets sold, representing approximately 80% of the total available. To put it in perspective, in 2017, 45,412 tickets were sold for the entire tournament, a figure that could be surpassed only in the opening match between England and the United States in Sunderland. This World Cup will define whether the “Red Roses” consolidate their dominance or if there will be a major surprise. It will be the tournament of the American star Ilona Maher, the talented Ellie Kildunne and a new chapter for the legendary Portia Woodman-Wickliffe. It will also be the stage for young promises like Waiaria Ellis from Australia and Jorja Miller from New Zealand. In addition, it will bring together professional, semi-professional and amateur players.

World Rugby seeks to make this tournament different, prioritizing personality. Each team will have content creators to connect with fans and present new role models. There will be an increase in the number of female coaches (32% versus 15% in 2021), and the final at Twickenham, with sold-out tickets, will have an all-female ground staff. The pressure is on the “Red Roses.” Any result other than victory would be a surprise and a disaster. Some players have never experienced a defeat in an official match. Others only remember the defeat in the 2022 World Cup final against New Zealand. The English team has great depth, an excellent captain in Zoe Aldcroft, and the talented Meg Jones. Kildunne and other players could become household names, like Leah Williamson, Chloe Kelly, or Ella Toone. The coaching staff includes Sarah Hunter, team captain in 2017 and 2021, as defense coach. Her presence is a great incentive.

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While logic indicates that England should win, pressure can generate unexpected results. The team highlights “cohesion”, as mentioned by John Mitchell, aware of the responsibility to triumph at home. “Being favorites is irrelevant to us. We have to earn the right every week,” he stated. The goal is to reach the pinnacle of rugby, but there’s also a broader significance to their journey. Captain Aldcroft hopes this tournament will be “the starting point for an absolute surge of interest in the sport.”

However, England is not the only team with possibilities. Canada and New Zealand are also strong contenders. Canada, ranked number 2 in the world, features the outstanding player Sophie de Goede. They arrive in England boosted by their 42-10 victory over the United States. New Zealand, the Black Ferns, are the defending champions and have won six of the last seven world titles. Despite a complicated period from October 2023 to November 2024, they have regained their best form. Coach Allan Bunting promises an improved team. Australia, although less successful in XV than in sevens, will seek to reach the playoffs, with the young prospect Ellis, but without the injured Charlotte Caslick, while the sevens star Maddison Levi remains in the shorter format.

Local nations have different aspirations. Ireland aims for the semi-finals, but will not have key players like Dorothy Wall and Erin King. However, they have Aoife Wafer, with an impressive record of 12 tries in 15 matches, although she is recovering from knee surgery. Wales is in the process of adapting under new coach Sean Lynn. Scotland, for its part, faces contractual problems. Contract discussions continued until the last moment, and just over half of the current squad will not have a contract after the World Cup, and coach Bryan Easson’s contract also ends.

“My ethics as a captain is to make my players feel like superwomen, to make them feel valued and that they belong,” said Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm in July. “And the processes that have occurred behind the scenes have done almost the opposite of those three things, so they have definitely made my job a little more difficult.”

Rachel Malcolm, captain of Scotland

Brazil is participating for the first time in a Women’s XV World Cup, while Fiji is in its second edition. There are many inspiring stories, and the amateur status of many players mixes the everyday with the exceptional. In South Africa, the story of Mary Zulu stands out, who was abandoned at birth and is now one of the two fly-halves of her team. South Africa relies on its forwards, eight years after the SARU decided not to participate in the 2017 World Cup due to poor results. They face France, who will seek to go far after being one point away from the final in 2022. They also compete with Italy. Ilona Maher, from the United States, is the most followed rugby player on social media, with 8.8 million followers on Instagram and TikTok. Her influence is changing the mindset around the sport, and her teammates are using her example to boost their own channels and attract new followers.

“This is a moment when women’s rugby could grow massively and I think this team is at the forefront of how we present ourselves and how people perceive us,” Maher said on Wednesday. “We want more people to set their sights on the game and it will be great to see more full stadiums.”

Ilona Maher

This will be Maher’s World Cup. He already has the Olympic bronze medal from Paris 2024, and now it’s his turn to shine in the center for the United States. They will face England in Sunderland, where the United States is the underdog. This match will mark the beginning of five weeks of rugby that many hope will boost the sport worldwide. World Rugby published a report with key points for the growth of women’s rugby, including making it more visible, empowering players to tell their stories, increasing participation, and giving fans more opportunities to see the stars. The focus will be on the sport like never before in the next five weeks, and it will shine especially on the hosts. England’s motto in the tournament is “For the Girls”. England expects a direct path to the trophy at Twickenham, but there are 15 more nations that will seek to change the narrative in their favor.