EXCLUSIVE: Fran Kirby talks disappointment on missing the World Cup through injury and why England’s Lionesses can go all the way

Watching the World Cup on television wasn’t in Fran Kirby’s plan for the summer, and she openly admits she doesn’t expect to do very well. The Lioness, who has played 65 caps, will miss the World Cup due to a knee injury she sustained while playing for Chelsea in February.

“It’s never fun to miss a tournament or football. It was something that really disappointed me,” she tells Mail Sport. “I’m probably the worst bench football watcher you can imagine. I’m quite analytical when it comes to football, so I think I view the game differently than how a fan would view the game.’

Kirby, a vital player in last summer’s European Championship winning side and a mainstay in Sarina Wiegman’s starting squad, scored the fourth and final goal in England’s semi-final against Sweden.

Despite missing this year’s tournament, Kirby can’t completely stay away from the action in Australia, and she regularly checks in with her teammates as they prepare for the tournament.

“I have some good friends who are out there that I talk to every day. I’ve asked them things like “How was practice today?” “How do you feel?” I want to know how they are,” she says.

The Chelsea star is unable to play at the World Cup due to a knee injury

Kirby is joined by captain Leah Williamson and European Golden Boot winner Beth Mead on the injury list for this World Cup and England have been struggling for goals since beating Brazil in the Finalissima in April.

However, this doesn’t seem to dampen the Chelsea midfielder’s hopes for England to go far in the league. “The team is very experienced,” she says.

“There are players who played at home at the European Championship and won a trophy. There are players who have played in the Champions League and some have even won it. The team they have there is definitely capable of winning it.’

Kirby, who earned her first senior cap for England in August 2014, went on to play in two World Cups and two European Championships. She clearly speaks from experience when she qualifies this by saying, ‘But it’s a World Cup. Everything can happen.’

Kirby teams up with former England teammate Toni Duggan to bring a new experience of lionesses watching to Shoreditch. The Queen’s Header, a pop-up pub, will exclusively screen the Women’s World Cup matches, with the two lionesses providing a ‘VIP fireside chat’ during England’s first game against Haiti on Saturday morning.

“I’m going to watch the first game with a lot of Lionesses fans and I’m really looking forward to it because I think it’s going to be such a nice atmosphere, a beautiful venue and some passionate fans down there, and hopefully I can get a little more excited instead of having my football head on.

“Growing up it was so hard to watch women’s football. The only game that used to be shown was the FA Cup final for women, and that was once a year and only occasionally on television.’

Like so many things that have changed since last year’s Euro triumph, there is once again a lioness involved to ensure that women’s sport continues to grow and be represented on the biggest stages.

Last year, Kirby was on the scoresheet in England’s Euro 2022 semi-final against Sweden

According to Kirby, Sarina Wiegman’s team is capable of winning the tournament

Kirby and ex-England teammate Toni Duggan will join Lionesses fans to watch the game in Haiti

Just Eat donates ticket sales for the Queen’s Header to support grassroots women’s football

“To be part of the launch of (the Queen’s Header) and to be there to see the first Lionesses game with Toni, someone I know very well and grew up with playing alongside England, is really special.”

And, she adds, “I hope the Lionesses put on a good show for everyone watching down there too!”

Just Eat will donate ticket sales for the Queen’s Header to support grassroots women’s football, as well as an additional £50,000 investment to its Feed the game fund that aims to inspire and encourage more women and girls to play football, including the 101 women’s football teams it helped launch last summer.

England will play against Haiti on Saturday 22 July at 10.30am and will be broadcast live on ITV.