“England are through to the finals of the World Cup and I’m now too emotional to do any work”

Lionesses celebrating their win

Credit: Getty

Strong Women


“England are through to the finals of the World Cup and I’m now too emotional to do any work”

By Miranda Larbi

2 years ago

3 min read

Feeling emotional at the thought of taking home the World Cup on Sunday? You’re not the only one…


Hands up if you’ve recovered yet. No? Me neither. How on earth are we supposed to crack on with an afternoon of meetings after that performance from the Lionesses? Today’s been a rollercoaster of emotion – and it’s only going to get worse on Sunday.

In case you’ve been under a rock or had actual work to do, England have made history by winning their match against host nation Australia to take them into the World Cup finals. It’s the first time England have made it to the end since 1966. Yep, since that World Cup final – you know, the one the men keep banging on about.

Now, I’m not an overly emotional person; my go-to emotion when it comes to football is resignation (I’m a lifelong Gooner). But there’s something incredibly brilliant about this team and the way in which they’ve brought so many super-fans and newly interested women together. It’s really hard not to care.  

A big part of the happiness/relief/joy is down to the fact that I – like many others – didn’t think we’d make it this far in this tournament. Yes, England have a great squad (they’re the European champions, after all) but with superstars like Beth Mead off injured and the indomitable Jill Scott retiring, victory seemed like a tall order.

And then there’s the fact that odd game times (at least if you’re watching in the UK) have made it hard to tune in and get excited. I’ve been cycling to work listening to games on BBC Five Live – one of the most stressful experiences ever. The Strong Women team has had iPlayer on in the office, surreptitiously watching while trying to pen a detailed feature on gut health. As a result, social media has been pretty quiet.

The only time I’ve seen lots of chat was during the Nigeria game that went haywire. England could have taken that performance to heart, but it seems to have provided a bit of a rallying moment. And that’s kind of what we’re looking for in a team: people who dig deeper when things go to pot. 

I didn’t think we’d make it this far in the tournament

So here we are. I’ve spent the past hour talking to a colleague about our plans to get to our local for 10am on Sunday – dressed in our England shirts and ready for a refreshing bloody mary. I’m expecting the pub to be full of women (always a nice sight), people wearing both Spain and England shirts, and choruses of Sweet Caroline – whether we win or not. 

It’s bonkers to think that even a couple of years ago, I used to be the only woman in a group of guys who met up to watch pub football. I’ve been the only one in a number of fantasy football leagues. In newsrooms, men have been surprised to find out that I actually follow the game and know what I’m talking about. I’ve never really had many female football friends – despite going to matches regularly. It’s thanks to the Lionesses and their performances in the Women’s Super League that so many of us have finally found each other. 

Whatever happens on Sunday, it’ll be a vibe. Just don’t be surprised if you see me crying down Homerton High Street come midday. They’ll be happy tears, I promise. 


Images: Getty

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