These five stars who will liven up the Women's World Cup

Voted the best women's player in the world in the fall of 2024, Ellie Kildunne has become the main face of the England team, and one of the headliners of the World Cup. The 25-year-old Harlequins player was launched into the national team at the age of 17, in 2017, and has gradually established herself as one of the best fullbacks in the world.

Fast, eager for space, capable of keeping the ball alive, the West Yorkshire native also tried her hand at 7, participating in the Paris Games in 2024. A starter and scorer in the 2021 World Cup final (played in 2022) lost against New Zealand (34-31), she will be an essential asset in claiming the world title, the last one dating back to 2014.

At 34, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe has won it all, from team titles (2017 and 2021 World Cups, 2020 and 2024 Olympic Sevens) to individual accolades (2017 World Player of the Year). But the New Zealander is still hungry: last April, she decided to come out of international retirement to be part of the 2025 World Cup adventure.

The defending champions, the Black Ferns, have opened the door to her again, and Woodman has jumped in with gusto, scoring 7 and 3 tries in her last two matches, against the United States (79-14) in May, then Australia (37-12) in mid-July. The try-scoring winger, top scorer at the last two World Cups, is still buzzing.

In a Canadian team that has every reason to aspire to a leading role at this World Cup, Sophie de Goede is a unique figure with a strong heritage. Her father, Hans de Goede, like her mother, Stephanie White, were, like her in 2022, captains of Canada at the World Cup, in 1987 for Hans, in 1994 for Stephanie.

Having suffered a cruciate ligament tear just before the Paris Olympics, in which she was planning to participate, the second or third row spent almost a year without playing but proved in preparation that she had lost none of her physical commitment, at 1.83 m, nor her dexterity: she may play up front, but she is the Canadian women's skillful goal scorer.

Suspended in a bizarre manner for the French team's first match in this World Cup (against Italy, this Saturday evening, 9:15 p.m.), the Stade Toulousain scrum-half remains a key player for the French team and one of the figures in world rugby. The most capped member of the French squad (66 selections), Bourdon Sansus has played with the French team for almost ten years and has two Grand Slams to her name (2016 and 2018).

At 29, she remains a spectacular number 9, capable of creating gaps in any defense. A starter at the last World Cup in New Zealand, which ended in the semi-finals (24-25), she hopes this time to lead the French team beyond the last four.

At 29, Ilona Maher will be participating in her first Women's Rugby World Cup, in a United States team that is unlikely to play a leading role, and yet she is undeniably one of the stars of the competition. Beyond her impressive rugby sevens record, culminating in Olympic bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the center has managed to move beyond the rugby league to become a more global figure.

Very popular on social media (5.2 million followers on Instagram), seen in the US version of Dancing with the Stars in 2024, seen on the cover of the famous swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated the same year, she highlights her dense frame (1.77 m; 90 kg) and her femininity with this sentence: "I am strong and powerful, but I can also be graceful."