Women's Rugby World Cup: Ultra-favorites, England have no room for error in their World Cup

At home, England are the overwhelming favorites to win the 2025 World Cup (August 22 - September 27). Their 27-game winning streak offers little hope for their opponents, but the Red Roses still have the prospect of failure in 2022 fresh in their minds.

Once again, the trophy seems certain. Three years ago, the English women, already overwhelming favorites, nevertheless let a third World Cup title slip away. A three-point defeat against New Zealand (31-34) that the Red Roses remember fondly. "That defeat in the World Cup final lit a fire in me," explained the world's best player in 2024, Ellie Kildunne, to the Guardian. Once the disappointment passed, she and her teammates resumed their unchallenged domination of world women's rugby and have been firmly established at the top of the World Rugby rankings for almost five years.

Heading into the 2025 World Cup, England are riding a stunning winning streak. Since their defeat to the Black Ferns in 2022, the English women have reeled off 27 consecutive victories, including three wins against their arch-rivals, New Zealand. It's hard to beat confidence. Their final dress rehearsal before their opening match against the United States (this Friday at 8:30 p.m.) culminated in a 40-6 triumph against the French women's team on August 10 in Mont-de-Marsan. The impression they left has been the same for many years now: a steamroller.

This superiority, sometimes referred to as an "aura" across the Channel, is rarely questioned. In a crazy and totally unbridled match, the Blues thought they had achieved the feat last April and found the key by playing to the limit... They failed by a narrow point (43-42). Proof that these English women are not invincible, but also proof that the physical domination they exert often ends up making the difference.

Another major selling point is that the Red Roses will be playing at home. Unaffected by "outside noise," according to their coach John Mitchell, they will have to avoid falling flat, as they did in 2010 at Twickenham, in a final they lost to... the Black Ferns (13-10). At the time, only 13,000 spectators witnessed their team's defeat. On September 27, it's already certain that Twickenham will be sold out, and the 82,000 spectators will be waiting for one thing: to see England win their third World Cup.