Leah Williamson wants England to wear OneLove armband at World Cup 2023

The England captain, Leah Williamson, has said she hopes that the Lionesses will be able to wear the OneLove armband at the World Cup in July, as the team prepares for three games in the Arnold Clark Cup.

England, Wales and five other European nations were forced to back down from wearing the armband that was intended as a protest at all forms of discrimination at the World Cup in Qatar. The decision came after they were warned by Fifa they would face sporting sanctions, and that their captains could be booked or even forced to leave the pitch.

But Williamson, who captained England to victory at Euro 2022, said she is determined to make a statement after wearing a rainbow armband throughout the tournament.

“Obviously, you hope it’s not a last-minute call once we get there but it’s something we want to do all year round and we’ve done previously,” she said. “The statement that was made at the Euros with every team participating was incredible, every picture we have with a trophy lift there’s a rainbow armband in there. It’s a great stage and a great time to promote the values we believe in so much, so I hope it’s the same.

“We’re never shy in saying what we stand for, we’re a squad that promotes inclusivity and equality, we obviously have a number of people that feel very strongly about it,” added Williamson. “It’s not even a question for us, you’ve seen another men’s player [Czech Republic international Jakub Jankto] step out and be as brave as they can be and they’ve changed their whole life. They don’t know what’s coming. So, for us to stand in solidarity with that is important to us but it’s something we’ve always done, it’s something we’ll continue to do. We’re not just impacting football, we’re trying to have a