Wendie Renard determined to lead France to a first major trophy at the Women’s World Cup

CLAIREFONTAINE, France: Wendie Renard grew up in a place so remote that locals nicknamed it “The End of the World.”

By the end of the Women’s World Cup, the France captain hopes she’ll be raising aloft the major international trophy that has eluded the women’s national team.

The imposing central defender’s journey starts with a 17,000-kilometer (10,540-mile) trek to Australia, where France open their campaign in Sydney on July 23 against Jamaica.

France’s men have won two World Cups and two European Championships — and reached three other major finals — but Les Bleues are underachievers. The women’s team lost their only World Cup semifinal 12 years ago to the US.

“We have a lot of quality, but our honors list is blank,” Renard told The Associated Press in an interview at the team’s Clairefontaine training camp outside Paris. “There’s a long, long way to go. But the tougher it is, the better it is at the end.”

Despite boasting a team packed with players from ultra-successful French club side Lyon — the starting lineup for France’s opener at the 2019 World Cup had seven Lyon players — France have also only reached one European Championship semifinal, losing last year to Germany.

“Quite a lot of us have experience at the highest level and we need to use it,” Renard said. “The hardest thing is saying, ‘I should have done this, I have should have done that.’ By then it’s already too late.”

The tournament, cohosted by New Zealand, kicks off on July 20, which is also when Renard turns 33.

She has played 144 internationals and scored 34 goals for France. With Lyon, Renard has won a record 16 league titles and a record eight Champions League trophies.

She’s long been considered one of the best players in women’s soccer,