Written by Sophia Li, CNN
In a bid to elevate the status of women’s soccer, England hosted its first major World Cup qualifier against Scotland in 2017. In the process, it also launched the inaugural Women’s FA Cup, the precursor to the highly contested Women’s Premier League.
Today the senior Women’s England team continues that pursuit of glory as it travels to Serbia, with its sights set on a berth in the 2018 World Cup in France.
In pursuit of the goal, the team will be supported by a full national stadium and a smaller crowd in Serbia’s Ljubljana Stadium. However, supporters will be able to watch the highly competitive contest live online via BBC Sport and BBC One.
The England women host Austria at the Stadion Mladosti Mesto on Wednesday.
“We’re going to bring our A-game to Serbia. We know they’re a very strong team, but this is a great opportunity for us to get three points,” explained England defender Siobhan Chamberlain.
“We have a team who are ranked eighth in the world, and these players know all about the pressure and have a great attitude and work ethic to deal with that pressure.”
Play has already started on the pitch, with both sides taking to the field in the women’s first knockout stage of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 in Germany
Victory for either team in London would guarantee a place in next year’s World Cup in France, where England will represent the United Kingdom at the continental finals for the first time.