Jacqui Oatley makes England World Cup prediction after 'devastating' injury blow
Legendary broadcaster Jacqui Oatley believes England's hopes of World Cup glory this summer rest on toppling the United States.
The Lionesses are bidding to win the tournament for the first time in their history, with their World Cup campaign set to begin against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22. Sarina Wiegman's squad are among the favourites to take home the trophy following their triumph at last year's Euros, and Oatley believes toppling four-time champions USA will be their most difficult task as they look to claim this summer's crown.
"The USA will get it together on the big stage when it matters," she told Mirror Football. "One of the huge advantages they have is that it’s right in the middle of the NWSL season so they’re super fit and they also have the mentality having been there and won it before.
"[England] have got a really good chance but then you could say that about other nations. I’m never blindly optimistic about teams I want to do well. I can see it very much from a panoramic standpoint and I’m fortunate to be able to get to watch a lot of other teams play over the course of the year."
Oatley will be making the trip down under to commentate on the tournament for FOX Sports in America, with the 48-year-old set to partner match analyst and former USA midfielder Lori Lindsey in the gantry. Over the course of her esteemed broadcast career - which has spanned more than two decades - Oatley has worked on 16 major tournaments, but her passion for the job is stronger than ever.
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"I can’t wait," she said, looking ahead to this summer. "I love major tournaments and last summer is so fresh in the memory still with all that England achieved.
"For me personally, it’s not just about enjoying seeing England do well - which of course I do - but seeing the game grow is such a big deal and such a source of pride and joy. It’s great to see all these nations playing in a first major tournament and lots of nations getting new investment.
"Also, looking positively on the negatives, seeing stories in the public eye about inequality and federations that should be doing more, while frustrating, it’s good to see that we’re shining a light on the global game and not just looking what’s being done here in England."
While the Lionesses' are being widely tipped to go deep into this summer's tournament, the last few months have been somewhat marred by injuries to a host of key players. Captain Leah Williamson, Euros top-scorer Beth Mead and midfielder Fran Kirby are all sidelined but, while Oatley describes their injuries as "devastating", she believes their absence could open the door for other players to make their mark.
Oatley became the first women to commentate on Match of The Day in 2007"Williamson, Mead and Kirby really are three massive pieces of the jigsaw puzzle and I’m devastated for them personally because it’s just so cruel," she said.
"Putting that to one side though, it does open the door for others and I’m always a big fan of looking at what you have got rather than what you haven’t. Look at what Rachel Daly’s done in the last 12 months and the options England have up front.
“They’ve got Beth England, who’s world-class, then there’s players like Georgia Stanway and Niamh Charles who are a year more experienced. England have such strength in depth and, even without those three injured players, there’s reason to be optimistic.”
The upcoming World Cup looks set to be the biggest of its kind, with 32 nations competing for the first time ever. It's yet another example of the enormous strides the women's game has made in recent years.
But Oatley says the potential of the sport has been clear to her since the early days of her career.
"That’s why I’ve been so vocal [about women’s football] over the years and banging the drum and trying to get people to watch and producers and executives to buy rights and engage," she said.
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"Any little bit I could do to wake people up to the potential of women’s football is what I’ve tried to do over the best part of two decades. At my first women's tournament, EURO 2005, the English league was nowhere near being professional.
"If you played for Arsenal, you’d get paid £100 if you were lucky, and if you were very lucky you had a job washing the men’s kit. It was always really clear to me that if women and girls were given an environment and a culture the same as their male counterparts, the game was going to grow massively and there was going to be a bigger talent pool.
"It just seemed really obvious to me that having that level of equality in terms of the culture and the opportunity to play and be professional and not have to stack shelves overnight would see women’s football become absolutely massive. We’re still only at the start of the journey. We’re absolutely nowhere near where women’s football can be."
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