England Lionesses Squad Announced for 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup

England Lionesses have announced their squad of 23 players who will compete in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France this summer.

Phil Neville's squad was announced on Wednesday via social media, starting with the Duke of Cambridge revealing captain Steph Houghton:

The squad was revealed one-by-one on Twitter by celebrities including Emma Watson and James Corden, along with footballers past and present, such as former Three Lions skipper David Beckham and current star Raheem Sterling:

Here's the full squad:

Goalkeepers: Carly Telford, Karen Bardsley, Mary Earps

Defenders: Steph Houghton, Lucy Bronze, Demi Stokes, Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood, Millie Bright, Leah Williamson, Abbie McManus

Midfielders: Jade Moore, Keira Walsh, Jill Scott, Karen Carney, Georgia Stanway, Lucy Staniforth

Forwards: Toni Duggan, Ellen White, Fran Kirby, Nikita Parris, Beth Mead, Jodie Taylor

Manchester City defender Houghton is one of three centurions in the squad with Karen Carney and Jill Scott. The trio have a combined total of 376 international appearances.

She will be taking part in her third World Cup with England, and she expressed her delight to be on the plane:

Manager Neville explained the decision to announce the squad in the way they did:

Women's football writer Kieran Theivam praised the announcement:

The World Cup will kick off on June 7 and run until the final a month later on July 7.

England finished third at the World Cup in Canada in 2015 and have continued to build in the years since.

The Lionesses reached the semi-finals at the 2017 UEFA European Women's Championship and warmed up for the World Cup in style earlier this year by winning the SheBelieves Cup.

England picked up wins over Brazil and Japan—who won the World Cup in 2011 and were runners-up in 2015—either side of a draw with reigning world champions the USA to win the tournament.

Neville's side will face Denmark and New Zealand in friendlies on May 25 and June 1, respectively, before opening their World Cup campaign against Scotland on June 9.

They'll play Argentina on June 14 before taking on Japan in their final group game on June 19.