Women's World Cup: England go for experience

England coach Mark Sampson named an experienced squad on Monday for the women's World Cup in Canada next month, with midfielder Katie Chapman recalled after a five-year absence.

Chapman, 32, who plays for Chelsea, has 82 caps and scored eight times for England. However, she fell into dispute with former national coach Hope Powell after asking for time off to look after her children and did not play for England for five years before returning to the fold earlier this year.

The squad includes four players with over 100 caps: Fara Williams of Liverpool (139), Alex Scott of Arsenal (123), Casey Stoney of Arsenal (118) and Karen Carney of Birmingham City (103) and they go into the tournament brimming with confidence after a perfect qualifying campaign which produced 10 wins out of 10.

Sampson, unveiling his squad at the Canadian High Commission in London said: "The ambition is to go to Canada and win the competition but we've got to treat every game like a final.

"This is a hugely exciting time for all the staff and players. We're ranked sixth in the world, we are a good team and we've got some exceptional players.

"We've got a very compact, resolute unit and we've got a real togetherness in the group so we'll certainly be a difficult opponent for anyone in Canada."

Steph Houghton, who will captain the 23-player squad told reporters: "It is going to be tough and we are starting against a very good France side, but we are confident and know what we have to do."

England open their campaign in the city of Moncton against France on June 9, then face Mexico in the same city on June 13 before their last group match against Colombia in Montreal on June 17. The final is in Vancouver on July 5.