One of the biggest football matches of the year is now only days away, as the Lionesses are set to compete against Spain in the Women's World Cup final.

The England team recently beat Australia’s very own Matildas 3-1 which took place on Wednesday (August 16).

Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo all scored goals throughout the tense match.

But as thousands get ready to watch the women battle it out in their first World Cup final, many will be wondering if England forward Lauren James will be able to play.

It comes as the Chelsea player missed two games following an incident during the FIFA Women’s World Cup game against Nigeria.

The 21-year-old was sent off in the match when she stood on defender Michelle Alozie.

Can Lauren James play for England in the Women’s World Cup final against Spain?

James had been in the spotlight before her sending off, having helped the Lionesses with two goals and assists against China.

FIFA previously said in a statement: “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed a two-match suspension on England’s player Lauren James following a violation of article 14 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code at the FIFA Women’s World Cup match England vs Nigeria.

“The suspension will be served for the FIFA Women’s World Cup quarter-final and the next international fixture following that.”

James apologised for the red-card matter, posting on social media platform X, in response to a tweet from Alozie: “All my love and respect to you. I am sorry for what happened.

"Also, for our England fans and my team-mates, playing with and for you is my greatest honour and I promise to learn from my experience.”

However, James could now make her return appearance to the Women’s World Cup and take part in the final but it depends on whether manager Sarina Wiegman wants to change the formation of the team.

Speaking about making the Women’s World Cup final, according to Sky News, Wiegman commented: "We achieved the final! It's unbelievable, it feels like we won [the tournament] which we didn't, we just won this game - in an incredible stadium, an away game, the way we played - it was a hard game, but we found a way to win again.

"People have been talking about ruthlessness all the time, in this team there is ruthlessness, up front or in defence. We really want to keep the ball out of the net and we want to win.

"We stick together, we stick to the plan, and it worked again."

She added: "I just said to [assistant manager] Arjan, having the chance as a coach or a player to make it to two finals is really special. I never take anything for granted, but it's like I'm living in a fairy tale or something."

What time is the kick-off for the Women's World Cup Final?

As the final is being held in Australia, it will mean a morning match for the UK on Sunday (August 20), with a kick-off time of 11am BST, whilst local kick-off time is 8pm AEST.

How to watch the Women's World Cup Final?

You can watch the Lionesses on two channels this Sunday, on BBC One and ITV1 as well as their streaming services BBC iPlayer and ITV X.

Coverage on BBC One starts at 10am whilst ITV coverage starts at 9.25am.