Lionesses rewarded! England reach agreement with FA over World Cup bonus payments after amazing run to final

• England reach an agreement with the FA
• World Cup bonus issues sorted
• Millie Bright confirmed about the agreement

WHAT HAPPENED? The Lionesses held a meeting with the top bosses of the FA earlier this week where they managed to come to a truce over the bonus payments. Sarina Wiegman's troops flew to Australia after pausing discussions about bonuses to "fully" focus on the 2023 Women's World Cup but had minced no words to express their "disappointment" about the process.

It was reported that the squad demanded a £100,000 additional fee for their performance apart from the £150,000 allotted by FIFA per player for reaching the final. Although the final figure is not known, skipper Millie Bright confirmed that they have agreed on a sum with the FA.

WHAT THEY SAID: "We've come to an agreement. It's bigger than just about the bonus. We want to become world leaders on and off the pitch," she told reporters.

"The women's game is evolving very quickly - all the time - and conversations like this need to happen to make sure we're at the top of the game in all areas. As players, we feel really confident in the structure we now have in place, moving forward.

"We already have amazing facilities but the conversations are about checking in, building relationships so that if a problem does crop up we can have an honest conversation. We're passionate about the next generation - where the game is and what we represent. We’ll continue to stand by our values."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Wiegman was also a happy figure after the two parties found an amicable solution following a remarkable World Cup campaign.

"I expected this," she started. "There has been communication following the World Cup and this makes me very happy because it's good for the players and the women's game to move forward and take the next step. It's good for us - we can focus on football - we did that at the World Cup because this didn’t distract us."

IN TWO PHOTOS:

Getty Images

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? England return to action on Friday in a Nations League fixture against Scotland for the first time since the World Cup heartbreak in Sydney.