England defender Lucy Bronze said the Lionesses are feeling “empowered” ahead of their World Cup opener after releasing a statement addressing the players’ ongoing row with the Football Association over bonus payments and other commercial concerns.

In their statement on Tuesday, the Lionesses said they will pause discussions with the FA on performance-related bonuses until after the Women’s World Cup.

Bronze said: “It’s the first time as a group we sent a message out ourselves.

“Collectively, it was done together and we set our sights on [it]. In that respect, it’s a very empowered player group.”