Lioness legend and Strictly Come Dancing champion Karen Carney has announced she will join ITV's punditry team for the men's World Cup this summer. The 38-year-old former winger, who played for Birmingham City, Arsenal and Chelsea, said she is 'absolutely buzzing' to be part of the tournament coverage.
Carney, who retired from professional football in 2019, has been a popular pundit for TNT Sports and ITV. She made history at the 2022 men's World Cup as part of the first all-female line-up to analyse a men's match. 'I feel very privileged and honoured to be part of the ITV men's World Cup roster,' she said. 'But I won't be celebrating until it's done. Like football, it's one thing to be part of the team, but you still have to do the job.'
The World Cup begins on June 11 in the United States, with England and Scotland competing. Carney, who earned 144 caps for England, predicted a quarter-final finish for the Three Lions, citing Harry Kane's current good form as a positive. 'The conditions are going to be difficult,' she said. 'I think a positive for us is Harry Kane's current good form.'
Carney, made an MBE in 2017 and an OBE in 2024, also spoke about her childhood passion for football, recalling a Brazil kit she bought each year as a child. She co-hosts the women's football podcast Long Story Short with fellow Lioness Jill Scott and has launched a partnership with plant-based food firm Beyond Meat, creating high-protein match-day recipes.
Reflecting on the growth of women's football, Carney said: 'I feel very proud of what women's football has achieved, as a community and as an army.' She noted that the Lionesses recently celebrated their 500th game, a milestone she finds incredible given the sport was banned for women until 1971.
