World Cup fever has officially gripped the nation as the latest edition of the tournament takes place in North America, but for those with only a passing interest in the beautiful game, all eyes will be on the England Wags.
Few know more about this world than TV presenter and former Wag Lizzie Cundy, who was married to ex-professional footballer and current Talksport presenter Jason Cundy for 18 years.
In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, Lizzie gave her verdict on the current crop, and singled out Ashlyn Castro, the partner of star midfielder Jude Bellingham, as one who could be primed for stardom.
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"She knows the game better than Bellingham knows the football game. She knows what to do. She's unbelievably pretty," Lizzie said. "Those two are going to be bigger than Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton. The brands are already looking at her."
Lizzie even believes that Kim could soon be looking to Ashlyn to be the new face of Skims, explaining: "I think Kim's looking at her thinking, 'right, I want her to wear Skims. I want her to wear my brand. We've got to get Bellingham involved.'
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"He'll be getting the top brand deals from the coolest people in Hollywood. They will be huge stars. I can see it. But the other girls... they're aware, but they're not as switched on as her but they will be as this tournament progresses."
Lizzie does, however, see the potential for a rivalry, teasing: "Wait until one girl gets more attention than the other. Then you see a change. I think they may get a bit jealous of [Ashlyn] and Tolami Benson [wife of Bukayo Saka]."
Comparing Ashlyn to Cheryl or Victoria Beckham, arguably the two most famous Wags from Baden-Baden in 2006, Lizzie said she feels that Ashlyn has more in common with the former Spice Girl.
"I think she could be Victoria," Lizzie said. "She doesn't try too hard, but she knows what she's doing - every angle, where the cameras are and the brand deals. Cheryl was deeply in love with Ashley Cole, but she wasn't so much in it to get the photographs like Victoria."
"The girls know that with this that they're high on the fame and what happened in Baden-Baden," Lizzie added. "They're kind of thinking, 'well, maybe we can recreate history, but wouldn't it be great if our fellas actually did win the World Cup?'"
While Lizzie thinks the current England squad shares some similarities with the team from 2006, she's not sure that the same magic can be captured again two decades later.
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"There was an innocence [to the Wags] in 2006," Lizzie explained. "I was out there and the girls didn't know what had hit them. It was a surprise, and some of the girls were a bit scared of it.
"These girls are more aware. They're more savvy. We've got social media. They know the deals they can get, especially on TikTok or Instagram. There's big money to be made from their following.
Lizzie also revealed that the women aren't initially a fan of the 'Wag' label, sharing: "I spoke with Harry Kane, who I've known forever, and he said all of the girls didn't like the label Wags. They wanted it to be about the football only."
"Then suddenly, they're all making sure they get pictured, they're sitting in the right seats, they're doing their outfits, they're looking at what each other are wearing and it is turned into something else," she added. "And they have got the Wag fever that it hits you."
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Stephanie is a freelance news writer, who previously covered WWE and AEW for Digital Spy.
After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she studied journalism at Birkbeck University.
Outside of her work at Digital Spy, she writes about pop culture, with a special focus towards Irish media and how it intersects with politics.
You can read more of her work on her Substack page.
