White captained England at the Championship in 2005, and while Hope Powell's side narrowly missed out on a place in the semi-finals, performing against the top teams in a major tournament has undoubtedly impacted on the players.

White told TheFA.com: "The Euros put us in good stead and I think the team has really developed and matured since then, so we're hopeful we can do well this time around.

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photo FA


"That was a great experience for all the players and the team, and hopefully that will good experience going into this tournament. This is a step up, it's the world stage now, and we'll come up against teams we have never played before, like Japan and Argentina."

Despite having a career filled with trophies and medals, White has been dreaming her entire career of representing her country at a World Cup and cannot believe her chance is finally here.

"I've been dreaming about this moment for 12 years, since I was first selected for England," White explained.

"Every night you go to bed thinking about all those hours in training, all those days, all the years that have gone past and what you sacrificed. This is the ultimate; the pinnacle of your career. And hopefully we can make England proud."

The trip has been a massively enjoyable one for White so far and she is now eager for the action to begin.

"It's been unbelievable so far. We've been here a week, and we were in Macau for two weeks before that, but now that we're here and the other teams are in the hotel it feels like the tournament is really going to kick off.

"The atmosphere is really good, the team spirit is brilliant.This has probably been one of the best trips I've been on.

While the training sessions have been extremely focused and thorough, White admits that away from the practise ground there has been a fair share of banter to keep the spirits up and usually there is one culprit in that department.

"Without doubt, Rachel Yankey," White revealed without hesitation.

"She's always lively, making everyone sing different songs on the bus. It's really good for the spirit as it keeps the girls occupied and having a laugh.

"Training has been really good though. At first we concentrated on ways to cope with the heat, but I think we're over that and we're now focusing on the formation and tactics that Japan will be using in the first game. It's been going really well, we've had no real problems with injuries so we're pleased.

"We're aiming to get three points in the first game against Japan, and take it from there. But we have strong ambitions to get out of the group and get to the quarters and see what happens from then on."