England's head coach Lydia Bedford says she has been told by the Football Association to 'just continue as usual' before the Under‑20 Women’s World Cup, despite UEFA threatening a boycott.

Bedford admitted she had not thought much about the bigger picture as she prepares to name her Young Lionesses squad next week. The dispute erupted when FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced plans to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors.

UEFA and its 55 members threatened to boycott FIFA competitions; that threat still stands after the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal was abandoned earlier this month. The Under‑20 Women’s World Cup is the first tournament that could be affected.

Speaking to BBC Sport in Portugal after England won a warm‑up game, Bedford said she was at the theatre in London when her dad rang out of the blue. She added the leadership message had been 'just continue as usual', and that is what the team is focusing on.