English footballing chiefs said yesterday they're convinced that next year's World Cup can spur the women's game into the mainstream.

The November 23 friendly with European champs Germany will be a major movement - marking the first time England have played at Wembley since its redevelopment - but Mark Sampson's side are looking to capture the world stage in Canada.

A revitalised Three Lionesses won all 10 of their qualifying matches, putting Euro 2013 failure firmly behind them.

FA head of women's football Kelly Simmons said the World Cup could be the point the sport crosses into the mainstream.

The London Olympics offered a similar opportunity but the ongoing Games gold rush meant women's football's brief moment in the sun was quickly forgotten.

"We've got a great chance again," Simmons said.

"The England team have had a great qualification campaign. The World Cup next year is a great opportunity to put women's football in the shop window and help raise the profile of the England players, so that people want to follow them when they go back to their clubs.

"It's up to us to make sure we maximise that opportunity to keep building the fan base behind England and the Women's Super League.

"While it was a disappointment, we definitely benefited from the Olympics.

"The FA board have always said since the Olympics that they were really keen to bring women's football back.

"We felt our best chance to get a really good crowd at Wembley and make it a real spectacle would be to try to get world-class opposition. Germany are ranked number two, but many would think of them as the best team in the world."

Super League crowds rose by 30 per cent to an average of 728 this year. A similar increase in 2015 would see attendances nudge the 1,000-spectator mark.

Simmons, who will address Kick It Out's second Women's Raise Your Game conference at Upton Park today, said: "Every time it gets compared to men's football it's a challenge because that's a 150-year-old, multibillion-pound industry and it's by far and away our national game.

"But if you compare women's football to other female sports then I guess we're doing quite well.

"(We've come a long way) from where it was three years ago, where it was like families and the pet dog."