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Tom Hamilton
Multiple authors
Leah Williamson, Lauren James, Hannah Hampton, Jess Carter and Alex Greewood have all returned to the Lionesses squad ahead of the start of their 2027 World Cup qualifying campaign.
All five missed England’s final race in 2025, but there is no place in the squad for the injured Ella Toone, Niamh Charles, Missy Bo Kearns or Beth Mead.
“Of course you want them [Mead and Toone] on the team. We just have to keep going and hopefully the players get fit soon and we have more options,” coach Sarina Wiegman said Tuesday at a news conference.
“The more options there are, the better it will be for us and the more difficult it will be to make the right decisions. Let’s hope the players recover quickly.”
Elsewhere, there are call-ups for non-international players Grace Fisk, Freya Godfrey and Poppy Pattinson.
They include the likes of Williamson, Aggie Beevor-Jones and Lucia Kendall who recently returned from injury, while Taylor Hinds is named as she recovers from a knock to her ankle.
England open their qualifying campaign against Ukraine in Türkiye on March 3 and then host Iceland at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground on March 7.
“There is a bit of bewilderment at the moment, but at the same time I think we have enough players in the team to play good games and have players on the field who are fit and can perform at the highest level,” Wiegman said.
“That’s what we need and want to do, of course. We have this week at the club and then they come to us, then we have adequate time to prepare for the game on Tuesday.
“We’ll see how far we go, but I’m confident we can have a good team on the field.”
Wiegman was delighted to have Williamson back in the team, despite his lack of minutes for Arsenal as he returns from an injury layoff.
“I’m very happy. It feels very good for her. [Williamson] She also wanted to return. [There are other players back next week] “I’m looking forward to that,” Wiegman added.
“She has trained, I am in close contact with her and the club [Arsenal]. He is in a good place but he lacks minutes. I think there are a few more players who are still building or didn’t get the minutes we expected.
England’s World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on March 3 will be played in Türkiye due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, and Wiegman spoke of the unfortunate situation after naming his team.
“First of all, it’s very sad and heartbreaking what Ukraine has experienced and that we can’t play in Ukraine,” he said.
“The alternative is to go to Türkiye, it is far away but the accommodation and training camp we have is a good solution.
“It’s a moment of understanding. Last week, one of our team members had a conversation with another about this camp, and in kyiv, they’re afraid because there’s a lot of violence there. That’s heartbreaking.”
– Sarina Wiegman eyes World Cup glory as she takes further honors
Full England squad
Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton, Anna Moorhouse, Ellie Roebuck
Defenders: Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, Grace Fisk, Alex Greenwood, Taylor Hinds, Maya Le Tissier, Esme Morgan, Poppy Pattinson, Leah Williamson, Lotte Wubben-Moy
Midfielders: Laura Blindkilde Brown, Grace Clinton, Lucia Kendall, Georgia Stanway, Keira Walsh
Forwards: Aggie Beever-Jones, Freya Godfrey, Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Jess Park, Alessia Russo
Reporting by ESPN’s Emily Keogh contributed to this report.
