England to face Ukraine for World Cup place after 8-1 Greece thrashing
England to face Ukraine for World Cup place after 8-1 Greece thrashing
England must beat Ukraine over two legs to secure their place at next summer's World Cup in Brazil, after cruising through the opening round of the play-offs with an 8-1 aggregate win over Greece last week.
The tie represents the final hurdle for the Lionesses, who missed out on automatic qualification and were forced into the play-off route. Win it, and Sarina Wiegman's side will be in Brazil — a prospect the manager has made no secret of wanting to deliver.
Wiegman: the World Cup is 'absolutely' the priority
Wiegman had refused to let contract negotiations distract from the qualification campaign in the build-up to the Greece tie, telling reporters in late September that her full attention was on the play-offs rather than her expiring deal.
Now that a two-year extension has been agreed, running until the end of Euro 2029, the 56-year-old insisted nothing had changed about her short-term thinking.
"My main concern right now is absolutely the World Cup, and helping this squad realise their potential in the years to come," Wiegman said.
"We have an important job to do to confirm our place in Brazil, and hopefully we can do that and give the country another special summer to remember next year."
Squad depth under the microscope
England's comfortable margin over Greece came after a WSL weekend that saw several fringe hopefuls press their cases for inclusion ahead of Wiegman's October squad announcement. As reported on 28 September, England Under-23 international Isobel Goodwin scored twice for London City, while Lauren Hemp and Lexi Potter also impressed for their clubs.
With a two-legged tie against Ukraine to come, Wiegman now has to weigh that form against the established core that has taken England to five consecutive major finals — a run that includes the Euro 2022 and Euro 2025 titles and a runners-up finish at the 2023 World Cup in Australia.
The prize at stake
Victory over Ukraine would send England to Brazil and extend a remarkable sequence of tournament appearances under Wiegman, who became the first women's or men's manager to reach five successive major international finals after leading the Netherlands to the Euro 2017 title and to the 2019 World Cup final.
The Euro 2025 win over Spain, meanwhile, made the Lionesses the first England team — women's or men's — to win a major trophy on foreign soil, and made Wiegman just the second manager after Germany's Christina Theune to win three successive European Championships.
Whether that pedigree translates into a place in Brazil will be settled over two games against Ukraine. "Hopefully we can do that and give the country another special summer to remember next year," Wiegman said.