England crush Greece 8-1 on aggregate as Potter shines on debut but playoff format needs rethink
England restore their mojo against Greece but the playoff format needs rethinking
If there had been a vidiprinter at the King Power Stadium displaying the aggregate scorelines from the night's Women's World Cup qualifying playoffs around Europe, it might have looked more at home on the cricket scoreboard just over a mile further south at Leicestershire's Grace Road. Sweden put 15 past Lithuania, the Republic of Ireland beat Kazakhstan 12-0, and the Netherlands thrashed Hungary 11-0. Against that backdrop, England's 8-1 aggregate win against Greece was a significantly better performance from the Lionesses — but one that offered plenty to observe and very little new information.
Lauren James toys with Greece as the Lionesses get their zip back
It is tempting to wax lyrical about Lauren James' first-half display and how she relished her free role, finding space, driving England up the pitch and toying with the defenders. "Truly, she can be the difference-maker in this Lionesses side next summer," wrote Tom Garry, and James delivered two goals and an assist on the night. The form is no flash in the pan: a FotMob player snapshot for the 2025 Women's Super League season had James on three appearances with two goals and zero assists heading into the international window.
Lexi Potter's debut belies her years
Similarly impressive was the debut of Lexi Potter, who looked at home in midfield to such an extent that you could be forgiven for thinking it was her 50th cap rather than her first. The 20-year-old's intelligent positional awareness, tidy passing and steady tempo allowed those around her to flourish higher up the pitch. "She can be proud of her display and deserves another start in the next round of the playoffs against Ukraine," Garry noted — though anyone who has watched the WSL this season already knew Potter would be a terrific addition.
Supporting cast shine, but the occasion lacked jeopardy
The effectiveness of England's new wingback system, Maya Le Tissier's adept cover for the injured Lucy Bronze, the energy of Alessia Russo, the debut of London City Lionesses winger Freya Godfrey, and the ever-reliable goalscoring of Georgia Stanway — who even scored with her head at 5ft 5in in a higher role — all caught the eye. But all of it had to be taken with a pinch of salt: Greece had been competing against the Faroe Islands and Georgia in League C of the qualifying groups, while England won five of six in League A.
The locals seemed to realise the mismatch, too. More than 22,000 tickets were issued but the eventual attendance looked far lower, with a lack of jeopardy surrounding the occasion a likely factor. The DJ at the King Power tried their best to create a party atmosphere, as did the pitchside flameflowers and the exuberance of England's forward line, yet the home fans broke into a Mexican wave after just 22 minutes of the second leg.
A format that needs rethinking
The tie was a good advert for the one-legged playoff ties used by men's football in European qualification — single-night matches with tension, competitiveness and an efficient feel. The men's game takes a window to get through two rounds of playoffs; the women's game still has another two matches to go. When qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, England cruised to 20-0 and 10-0 wins over Latvia, and while the group stage this time — mirroring the Nations League format — felt much improved, the playoffs still need further thought.
The meetings in November and December with Ukraine — a side England beat 6-1 and 3-0 earlier in this qualifying process — are unlikely to feel any more challenging. That is no fault of England, Greece or Ukraine, but of a growing sport still trying to figure out how to develop a qualification system with real balance.