Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
England in ritual. The reigning European champions will no longer automatically qualify for next summer’s World Cup in Brazil. They must negotiate a tricky playoff campaign to get there.
So, what went wrong? Well, England were unlucky to draw world champions Spain in their group, but a common theme of Sarina Wigman’s tenure has been the failure to put together a run of performances outside of major tournaments.
Wiegmann’s team consistently rose to the big occasion but struggled to reach the level required in the competition. Their disappointing Spain lost 4-0 Last week was unveiled, not least because the preliminary selection featured nine members of England’s most-used XI at Euro 2025.
They were alienated by the superior skill and power of Spain.
England were beaten 4-0 by Spain thanks to a brace from Alexia Putellas
“What I’m trying to do now is, what’s causing this?” Wigman pondered after the biggest defeat of his tenure, England’s biggest defeat for 17 years. Fans were left with similar queries.
For context, England aren’t the only team due to Spain’s dominance. Ukraine and Iceland, who made up the rest of Group A3, also felt the full force of Alexia Putelas and co in this qualification campaign. But none of those countries are considered as elite as England.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Anton Tolui explains how England could qualify for the World Cup despite missing out on automatic qualification for next year’s tournament.
Wiegman’s team selection is starting to be questioned, unwilling or simply unwilling to move on from the squad of players who have led England to three consecutive tournament finals. It is an unbreakable record. But in reality now cracks are showing.
Has progress stalled under Dutch women? The upward curve of progress has been sharp at first and ever since, but observers are right to challenge what is widely seen as a lack of evolution and an absence of style. Some parts of this current England system seem stale, or at least ripe for a refresh.
Some of Wigman’s most reliable, long-time performers – Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Beth Mead – have fluctuated of late. That was especially evident last Friday against Spain’s technicians. Lauren Hemp admits to losing sleep over such a bruising defeat.
What will disappoint Wiegman is how good his team was after a tough four days 3-0 Wins against both Ukraine, Stanway and Mead are on target.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Lauren Hemp said the result in Spain had given her and teammates sleepless nights
Finishing with a possible 18 to 15 points in Group A3 is a more than respectable total, but the European Cup holders, fourth in the world rankings, will have to be judged against the best. This is the reality of being the highest achiever in this country. It is the first time in nearly 25 years that England have failed to top their World Cup qualifying group.
“We know the performance (against Spain) was below our standards,” Alessia Russo reflected after defeating Ukraine, the disappointment of that meek display still lingering. Stanway concluded that the 3-0 scoreline was not convincing enough.
Is it a pattern? England were unstoppable even before this. One might remember its opening night Euro 2025 against France. And further back, those who followed England’s climb to the World Cup finals in 2023 will have noticed a number of brilliant performances.
Still, international football is a result-when-it-all game and Wiegmann has consistently and relentlessly delivered on that front. He is a solution-oriented coach who always seems to find the right formula in moments of great pressure.
Lucy Bronze addressed teammates on the field after England lost their third to Spain on Friday
This particular juncture probably reflects his first major hiccups of any real consequence, and so caution must be exercised against any heavy criticism. England beat rivals Spain just two months ago, winning 1-0 with Hemp – putting them in pole position for automatic qualification if they back up. That possibility is now gone.
Lucia Kendall started that game, one of the Lions’ brightest young talents – a symbol of the promise of the next generation. Laura Blindkilde Brown, impressive against Ukraine, is another. Wigman has the option to modernize if he chooses.
Jess Park, Aggie Beaver-Jones and Freya Godfrey equally qualify as exciting options with one point difference. And England clearly needed something a little different. Their future depends on both reaching and succeeding at next summer’s tournament in Brazil.
Playoff route
England’s path to next summer’s tournament in Brazil has now become much longer and much more complicated.
Round 1 (October): As runners-up in League A, England will be drawn against the winner of the League C group (or one of the best League C runners-up).
Round 2 (Late November/Early December): If successful in Round 1, England will advance to a second two-leg play-off round to determine qualification for the final tournament.
When will England find out who to face?
Draw will be held for play-off matches June 18.
England will face one Lithuania, Kosovo, Hungary, Greece, Romania, Belarus, Croatia or KazakhstanOn both legs.
