Goals from Lucy Bronze and Georgia Stanway gave England a comfortable 2-0 victory over Iceland in their Women's World Cup qualifier at the City Ground in Nottingham. The win makes it two from two for the Lionesses in their bid to qualify for the 2027 World Cup, with attention now turning to a crucial match against Spain at Wembley in April.
England dominated the match from start to finish, registering 31 shots to Iceland's one and enjoying 71% possession. The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute when Stanway's pass found Lauren James, whose cross was headed home by Bronze at the back post. Bronze's goal marked her 145th appearance for England, moving her into third place on the all-time list behind Jill Scott and Fara Williams.
The second goal arrived in the second half, with Bronze turning provider as her cross from the right was volleyed in by Stanway. It was Stanway's sixth goal in four games for England, highlighting her excellent form. Manager Sarina Wiegman praised her team's performance, saying, 'I'm really happy with the performance today. Iceland are a very disciplined team, but we eliminated that really well.'
England's defensive solidity was also notable, with Hannah Hampton making a smart save from Sandra Jessen's header in the only real chance for the visitors. The Lionesses now look ahead to their next qualifier against Spain, a rematch of the Euro 2025 and 2023 World Cup finals, before travelling to Iceland for their fourth group game.
