England women's manager Sarina Wiegman has confirmed the team have received reassurances over their safety in Turkey ahead of Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine. The match is being played in Antalya, on Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast, due to the war in Ukraine. The Lionesses arrived before the recent escalation in the Middle East.
Wiegman stated the team remains in close contact with UK authorities and local security. 'If our government thinks it’s not safe, then we’ll go back; at this moment we don’t have signals of that,' she said on Monday. The UK Foreign Office advises against travel to areas within 10km of the Syria border, which excludes Antalya, but urges vigilance elsewhere.
The uncertainty led to an unusually quiet media session, with only Sky Sports News present in person after other UK outlets cancelled travel over safety concerns. Wiegman expressed concern about global conflicts, saying, 'You don’t want war, do you? That makes it really hard.'
The match is the first of six qualifiers in a group also featuring Spain and Iceland. Wiegman confirmed a fully fit squad. Meanwhile, midfielder Georgia Stanway revealed she is close to finalising her next club after announcing her departure from Bayern Munich, with Arsenal reportedly favourites to sign her.
