Sarina Wiegman has insisted that entering the final 17 months of her contract as England head coach is not a distraction, as she named her first squad of 2026 with captain Leah Williamson returning from injury. The Lionesses begin their 2027 World Cup qualifying campaign against Ukraine and Iceland next month.
Williamson, along with fellow Euro 2025 winners Hannah Hampton, Alex Greenwood and Lauren James, has been recalled after injuries. Jess Carter also returns after missing the final matches of 2025 to recover from the NWSL playoffs. However, Ella Toone, Beth Mead, Niamh Charles and Missy Bo Kearns are absent due to injury.
Wiegman's contract runs until the conclusion of the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. She said: 'No update. It's pretty far away. We are in conversations all the time and we're still very happy from both sides. We're now really focusing on this qualification.' Asked about potential distraction, she added: 'There is no distraction whatsoever. I haven't heard anyone in my team or staff that has been occupied with that.'
England begin their campaign on neutral territory in Antalya, Turkey, against Ukraine on 3 March, before hosting Iceland at Nottingham Forest's City Ground on 7 March. The group also includes world champions Spain, whom England have faced in the past two major finals. Wiegman expressed sadness that the match cannot be played in Ukraine due to the ongoing war.
Despite FIFA permitting three games in this international window, England opted to play only two qualifiers. Wiegman explained: 'My opinion, the FA opinion, is that, at this moment, we think it's best to play two, because with the congested agenda and the amount of games, the players play so much.'
Wiegman has handed a first call-up to London City Lionesses defender Poppy Pattinson and selected Ellie Roebuck among the goalkeepers, omitting Manchester City's Khiara Keating. 'The message to the players is that we want to qualify as soon as possible,' she said. 'It's a huge challenge with the group we have but I'm excited to see that.'
