England Women: Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly miss out as Sarina Wiegman names squad to face Greece in World Cup qualifiers

29.09.2026, 13:45 skysports.com

England manager Sarina Wiegman has named a 23-player squad for next month’s World Cup qualifying play-off against Greece, with Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly both missing out.

As well as the Manchester United midfielder and Arsenal forward being left out, Chelsea forward Aggie Beever-Jones and the Arsenal duo Lotte Wubben-Moy and Taylor Hinds have also been omitted from the squad.

However, captain Leah Williamson does return after missing June's 4-0 defeat by Spain and the 3-0 victory over Ukraine with injury.

Meanwhile, Chelsea midfielder Lexi Potter earns her first call-up to the senior squad and there is also return for both Liverpool defender Grace Fisk and the uncapped Erica Meg Parkinson after her debut in April.

And Manchester City full-back Niamh Charles also makes the squad having made her comeback from injury as a substitute in the WSL champions' 1-0 win over Charlton Athletic on Saturday.

"We have great respect for Greece, but our expectations of ourselves are clear," said Wiegman. "We are here to win these two games, deliver strong performances, and move one step closer to securing our place at the World Cup.

Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Khiara Keating (Liverpool), Anna Moorhouse (Manchester City on loan from Orlando Pride)Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham), Niamh Charles (Manchester City), Grace Fisk (Liverpool), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Leah Williamson (Arsenal)Midfielders: Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City), Lucia Kendall (Aston Villa), Erica Meg Parkinson (North Carolina Courage), Lexi Potter (Chelsea), Georgia Stanway (Arsenal), Keira Walsh (Chelsea)Forwards: Freya Godfrey (London City Lionesses), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Beth Mead (Manchester City), Jess Park (Manchester United), Alessia Russo (Arsenal)

"It's always exciting to reconnect as a group and we are looking forward to getting back together. The players will arrive motivated and ready for the next steps.

"We are looking forward to travelling to Crete and playing Greece for the first time ever. We will then return to Leicester, where we've enjoyed some good moments together in the past. We know our supporters will get behind the team again, and it will be great to play in front of them after a few months away."

England face a double header against Greece, first in Crete on October 9, before the return meeting in Leicester on October 13.

And should the European champions, who were runners-up at the 2023 World Cup, progress to the second round of the World Cup play-offs, they will face either Slovakia or Ukraine over two legs during the final international window of the year in November and December.

The winners at that stage will secure qualification for next summer's tournament in Brazil.

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