Next week, at Wembley Stadium, the two best national teams in European women’s football will face each other once again: England, two-time defending champion of the European Championship, will host Spain, the reigning world champion. This will be their sixth official meeting in less than four years, and the stakes are once again huge, with both teams vying for their group’s only automatic qualification spot for next summer’s World Cup. The fact that England may have to do without their captain, Leah Williamson, is therefore a blow.
A true pillar of the entire England team, and more particularly of the defense, Williamson enters this international break after missing Arsenal’s last five matches. Following her absence from the Gunners’ last outing, a surprise FA Cup defeat to Brighton, manager Renee Slegers told reporters: “We will now speak with the England team, after the match, to establish a plan for Leah. »
While this could mean that the defender will still join her country’s selection camp, it casts real doubt on her participation in the first match, Tuesday against Spain.
There is no more formidable attack on the continent than that of La Roja. The world champions scored more goals than any other team at Euro 2025 before dominating Sweden and Germany to win another Nations League title a few months later, beating two of Europe’s best teams by aggregate scores of 5-0 and 3-0, respectively. As always, England will have to make a colossal effort to contain this.
Fortunately, Lionesses coach Sarina Wiegman has no shortage of solid options to replace Williamson. The central defender position is undoubtedly where England have the greatest choice, with Alex Greenwood, Jess Carter, Esme Morgan and Maya Le Tissier among the players called up. But she is one of Williamson’s Arsenal teammates who deserves a chance to shine in her absence, having done just that at club level in recent weeks and months.
Opportunities to start for England haven’t always been easy to come by for Lotte Wubben-Moy, but she more than earned her place for the match against Spain.
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