Leah Williamson's return, Jess Park's role and six Lionesses talking points as England prepare to begin World Cup qualifying campaign

There were so many injuries that England had to deal with at the end of 2025, meaning the announcement of Wiegman’s latest squad was naturally much-changed as the likes of Hampton and James came back into the fold. Both Chelsea stars have looked great since their returns to action and they will provide big boosts for the Lionesses this week.

But arguably the most notable player to be making her England comeback in this break, as captain of the team, is Williamson. The Arsenal defender hasn’t played for her country since the Euros, and while the Lionesses’ back line isn’t expecting to be under heavy pressure in games against Ukraine and Iceland, what Williamson can offer in possession could be crucial in breaking down two sides likely to set up in low blocks.

The England skipper may not be able to play both fixtures. After all, she’s only started three times for the Gunners this season and is still building back up to full fitness after her time on the sidelines. But whatever minutes she does play, she is likely to provide important contributions, on the ball, in her defensive work and with her leadership. The Lionesses will always be a better team when Williamson is playing.

Though she is still not at peak fitness, Williamson’s return is even more noteworthy because of the state of the rest of the centre-backs that are available to Wiegman. That’s particularly the case because two of the Lionesses’ main options, Jess Carter and Esme Morgan, are not currently in season.

Both play in the NWSL, the top league in the United States, which doesn’t begin its 2026 campaign until mid-March. It means both are currently still in pre-season, which brings with it the need to balance loading and rest, plus the potential for rust.

Speaking to GOAL last year about the challenge of being fully fit and sharp for this first camp of the calendar year, Carter admitted it was something she "really struggled with" after moving to the NWSL. "I've learned the things that do and don't work, so I'm hoping to be able to implement those things for my off-season this time around," she noted.

On paper, one might think that Wiegman has enough in the squad to not need to call upon Carter and Morgan all that much. Alex Greenwood and Maya Le Tissier, the latter having got more opportunities at centre-back at the end of last year, are both in the squad, as is Lotte Wubben-Moy, the Arsenal defender who has seen a lot more minutes at club level in recent months because of injuries to Williamson and young England prospect Katie Reid.

However, Greenwood and Le Tissier may be needed in the full-back areas. That’s because both Lucy Bronze and Taylor Hinds are only just back from injuries, with Niamh Charles still sidelined. Anouk Denton hasn’t made the cut this time around, with Wiegman calling up Poppy Pattinson for the first time instead.

Those circumstances could thin out the centre-back options quite quickly, and just how the England boss manages that situation will be interesting. Her defenders are not expected to be tested too much over this window, but that only means they need to be sharper and more alert to be able to deal with any danger that does arise. 

There’s an argument to be made that no England player is in better form right now than Jess Park. The 24-year-old is absolutely flying at Manchester United, having adopted a free-roaming role with the Red Devils that suits her creativity to a tee and appears to be getting the best out of her. The big question is, how does that translate to England? That's what Wiegman will surely be pondering.

This week, the Lionesses will be without Ella Toone, who has started in the No.10 role in nine of their last 11 outings. Replacing her with Park would not be a surprise, though she has thrived at United by often starting in a wider role that allows her to drift into whichever spaces appear. If Park is in a central role, she needs to be given the license to be free, rather than being restricted to the middle of the park.

Making Park's potential position all the more interesting is the return of James, another player who is enjoying a free-roaming role as of late with Chelsea. James has been used in the No.10 before by Wiegman but was moved out wide during Euro 2025, and that seemed to provide better balance to the team.

Is there room in the England XI for both to be given similarly expressive roles? Perhaps for these fixtures it could work. Against a team like Spain, however, perhaps not. That's something Wiegman may therefore assess this week.

While England are spoiled for choice in some positions, centre-forward is not one. Alessia Russo, the Lionesses' starting striker, is fit and firing, coming into the break with five goals in her last six games for Arsenal. However, the same cannot be said of those who usually back her up.

Michelle Agyemang has been sidelined since tearing her ACL in the win over Australia back in October and will not be available again this season. Aggie Beever-Jones, meanwhile, has been struggling with an ankle knock in recent weeks, one that has restricted her to just three appearances for Chelsea since the turn of the year. All of those have come from the bench, adding up to just 48 minutes of action.

The good news is that Russo has been granted a bit of rest at club level of late. She was on the bench for two of Arsenal's last six games, something which is a rarity for the ex-Manchester United star, so having her start both of England's fixtures this week shouldn't impact her loading as much.

However, these games might have also presented an opportunity to hand out a chance to another No.9. Unfortunately, there are not many options for that role due to injuries and because Wiegman hasn't added another player in that position to her squad.

Most will expect England and Spain to comfortably beat both Ukraine and Iceland home and away over the course of the next few months, leaving the clashes between the two stand-out forces in European women's football to potentially decide who finishes top of this qualifying group. Even then, though, when the pair faced off in the 2025 Women's Nations League, they split wins home and away, with England victorious by a 1-0 scoreline at Wembley before Spain triumphed 2-1 in Catalunya, meaning the goal difference in those games was also tied.

Essentially, it's by no means inconceivable that the winner of this group could well be decided on goal difference, rather than points or a head-to-head record. As such, it’s vital that England do not slip up in the games against Ukraine and Iceland, while it may also be crucial to rack up the goals in the process.

Fortunately, winning big is something the Lionesses have been much better at under Wiegman when compared to previous regimes. That said, they have also been prone to surprising slip-ups, such as a defeat to Belgium and a draw with Portugal just last year.

The priority has to be to get all three points, of course. But if England then find themselves in a comfortable position, putting their foot on the gas and really powering ahead could be important too. It'll be fascinating to see how the scorelines the Lionesses and Spain record in this break compare, ahead of the pair meeting for the first time in April.

Wiegman will hope her team comfortably win both of these games for many reasons, including that it could pave the way for some more England debuts. There are two uncapped players in the Lionesses' squad this month and if the opportunity is right, the staff would surely like the chance to learn a bit more about what the new faces can offer by getting them out on the pitch.

One of those is Freya Godfrey, the talented 20-year-old forward who is back in the England senior squad after earning her first call-up in November. Godfrey has been in great form for London City Lionesses this season and comes into camp having registered two goals and one assist in her last five games. With Beth Mead injured and Chloe Kelly only just back from time on the sidelines, she could be in line for some minutes out wide.

Pattinson is the other new call-up. Godfrey's club-mate has had her injuries this season but has got back to full fitness in recent weeks, starting all of London City's last six games. 

"I think she's had some very good performances," Wiegman said of the 25-year-old last week. “She's a left full-back, very proactive, she's across the whole wing, takes a lot of initiative and what I really like, too, is that in possession, she really wants to play forward."

With Hinds only recently back from injury, Charles sidelined and Denton not called up, Pattinson, like Godfrey, could be in the mix for minutes from a manager who handed out no fewer than seven debuts in 2025.