England's 2027 Women's World Cup squad ladder: Who will make the cut for Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses next summer?

Because of the stability around the Lionesses and Wiegman's prolonged time in charge, plus the information we have from previous major tournaments, there are a lot of players one can confidently pencil in for a place on the plane to Brazil next summer - granted injury does not strike any of them down.

Captain Leah Williamson is absolutely one of those, granted she is fit, as is starting goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. Others who have cemented places in Wiegman's XI over the course of her tenure include Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway, Lauren James, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo. It would be absolutely stunning if any of those six were not involved in Brazil.

Total players: 8

It would be easy to make an argument for several players in this next group to be included among the locks above, but they just slip into a lower category because they are not quite the nailed-on starters that the others are. It would still be a huge shock if any of these players were not chosen by Wiegman to represent the Lionesses in Brazil, as they have asserted themselves as big-time players and important leaders over the course of her time in charge.

Among them are Jess Carter, Esme Morgan and Alex Greenwood, who are almost always certain to be involved in England squads right now, though can be rotated in and out of the line-up depending on how Wiegman sets up her defence. All three offer valuable versatility alongside their quality and experience and look set to be vital members of the 2027 squad.

Ella Toone always has a lot of competition for her place in the No.10 but regularly rises to the top as Wiegman's first-choice selection, while Beth Mead and Chloe Kelly have proven themselves to be extremely important members of this team, even if it is not from the start in every game. All three have provided defining moments in England's previous successes and will be expected to be on the plane to Brazil.

Total players: 14

From this point onwards, the certainty levels drops. That said, players in this category are trending positively in the England frame and are extremely likely to be involved next summer as a result.

Aggie Beever-Jones is one of the long-standing members of this group, having spent most of the last two years as Russo's back-up in the centre-forward role. That has changed a little recently because of the emergence of Michelle Agyemang, who got on the pitch ahead of her several times at Euro 2025. But Beever-Jones remains high up in the overall pecking order of this England squad and is back to being Russo’s certain back-up while Agyemang is out injured.

Jess Park, Maya Le Tissier and Lucia Kendall, meanwhile, are players who have jumped into this group in recent months because their very impressive performances at club level have translated into opportunities for the Lionesses.

If all four players in this category can continue in this manner, they should be heading to the 2027 Women's World Cup as important squad members, be it as reliable back-ups or useful impact subs.

Total players: 18

Notably, FIFA released regulations for the 2027 Women's World Cup in April and, in there, it was announced that the squad size has been increased to 26 players. This has been common in major tournaments in men's football for a while now but it had yet to reach the women's game in a widespread way, with Wiegman limited to 23 players for the 2023 Women's World Cup and Euro 2025. However, she will get to pick another three names if England make it to the tournament in Brazil.

Among the decisions to be made when it comes to the final few spots is picking the two goalkeepers who will back up Hampton. Wiegman's options here have struggled for consistent game time in recent months and that will likely be the difference in the end. Summer transfers for Khiara Keating, to Liverpool, and Sophie Baggaley, to Birmingham City, increase their chances, but Ellie Roebuck looks to have real competition for her place at Aston Villa. Anna Moorhouse, meanwhile, had separated herself from this group by playing week-in, week-out for the Orlando Pride but a loan move to Man City, where she looks like she'll be a back-up, sees her drop into this category.

When it comes to defenders, because of how versatile so many of the more likely members of this projected 2027 Women's World Cup squad are, it's always hard to gauge what group Wiegman will settle on. Realistically, all the bases in the back line are covered with the six mentioned previously, so it's just about what other qualities or what extra positional depth she wants to have at her disposal.

Niamh Charles, Anouk Denton and Taylor Hinds can all play on the right or the left, with Poppy Pattinson also recently emerging as a natural option for that problematic left-back role. Centre-back Lotte Wubben-Moy, meanwhile, was part of the squads at Euro 2022, the 2023 Women's World Cup and Euro 2025, and that could work strongly in her favour, though her game time with Arsenal will also be a factor.

In midfield, Grace Clinton has struggled for minutes, and had some niggles, since her move to Manchester City and that is proving detrimental to her England ambitions, whereas club-mate Laura Blindkilde Brown has been starring for the Women's Super League leaders and seen that translate into more opportunities with the Lionesses. Erica Parkinson, the 17-year-old who won her first senior call-up for the April international break due to injuries to Toone and Clinton, has also now entered the conversation in that area.

Then there is Freya Godfrey, the 21-year-old who has been regularly involved in England squads in the last year, and Keira Barry, the Bay FC winger who replaced Godfrey when she withdrew from camp in April. The attacking areas are stacked in this team so it might be that only absentees lead to either being included in the squad next summer, but a lot can change between now and then with regards to playing time and form, too.

Total players: 32

Could anyone else be in the mix? It's not impossible. Wiegman is no stranger to recalling players from out of the wilderness. She took Laura Coombs to the 2023 Women's World Cup, ending the Man City star's eight-year absence from the England squad, and she also brought Nikita Parris back in last year after the forward had spent over two years out of favour, though she did not make the cut for Euro 2025 in the end.

So, who could follow in their footsteps and come into this England squad seemingly out of the blue, if they were needed?

Millie Turner and Lucy Parker are both regulars in the WSL who have been on the fringes of the Lionesses squad under Wiegman and could probably be next in the pecking order if injuries were to hit the centre-back group.

In midfield, Ruby Mace and Maisie Symonds are both young prospects who have had senior call-ups and are playing both regularly at club level and for England's Under-23s. Wiegman has regularly looked to the U23s to round out her squad when others have been missing, as well as when young players have deserved the chance to make the step up.

Again, as things stand, it would be unlikely for any of these four to be involved in 2027. Indeed, Parker and Symonds are uncapped despite being in senior squads, and Turner and Mace only have one cap apiece. But all of them have shown their qualities in the WSL, they have been in the environment and the cases of Mace and Symonds could change in particular, given both are still very young and could take big strides forward between now and next summer.

Total players: 36

During her four-and-a-half years in charge of this team, Wiegman has given caps to 48 different players. Six of those have since retired, but there are still a lot of names out there still playing, some in the second-tier of English football, who the current Lionesses boss had in her England picture at one point or another.

Many of them are older players who have since been usurped into the squad by younger talents, such as Parris, Bethany England and Jordan Nobbs. Elsewhere, neither Katie Zelem nor Gabby George really captured Wiegman's attention when involved in camps, despite playing positions that needed filling in the squad.

There are a couple of younger players in this bracket, too, who haven't quite kicked on after breaking into the England squad. Ebony Salmon hasn't had a call-up since February 2023, having struggled to score consistently over the years. Katie Robinson, meanwhile, seemed to be a real favourite of Wiegman's and even earned a place in the 2023 Women's World Cup squad, heading to Australia as the Lionesses' youngest player, aged 20. However, she's not been involved with the seniors since September of that year, despite being a regular with the U23s for a long time after that point.

Total players: 43

Throwing a spanner in the works for this projection are a handful of long-term absentees who will return to action before the 2027 World Cup kicks-off, meaning they are still in contention for a spot on the plane but difficult to place right now.

Of them, Agyemang is the likeliest to make the squad next summer. The forward was a revelation in 2025, bursting onto the scene with a goal just 41 seconds into her Lionesses debut as part of a late run into the Euros squad. In Switzerland, she scored twice in the knockouts and was named Young Player of the Tournament, only to sustain an ACL injury in October. She will, however, be back soon and will hope to pick up where she left off to bolster Wiegman’s centre-forward options.

There are three more players on the fringe of this squad who have been sidelined with ACL injuries. Jessica Naz, the Tottenham forward who has been out since December 2025, has six caps to her name; teenager Katie Reid has yet to make her senior international debut but was one of the most in-form centre-backs in the country when she earned her first Lionesses call-up in November, days before her injury news; and Ella Morris was brought in as a potential solution for the lack of depth at right-back just before Euro 2025, only to sustain her knee issue on that very camp. Morris made her return to action in early April and has plenty of time to get back in contention.

Missy Bo Kearns is another absentee. Initially, that was for much happier reasons. The Aston Villa midfielder announced in March 2026 that she was pregnant with her first child, due in September. However, at the end of March, she revealed that she had devastatingly lost the baby. Kearns was on standby for Euro 2025 and played in two of England’s friendlies at the end of the year, getting opportunities ahead of the likes of Blindkilde Brown and Clinton.

Total: 48