Seven new Lionesses out to catch Sarina Wiegman's eye and earn 2027 Women's World Cup spots

For dedicated followers of the Women's Super League, Sophie Baggaley won't be a new name. The 28-year-old has racked up over 100 appearances in the English top-flight over the course of the last decade, holding starting gigs with Birmingham, Bristol City and Brighton, while also occupying a back-up role at Manchester United when Mary Earps was the Red Devils' No.1.

During that time, Baggaley has earned a few England call-ups, too, with her first coming back in 2016 when she was a 19-year-old impressing in the youth national teams. Still uncapped, Baggaley has dropped down the pecking order in the years since, but is clearly seen by Wiegman as a trusty option to have in the squad when necessary, as evidenced by her role as a standby player for Euro 2025.

When Hampton had to miss last month's clash with Brazil, Wiegman again turned to Baggaley to restock the goalkeeping department, and with the Lionesses' undisputed No.1 absent for this camp, it is the Brighton shot-stopper who again has an opportunity to impress. However, given she is spending this season as the Seagulls' second-choice, following Chiamaka Nnadozie's summer arrival, it's hard to see Baggaley winning that elusive England cap right now, with Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse more likely to get an opportunity apiece this week.

Left-back has been a problem position for England for almost all of Wiegman's time in charge but, last month, she turned to an unexpected option to potentially help solve that issue.

After coming up through the Lionesses' youth teams but never earning senior recognition, Taylor Hinds won her first cap for Jamaica last year. Yet, she was still eligible to switch allegiances back, something Wiegman persuaded her to do when she called the Arsenal defender up ahead of the October international break. In the second game of that window, a friendly against Australia, Hinds made her senior England debut.

Though she had not broken into the Lionesses' fold until just recently, Hinds has carved out a very solid club career to date. After coming through the ranks at Arsenal, she joined Everton in search of senior minutes and swapped the blue side of Merseyside for red three years later, signing for Liverpool. It was there that she would really establish herself in the WSL, playing as a wing-back as well as an orthodox full-back while also emerging as a real leader, regularly wearing the armband for the Reds having become their vice-captain.

This summer, Hinds went back to where it all started, joining Arsenal on a free transfer. She struggled for game time at first, battling with Katie McCabe for opportunities on the left, but has began to accrue more minutes as of late. That will be music to the ears of Wiegman and an England side that would be helped massively if Hinds can mark herself out as a strong option for the European champions at left-back. There is a real opportunity for her to become an important player for the Lionesses, if she can take it.

Centre-back is so often England's most well-stocked position, but it is significantly depleted this time around, with Williamson still injured, Millie Bright recently retired, Greenwood missing out with a knock and Jess Carter granted a period of rest following the NWSL play-offs. It leaves Esme Morgan, the 25-year-old with 18 caps, as the most established option, meaning there could be an opportunity for Grace Fisk to finally earn that elusive first England cap.

The Liverpool defender earned her first Lionesses call-up way back in February 2020, when Phil Neville included her in the squad for the SheBelieves Cup in the United States. However, it wasn't until last month that she returned to the fold - for the first time under Wiegman - amid the absences of Williamson, Bright and Lotte Wubben-Moy.

After making her senior breakthrough in England's second-tier, Fisk has been a regular in the WSL since returning home following her time in the U.S. college system. That was first with West Ham, whom she represented when she won that maiden Lionesses call-up, and is now with Liverpool. The Reds aren't having a great season, with two points from eight games putting them bottom of the table, but Fisk has been one of their better players and will hope to prove her quality in England colours this week.

Wiegman is expected to rotate, and given she only has four centre-backs to pick from, that could be good news for 27-year-old Fisk. Taking advantage of any chance she receives will be vital if she wants to remain in the mix ahead of the next World Cup, too, as she plays in a position that, when injuries are alleviated, is perhaps the most competitive in the whole squad.

After winning her first senior England call-up last month, Anouk Denton has retained her place in the squad. The 22-year-old moved from the Under-23s squad to the senior one midway through the last international break, amid some niggles and the rebuilding of fitness Bronze and Niamh Charles were undergoing. She didn't play in the Lionesses' game with Australia that followed, but Denton clearly did enough to impress Wiegman, having kept her spot this time around.

Denton has been a consistently impressive, though under-the-radar, performer for West Ham ever since she joined them on a permanent deal back in 2022, having spent time on loan from Arsenal before going to the United States for university. Able to play as a right-back or a left-back, Denton's effectiveness on both sides of the ball has caught the eye, as has her athleticism, which has also allowed her to be utilised as a wing-back.

Bronze has the right-back spot nailed down in this England XI, but there is a lack of natural options to back her up. If she can continue to impress, Denton can help to address that, while also offering a solution in that problematic left-back position. Her first chance to do that in match action could well come this week.

England need to build up their midfield depth before the 2027 World Cup, and Wiegman's acknowledgement of as much has been evident in her recent squads, with Missy Bo Kearns one of those to get an opportunity to show what she can do in the centre of the park. The 24-year-old Liverpool academy product won her first cap in the Lionesses' final game before Euro 2025, against Spain, and added to that in the last camp, when she came off the bench against Australia.

Kearns has spent the majority of the last few years in England's U23s side - captaining them, even - and is now starting to get the opportunity to move up to the final rung of the ladder in a bid to show she has what it takes to be a Lioness. A consistent performer in her six years in the Liverpool first team, she is now enjoying a new chapter at Aston Villa, playing a different style to what she has experienced before.

How Kearns is performing in the Midlands has clearly impressed Wiegman as she looks to expand her options in the midfield. After appearing off the bench twice this year, it wouldn't be a surprise if Kearns was in line for a start, or even a long stint as a substitute, for England this week. She has a real chance of being a regular in the build-up to the 2027 Women's World Cup if she can take the opportunities that come her way.

One of the stories of England's previous camp surrounded Lucia Kendall, who was named Player of the Match in the win over Australia after putting in a tremendous display on her senior international debut. While the likes of Kearns and Laura Blindkilde Brown have been involved in the Lionesses' set-up for longer, it was Kendall, in her first senior camp, who was granted a big chance to stake her claim for a role in midfield and she took it brilliantly.

The 21-year-old, who plays alongside Kearns at Villa, was excellent both in and out of possession while also regularly posing a goal threat. Indeed, she was unlucky not to mark her debut with an appearance on the scoresheet.

Despite how new she is to this England team, Kendall already feels well-placed moving into World Cup qualifying. That's not to get carried away by the immediate impact of the young midfielder, as she will need to build on that and continue to show her quality moving forward if she wants to get more chances ahead of the many others competing for minutes in the middle of the park. But the early signs are certainly good.

While many of the fresh faces Wiegman has called into her squad post-Euro 2025 have come in positions of need, Freya Godfrey arrives to stock up wide areas that the Lionesses already have a fair few options for. Yes, James remains sidelined, but England have all of Beth Mead, Chloe Kelly, Jess Park, Hemp and even Aggie Beever-Jones to play on the wing, making Godfrey's maiden call-up all the more interesting.

A product of Arsenal's academy, Godfrey enjoyed temporary stints with Ipswich, Charlton and London City Lionesses before joining the latter permanently earlier this year, having helped the club win promotion to the WSL. A regular in the England youth national teams, and a captain at points, the 20-year-old's nomination to Wiegman's squad this month is a nod to how well she has adapted to life in the top-flight, as well as a further reminder of how connected England's pathway is.

Whether Godfrey is able to get on the pitch during her first camp or not, time will tell. Again, the wide areas are very competitive. Whether she becomes a regular in the build-up to the 2027 Women's World Cup is another interesting question, because of the quality and quantity of players she is competing with. But the young forward does look a real talent for the future, regardless of how immediate that is.