Relief for Lionesses as Leah Williamson named to England squad to face Spain with Sarina Wiegman also able to recall Beth Mead after injury

Leah Williamson has been named in the latest Lionesses squad despite missing all of Arsenal's last three games, with Sarina Wiegman clearly hopeful that the England captain will be fit to face world champions Spain in a crucial World Cup qualifier next month. Williamson has been dealing with a hamstring issue but it will be a major boost for the Lionesses if she is able to recover for the April international break.

• Williamson and Mead in as England's absences pile up

  Williamson's return is not the only positive to come out of Wiegman's latest squad, which was named on Tuesday morning, as Beth Mead, her Arsenal team-mate, is also back in the fold after missing the March camp with a shin problem. That's a particular boost because of the absentees England are dealing with in attack.

  Ella Toone, the Manchester United playmaker who also missed the March window, remains sidelined with a hip issue, with Aggie Beever-Jones, the Chelsea striker, and Grace Clinton, the Manchester City midfielder, also ruled out for next month's games against Spain and Iceland. Beever-Jones has been dealing with an ankle problem that has forced her to miss Chelsea's last two outings, while Clinton hasn't played for club or country in almost six weeks. 

  Michelle Agyemang, the young forward who was a hero at last summer's European Championships, is a long-term absentee in attack after suffering a devastating ACL injury while playing for England against Australia back in October. Missy Bo Kearns will also not be involved. Kearns was absent for positive reasons in the last camp, after announcing that she was pregnant with her first child. However, over the weekend, the Aston Villa midfielder revealed the devastating news that she had lost her baby.

World Cup Qualification UEFA

England
England
14 Apr 202614:00

Spain
Spain
World Cup Qualification UEFA

Iceland
Iceland
18 Apr 202612:30

England
England
• Getty Images

  Teenager Parkinson gets exciting opportunity

  Amid those absentees, Wiegman has chosen to call upon another promising young talent in the England youth set-up, handing Erica Parkinson her first senior invite. The 17-year-old has been thriving in Portugal with Valadares Gaia, with whom she has been getting regular senior football for three seasons now. Despite her young age, those performances have allowed Parkinson opportunities with England's Under-23s in recent camps, where she has excelled. Now, she will get her chance to impress Wiegman and the Lionesses' staff.

  Parkinson, a technically gifted No.10, was born in Singapore to an English father and a Japanese mother, while she is also eligible to represent Portugal at international level. However, she has spent her youth career with the Young Lionesses and is committed to playing for England.

  "England were the first country that invited me into the national training centre," Parkinson said last year, explaining why she has chosen the nation of her father. "They sent a scout out to Portugal to see my games. I was playing with boys at that point. They saw some clips of me online and realised I was half-English. Once I got here, I just really liked the culture. Everyone is kind but also ambitious. I enjoyed the way England conducted themselves in the training sessions and the style of play in games."

• England Lionesses squad in full

  Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride), Ellie Roebuck (Aston Villa)

  Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Taylor Hinds (Arsenal), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)

  Midfielders: Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City), Lucia Kendall (Aston Villa), Erica Meg Parkinson (Valadares Gaia), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Keira Walsh (Chelsea)

  Forwards: Freya Godfrey (London City Lionesses), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Arsenal), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Jess Park (Manchester United), Alessia Russo (Arsenal)

• Getty Images

  What comes next?

  England's window will start with Spain's visit to Wembley on April 14, before a trip to Iceland a few days later. The Lionesses last faced La Roja in the Euro 2025 final, winning a tight game on penalties to retain their continental crown. The two are tied on points at the top of their World Cup qualifying group, having recorded wins over both Iceland and Ukraine in the first international window of 2026. England, though, are narrowly ahead on goal difference and they will be keen to extend that advantage by beating Spain in two weeks' time.