Sarina Wiegman's last dance? Lionesses begin quest for 2027 Women's World Cup glory amid uncertainty over England manager's future

It's hard to think about the Lionesses without Wiegman. Since taking over this team in September 2021, she has been such an unequivocal success in her role and delivered transcendent triumphs that England had not had since the men's team won the World Cup in 1966.

In her first major tournament, the home Euros of 2022, she smashed records as the Lionesses prevailed at Wembley Stadium, of all places, and beat Germany in extra-time to claim their first-ever major trophy. It was a summer that changed women's football in England and the legacy of that tournament remains prevalent today.

And yet, Wiegman and her Lionesses have been able to follow that incredibly tough act with more success. A year later, England reached the final of the Women's World Cup for the first time and then, in 2025, they retained their European title.

It's not just moments on the pitch that highlight Wiegman as a success in this role. The Dutchwoman has also done a fantastic job integrating the next generation of English talent, connecting and co-operating brilliantly with the youth national team coaches to bring young players through to the senior team.

It's a collaborative effort. The Under-23s team was reinstated around the same time as Wiegman's arrival, a great decision by the FA, and that has been an important environment to bridge the gap between the U20s and the Lionesses, with over a dozen players having turned out for the U23s during Wiegman's tenure before then being progressed into the senior squad.

The communication between the Dutchwoman and all of those in the pathway is excellent, and it is that which has resulted in the well-judged decisions around moving players between different age groups. It's also worth noting that those who drop back down into the U23s from the Lionesses have regularly taken such disappointment well and channelled it positively, something only achieved by good communication and clear outlining of the path ahead.

All things considered, the FA would certainly not want to see Wiegman go. So why could she choose to leave?

Well, she's been in this role for over five years now, and while there is no suggestion that Wiegman isn't still enjoying every day of it, there's always going to be intrigue from anyone in this sport about the prospect of a new challenge. One would hardly begrudge the Dutchwoman if something different came up that she showed an interest in, be it coaching in a different place or taking up a different role altogether.

There's bound to be many across the globe keeping an eye on Wiegman's situation, too. This is a manager who has won all of the last three European Championship titles and reached both of the last two World Cup finals.

What she did in the Netherlands, before moving to England, was transformative, guiding the Oranje to an unprecedented triumph in their home Euros that changed the perception of the women's game in the country. Like the Lionesses, the Dutch are now one of the top powers in the women's game, in large part due to what Wiegman did.

She has thus taken two nations to the next level; could she do it with a third?

It's almost set up for a perfect 'last dance', too. In 2023, Wiegman's England side fell just short in the World Cup final, losing 1-0 to Spain, four years after her Netherlands side had lost a tightly-contested final with the United States. She has some serious unfinished business in what could be her final tournament in charge of the Lionesses.

If she took this England team to Brazil next summer and got them over the line, delivering the nation's first-ever Women's World Cup title and a first senior triumph on the biggest stage since 1966, wouldn't that be the perfect time to walk away?

But that's not all Wiegman can still achieve in this role. It's not like she would be out of motivation or things to strive towards if indeed England came out on top in Brazil.

There's also the Olympics, which is one of the most difficult goals to tick off, and surely one of the most satisfying as a result. While men's football at the Olympics is an U23 tournament, the women's edition is for senior teams and, as such, is regarded as being almost on a par with the World Cup. In fact, given how hard it is to qualify for, particularly from Europe, plus it's general standing as a celebration of so much sport, not just football, it is the biggest of them all for some.

Taking a Great Britain team to Olympic glory would surely be something to excite Wiegman. The 2027 Women's Nations League will act as qualifying for the 2028 Games for UEFA team, while the Nations League is another tournament England haven't won, if one is looking at ticking all the boxes. Perform well in that tournament and Wiegman, who would've led Team GB had England secured their qualification for the 2024 Olympics Games, could have a shot at another special achievement.

It's not just about ticking off trophies and competitions, either. In a landscape that also features an incredible Spain team, Emma Hayes' exciting U.S. side and many more, the thrill of toppling all challengers and coming out on top in these battles is also there.

Right now, it's hard to gauge which way this might go. Given how long she has been in the role and what she has achieved, it would not be a surprise if Wiegman wanted to move on to a new challenge. On the other hand, given what she has built over the last five years and the exciting times that potentially lay ahead for this England side, it also would not be a surprise if Wiegman wanted to stay. It's a role she clearly enjoys, after all.

Optimists will hope Wiegman's comments about the situation last month are foreshadowing an extension.

"We are now really focusing on this qualification. We want to qualify and the best possible way to do that is in June. We're going for that and let's first do that," she said, those last few words perhaps suggesting that once that is decided, the contract situation could come to the fore as a higher priority.

And what if it becomes clear at that point that Wiegman would like to leave? She gave the Netherlands plenty of notice when moving to England, with the news announced a whole year before she moved on. The FA will therefore hope to have similar time to handle the difficult process of replacing her, should they need to.

For now, though, it's all about the task at hand. England will face Ukraine on Tuesday in their first World Cup qualifier, before hosting Iceland on Saturday. It's a tough group, featuring world champions Spain, and only the winner will qualify automatically for the tournament in Brazil. Everyone else will enter the play-offs.

The Lionesses will hope it doesn't come to that, and that their place can be secured as early as June. If it is, it’ll give England plenty of time to organise the best preparations possible for the World Cup, while also allowing the FA to get stuck into the future of Wiegman and this team together.