England manager Sarina Wiegman says she is pretty close to knowing her 23-player squad for Euro 2025. The Lionesses are in Barcelona for their final Nations League Group A3 match against World Cup winners Spain on Tuesday, and on Thursday Wiegman will name her squad for Englands upcoming Euros title defence in Switzerland.
Speaking ahead of the game, defender Lucy Bronze said players will be selected for the Euros on their season overall, not just performances against Spain. And when asked how her selection was shaping up, Wiegman said: Were pretty close.
You still want to go to the game tomorrow and make the final decisions. England have already beaten Spain in the Nations League during the current campaign, winning 1-0 at Wembley in February. While winning the latest game is top of the to-do list, Wiegman will also consider her squad for the upcoming tournament when naming her XI.
Womens Euro 2025 dates, fixtures and scheduleEighty per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky SportsChoose the Sky Sports push notifications you want! 🔔Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺We want to win and every prize you want to win.
You want to have a good performance tomorrow, but were also preparing for the Euros, she said. If a player has a little injury which would be a risk for the Euros, I wouldnt play her. Still at the same time, I think our squad is strong enough to have a good performance against a top team.
Were a top team, too, and we want to win the game. Right-back Bronze urged the squad to focus on the task at hand on Tuesday and not the upcoming announcement. I think I play every game like its my last so I dont think thats an issue, she said.
Especially for England, you put that shirt on and you dont want to leave anything on the pitch. Youre playing against one of the best teams in the world in Spain, youve got an opportunity for England, you cant think too far ahead or take things for granted.
As players, you just have to take whats in front of you. The squad isnt being picked based off the actions tomorrow, its what youve done all season, what youve done in for England, what you do in training.
Its every single moment so tomorrow for us is another important game, another tournament we want to win. After that whistle blows, its the next thing and thats Euros selection for Sarina. James fitness remains key issueSky Sports News Anton Toloui at the RCDE Stadium: Wiegman is giving nothing away about her Euros squad selection, which takes place less than 48 hours after the Spain game.
The key, however, is the fitness of Lauren James. Wiegman wouldnt be drawn on whether shell take the Chelsea forward even if she isnt ready for the opening game. She said of the Chelsea forward: Shes trying to get fit with all the support from Chelsea and from us.
Shes doing really well and were moving forward. She needs to tick some boxes and when she does, we can progress, then thats very good because we think she can make a difference at the Euros. But she needs to be healthy, needs to recover and perform at her highest level.
Im pretty positive thats going to work. If theres a sniff James could make an impact on the tournament then shell be on the plane, but if she isnt fully fit, then does Wiegman need to alter her plan of taking two players for every position to take an extra attacker? If so, will that be at the sacrifice of a defender or midfielder, with squad players including Maya Le Tissier and Fran Kirby facing a nervous wait.
Its a goal to win the Nations LeagueEngland were 6-0 winners against Portugal in their penultimate Nations League game on Friday, scoring twice inside the opening five minutes. While Spain will be a sterner test, Wiegman is hoping for another strong start.
She said: Spain is a totally different game than we had on Friday. We started really well against Portugal and it helped that we scored two goals in five minutes. We are aware that Spain is different, its the highest level we can imagine so we have to have a good start again.
Were going out there to have the best performance and take another step in our style of play, our development and have a good game plan. England need to beat Spain – currently top of Group A3 – to finish first and reach the Nations League finals, to be played in October and November.
The Nations League is such a difficult competition, Bronze said. Throughout the season, different teams are in different form, missing players at different times. We were disappointed with the first edition.
It made us drop into that second seed, which has been so difficult to get back out of because its really competitive. Its a goal of ours [to win the Nations League], its another chance of silverware, its history-making and as players, you always want to lift trophies and this is another opportunity to do that.
We have already beaten Spain this year. We gain a lot of confidence from that. Our players are performing well. That Spain performance at Wembley was fantastic from us, both defensively and attacking.
You have to take confidence from every game, be it the losses and draws. Its not the be-all and end-all tomorrow. It is for us in the Nations League, but in terms of the Euros, its a different tournament.
All we can do is focus on the group in front of us, a very tough group but an exciting group. Itll give us confidence, but we get that from ourselves and others. Bronze: I was one of the first people Earps told about retirement A week ago, Mary Earps announced her shock international retirement just five weeks ahead of the Euros.
Bronze said: I think I was the first person she called. I was probably in the know before everyone else, just because we have such a good bond and connection. You think of players who know what it means to play for England and Mary was right at the top.
Her career for England has been fantastic. The news was difficult to take as team-mates because we all love Mary, we all want her to be here. But as a friend, we all accept her decision and celebrate her and everything shes done for this team.
Then we just have to look forward. Weve got fantastic goalkeepers here and Mary has left a legacy that means theyre all in a great position, theyre all prepared because theyve had a great mentor to learn from.
Hopefully, the goalkeepers that we have now can live in that energy and enjoy the fact they worked alongside such a great professional, and they can bring that to the team as well. Bronze also said she has been in touch with Chelsea team-mate Millie Bright, who has withdrawn from the Nations League games to give herself a physical and mental break from football.
She said: Millie is a really big personality and player for England and for Chelsea. Shes missed in terms of what she brings both on and off the pitch, shes one of the leaders in the team, not just because shes the oldest, but because of her experience, her attributes as a person.
Weve all spoken to Millie through the week, were all friends with her and weve offered her our support. We want to make sure shes OK. Physically and mentally, its been a tough season for everyone, but having spent every day with Millie, shes someone who is quite tough and maybe holds a lot in.
Its been brave for her to come out and speak. From a friend perspective, I just want her to be OK and give her as much time as she needs to feel OK again.
