That is all from me today! Thanks for tuning in and join us for full coverage of Euro 2025 when the tournament starts in July.
Wiegman 'very happy' with her Euro 2025 squad
There was a different tone to that press conference from Sarina Wiegman, compared to last week when she spoke in the same room 48 hours after Mary Earps’s retirement and the mood was somewhat difficult.
Today, Wiegman was clearly happy and determined to speak positively about her squad, and she emphatically defended her management style when she was probed on whether or not she is too honest when telling players they have not been picked, saying “I don’t beat around the bush with it”.
The Dutchwoman, who has won all 12 matches she has overseen at the Euros, ended her press conference with a request for the media to focus on the players who are in the team, rather than those who are not.
Some of your reactions to the squad via email:
Pete:
Am excited to see this squad in action. Am sceptical about the James pick – not because of her ability but because of her fitness. I hope we’re not rushing her back!
Yussef:
I get what Wiegman is saying about not lacking depth despite only having five midfield players … but I do think there has been a lack of competition for Walsh, Toone, Stanway. But do I know better than a two-time Euro winning manager? Definitely not.
Maria:
Was annoyed to see the focus being on Earps at the press conference. Kind of seems that is what she would have wanted. She chose to leave. Did not have the character to be a No 2. As Wiegman said: Move on!
Saoirse:
As a scouser I am disappointed that Kearns has missed out! Know she wasn’t at her best against Spain but she was kind of thrown into the deep end there! Think she could have replaced one of the keepers in the squad.
Get to know your Euro 2025 England squad with our snazzy picture gallery.
Updated
That is all from Wiegman. Some key points from the England manager after her Euro 2025 squad announcement:
James’s recovery is going as expected. She could be fit for England’s friendly against Jamaica and Wiegman is expecting her to be involved in the opener at Euro 2025 against France.
Agyemang brings “something different” to the squad which is why she was selected.
Wiegman was asked several times about the absences and retirees of three major players in Earps, Kirby and Bright. She stressed every time that the loss of experience does not mean her squad are in a crisis and that she is “very happy” with her squad. “There are other players who have done really well and now those players get the opportunity to step up. So you have to move on. We move on.”
Despite only naming five midfielders on paper, the England manager thinks that other players can step up and fill positions in the middle of the pitch and that her squad does not lack depth.
More from Wiegman on James:
I hope she will be available for the first game [against France]. I don’t know how many minutes yet. We have our friendly against Jamaica. I hope she will be fit for that.
On the role of the bench:
A huge impact. First I have to decide what the lineup is. I don’t know who the starting XI is. But things develop over the tournament. You can’t prepare everything. But I try to prepare as much as possible.
On if there will be any surprises in her formation after playing three at the back at the World Cup:
I don’t know yet! At the World Cup we had to try something different. In the moment you have to see what is needed in the moment.
On Hampton:
She has worked very hard. She has had a journey. She is a very impressive goalkeeper. She knows now where she stands. I hope she will show that at the Euros. And we have two other very talented keepers in the squad.
On not selecting Kearns for her final squad:
That was really hard. We were happy with her performances coming in. We had to manage some players in loads and she got the opportunity to play [on Tuesday]. And we finalised after that game with the squad we have got.
Updated
Wiegman is asked again to deny the squad is unsettled and that there is no “crisis”.
That is not the case. That is what I would say.
More from Wiegman on retirements since the 2022 triumph:
Yes [this is a less experienced squad]. But I do think we have enough experience. There is about 16 players who have played a major tournament. Players coming in and playing their first tournament are so eager. It’s about balance.
On the words “crisis” and “upheaval” being used ahead of the tournament:
Before a major tournament there is always noise. The difference is the attention and the visibility of the women’s game has grown. We just have to deal with it and play football.
Having had lots of football conversations and seeing what’s happening off the pitch, I am very happy with the team.
On accusations of her being too honest and blunt:
It is very important for me to be honest. Sometimes you don’t have good news and I don’t beat around the bush. I can’t control how people respond. I just hope they can get clarity from that.
They [retired players] have done so much for us, so much England, for England football. They have been playing the tournaments since I’ve been here.
On if there was last-minute plea to bring Earps to the team:
No. That was last week. A week and a half ago. Those conversations were done We move on. It gives opportunity for other players to be in the team. At this moment this is the situation. I am very happy with my squad and I am looking forward to the Euros.
Updated
Wiegman is here and has answered some initial questions:
On picking the squad:
Always difficult because you can pick 23 but you’d like to pick a little more. In the end you have to make some decisions. We have seen the team a lot over the past week and the past month and it is done now.
On Bright opting out of the squad:
The last couple of days I found out [she would not be joining]. It is sad. It is disappointing. It is not nice. I just hope she feels well very soon.
On lacking the experience of Earps and Bright:
They have done so much for football. That is hard to replace. But there are players who have done well. They have to step up. We have to move on.
On James’s fitness:
We still have a month. She is training very well. She is at the point that we hoped she would be at this stage. We don’t see it as a risk. We are just building her.
On Agyemang’s call-up:
She brings something very different. We are so strong up front. We all remember her goal against Belgium.
On only calling up five midfielders:
We have to announce players as midfielders and as strikers but I think players can move around. On paper it does not look like we have depth. But we do.
Updated
Here is the official squad announcement with special appearances from Alex Scott, Harry Kane, Keely Hodgkinson, David Beckham and Jill Scott.
It's time.
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) June 5, 2025
This is your #Lionesses squad for #WEURO2025! 🏴 pic.twitter.com/WN28tHLago
Michelle has emailed to ask if the rules allow for replacement squad members once the tournament has started.
Aston Villa’s Missy Bo Kearns is one of four players named on standby alongside the Brighton goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley, the Manchester City midfielder Laura Blindkilde Brown and the Aston Villa defender Lucy Parker.
They will stay with the squad at St George’s Park from 16 June to 30 June, when the rest of the squad travel to Switzerland.
Players can only be called up to replace a different squad member through injury or illness but this must happen before the start of the tournament. Teams have up to a day before the beginning of the tournament to replace any injured or ill squad members with an alternative.
Aggie Beever-Jones expectedly makes the cut with the 21-year-old having a breakout year for club and country. The forward scored 13 goals in 39 appearances for Chelsea, helping them win a domestic treble.
In April Beever-Jones scored her first senior international goal in a 5–0 Nations League win against Belgium. A month later, she scored a hat-trick in a 6–0 rout against Portugal becoming only the second England women’s player to score a Wembley hat-trick after Beth Mead.
Alessia Russo will probably be England’s starting No 9 but Beever-Jones is a great option for Wiegman to have coming off the bench.
The Euros kick off in Switzerland on 2 July with the final to be played at St Jakob-Park in Basel on 27 July.
Group stage matchday one: 2-5 July
Group stage matchday two: 6-9 July
Group stage matchday three: 10-13 July
Quarter-finals: 16-19 July
Semi-finals: 22-23 July
Final: 27 July
England begin their title defence against France on 5 July before taking on the Netherlands, Wiegman’s home country and previous team, on 9 July before finishing the group stage against Wales on 13 July.
Wiegman will be speaking to media at St. George’s Park about her squad selection at 2.30pm BST.
James makes England squad
Lauren James is in the squad despite being out for two months with a hamstring injury.
Michelle Agyemang also makes the cut despite having limited game-time with England. The teenager has clearly impressed in the run-up to the tournament.
There is no place in the squad for Nikita Parris and Missy Bo Kearns with Wiegman opting to take three goalkeepers and only five midfielders.
England squad for Euro 2025
Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton, Khiara Keating, Anna Moorhouse
Defenders: Lucy Bronze, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Jess Carter, Niamh Charles, Maya Le Tissier, Esme Morgan, Alex Greenwood, Leah Williamson
Midfielders: Grace Clinton, Jess Park, Ella Toone, Georgia Stanway, Keira Walsh
Forwards: Lauren Hemp, Beth Mead, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Aggie Beever-Jones, Michelle Agyemang, Alessia Russo
We are less than 10 minutes away from the official squad announcement. For comparison, this was the squad that Wiegman named for the 2023 World Cup, the last major tournament. Players italicised will not be available for selection this time around.
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps, Hannah Hampton, Ellie Roebuck
Defenders: Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, Niamh Charles, Alex Greenwood, Esme Morgan, Lotte Wubben-Moy
Midfielders: Laura Coombs, Jordan Nobbs, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Katie Zelem, Kiera Walsh
Forwards: Rachel Daly, Beth England, Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, Katie Robinson, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo
Updated
England go into Euro 2025 as one of the teams to beat. But who is their biggest competition? And who might they have an easier time against? Sophie Downey has the latest Euro power rankings in our latest Moving the Goalposts newsletter.
Here is what she wrote about the Lionesses:
Nations League results have fluctuated, ending with a strong win over Portugal and narrow defeat by Spain. Jess Park, Grace Clinton and Aggie Beever-Jones have bedded into the squad while Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood and Georgia Stanway have returned from injury. A question remains over Lauren James although Wiegman remains confident she will be fit.
Find out what position Wiegman’s side is in and more below.
And make sure to sign up for our FREE women’s football newsletter for a roundup in your inbox every week if you have not already.
Decision No 3: how many keepers?
Earps’s retirement has thrown a spanner in the works for a position which is usually pretty easy to predict before a major tournament.
Hampton is the undeniable No 1 now despite never playing a major tournament. That leaves Keating – the 20-year-old is on the come up but has captured attention for her form at Manchester City and Moorhouse – the 30-year-old who plays for the Orlando Pride in the NWSL.
Both have 0 appearances at international level. Will Wiegman opt to give one of their spots to an outfield player?
Barcelona’s Ellie Roebuck has 11 appearances for England but having not been a No 1 keeper at Barcelona, her current club, she is out of contention.
Updated
Decision No 2: Michelle Agyemang
The case for: The Brighton forward is one of England’s most exciting prospects. At the last international break, Agyemang moved from the Under-19s to the senior squad, replacing an injured Alessia Russo. She came off the bench while England was losing to Belgium and within 41 seconds, she scored. She offers something different from her teammates
The case against: The 19-year-old lacks experience and with Wiegman losing three senior players already, will she prioritise fringe players who have been at a major tournament before?
Other youngsters shooting for a spot in the squad are midfielders Laura Blindkilde Brown and Missy Bo Kearns. The former has played once for England, starting in a 1-0 win over Switzerland in December while the latter made her debut two days ago against Spain off the bench.
Updated
Decision No 1: Lauren James
The case for: The Chelsea forward has been a star for England making her mark at the World Cup with three goals and three assists despite being banned for two of the knockout matches.
The case against: A hamstring injury while on international duty with England has kept James on the sidelines since April. Will Wiegman risk taking someone that is not fully fit to the tournament?
Wiegman has said she is optimistic James can be fit this summer but has been coy about the timeline of her return leaving doubts.
With LJ [James], she is of course on the pitch [training], she is still in the position that we expect her to be, so she’s progressing in the rehab and that’s going really well, so I’m positive about that.
Updated
Focus now turns to today for Wiegman who has had the Nations League to figure out the best squad to take. Before England’s loss to Spain on Tuesday night, the England head coach said that while she is a while away from knowing her starting XI for the tournament, she was pretty certain which 23 would be on the plane to Switzerland.
Let’s take a look at some of the key decisions she will have made for this squad.
And yesterday the vice-captain Millie Bright withdrew from contention for the tournament opting to prioritise her physical and mental health.
Football has given me so much and representing my country has always been my greatest honour. My pride and ego tells me to go but I think the team and the fans deserve more. Right now I’m not able to give 100% mentally or physically.
As much as I want to be out there running through brick walls for England and fighting alongside my teammates, stepping back is the right thing for my health, my future, the game and most importantly the team. It wouldn’t be fair for me to take the place and opportunity away from another player who is ready to give everything for the badge and country
All three of Earps, Kirby and Bright started every game of the Lionesses’ run to Euro 2022 glory.
Straight after England’s loss to Spain in the Nations League Fran Kirby announced her retirement from the setup after learning after learning that she would be part of the squad this summer.
In interviews with the BBC and ESPN the 31-year-old midfielder explained that she had already been planning to retire after Euro 2025 but she brought the decision forward.
It has been a tumultuous 10 days for the England camp. Earps had discussions with Wiegman about retiring from international duty for 12 to 18 months and despite being asked to reconsider, the goalkeeper shocked her teammates by stepping aside with immediate effect.
It has been the greatest honour and privilege of my life, to wear this badge, represent my country and play alongside such an incredible group of players.
I’ve spent a long time making this decision and it’s not one I’ve made lightly. For me, ultimately this is the right time for me to step aside and give the younger generation an opportunity to thrive. Winning the Euros in 2022 was the best day of my life, and I’m rooting for the girls to do it again this summer.
Hampton has emerged as Wiegman’s new No 1 but Earps’s departure does leave the England squad with two uncapped goalkeepers heading to Switzerland in Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse.
Preamble
Today is the big day. Sarina Wiegman will name 23 England players for their title defence at the 2025 European Championships in Switzerland from St George’s Park.
Wiegman will be taking a very different side to Switzerland than the one that triumphed on home soil in 2022. The former No 1 Mary Earps announced her shock retirement after being told she would have been backup goalkeeper to Hannah Hampton at the tournament. Fran Kirby also announced her retirement from international duty after being told she would not be selected before the vice-captain Millie Bright withdrew herself from contention, citing physical and mental burnout.
The announcement will be made at 2pm BST. And, as always, feel free to send me an email with your thoughts, questions, predictions and musings.
