Sarina Wiegman names latest Lionesses squad for April internationals

England manager Sarina Wiegman has named her 25-man squad for April’s international break, which are currently the last scheduled games for the Lionesses ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

England successfully defended the Arnold Clark Cup in February and went unbeaten in 29 games (25 wins, 4 draws) under Wiegman, who is now a three-time winner of the title of Best FIFA Women’s Coach.

The Lionesses now face Brazil and Australia as preparations for the World Cup continue.

“We’re getting closer to the World Cup and I can’t think of two better games to judge our progress. After those games it will be less than three months before we fly to the tournament and we have to make every second count on and off the pitch,” Wiegman said.

“For us as technical staff, this is the last chance to see the players in our English environment before we come together in June for the final phase of preparation. And those two games will be two real tests to see where we are.

“This is a big new trophy and fighting for it in a packed Wembley Stadium is another special moment, both for us as a team and for our fans. We will never take these opportunities for granted and I want to see how we fare against two teams that will be fighting for the World Cup.”

There are England recalls for goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and defenders Esme Morgan and Lucy Parker – the latter was called up for the first time in October but was forced to step down through injury.

Lotte Wubben-Moy, Katie Zelem, Ebony Salmon and the injured Emily Ramsey are all eliminated from the squad selected for the Arnold Clark Cup.

Goalkeeper: Mary Earps (Man Utd), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa), Sandy MacIver (Man City), Ellie Roebuck (Man City)

Defender: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Man City), Maya Le Tissier (Man Utd), Esme Morgan (Man City), Lucy Parker (West Ham), Leah Williamson (Arsenal)

Midfield player: Laura Coombs (Man City), Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Man Utd), Keira Walsh (Barcelona)

Forward: Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Lauren Hemp (Man City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Man City), Jess Park (Everton), Alessia Russo (Man Utd), Katie Robinson (Brighton)

England play twice during the international break in April, both times in London.

The first of the two matches takes place at Wembley on April 6 and is a first-ever women’s Finalissima, a one-off intercontinental match between the reigning European champions and the reigning South American champions – in this case Brazil, after they won the 2022 Copa America women.

The second game, a regular friendly, is scheduled five days later and will see World Cup co-hosts Australia visit the Lionesses at Brentford Community Stadium. Like England, the Matildas are among favorites to win the World Cup and it should be a tough test for both, in addition to raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Society – a charity partner of the FA.

England have a great chance to win the World Cup for the first time.

Winning Euro 2022 was just the beginning of the journey, not the climax, and Sarina Wiegman, who is unbeaten in 29 managerial matches and has been crowned FIFA’s top women’s coach for the third time, has a hungry and relatively young squad at her disposal .

The experience and belief of actually winning a major tournament also means so much more than a team that didn’t – like Spain or France for example.

England proved they can compete with the best and win by beating Spain, Sweden and Germany in the EURO knockout stage to lift the trophy. They’ve also been beating the United States since the summer to really establish their credibility.

The Lionesses await victory in a favorable group with Denmark and China, both not as elite as they once were, and first-time qualifiers Haiti. Based on what they have already achieved, they will fear no one in the knockout stages either, even if it means facing Australia, Canada, Germany or Sweden before reaching the semi-finals.