Ella Toone has been handed a late call-up to the England squad for this month’s Women’s World Cup play-off ties against Greece. The Manchester United midfielder was not included in Sarina Wiegman’s initial selection, with Arsenal winger Chloe Kelly also left out. Wiegman said the pair “have not played to their potential in my opinion in the last couple of weeks.”
Toone brings considerable experience back into the group. She has scored 24 goals in 69 senior England appearances, has won Euro 2022 and Euro 2025, and started in England’s 2023 World Cup final defeat by Spain. After her initial omission, she said: “It’s been a really difficult week. It’s not the news that any footballer wants.”
England have also lost Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze from the squad. Bronze has left the camp and will return to her club to manage a minor injury sustained in league action last weekend against West Ham.
The Lionesses arrived in Crete on Wednesday evening to prepare for Friday’s first leg against Greece at the Pankritio Stadium in Heraklion. The second leg will be played at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium on Tuesday, 13 October.
The winners of the tie will face either Slovakia or Ukraine on 26 November and 5 December in a two-legged play-off. That contest will decide which team progresses to next year’s Women’s World Cup, which is being held in Brazil from 24 June to 25 July.