England handed play-offs to reach 2027 World Cup in Brazil: Why are the Lions working so hard? | Football news

England is in dire straits. The reigning European champions will no longer automatically qualify for next summer’s World Cup in Brazil. They have to negotiate a tricky play-off campaign to get there.

So what went wrong? However, England were unlucky to draw world champions Spain in their group, but a common theme during Sarina Wiegman’s tenure has been a failure to put together many games outside of major tournaments.

Wiegman’s team keeps climbing to the main event but is struggling to reach the level needed between tournaments. Their 4-0 thrashing in Spain last week was revealing, not least because the first selection included nine members of England’s most-used squad for Euro 2025.

They are distinguished by the high skill and power of Spain.

“What I’m trying to do now is think, what caused this?” Wiegman reflected after the heavy defeat of his tenure, England’s biggest losing streak for 17 years. Fans are left asking the same.

In context, England are not the only side suffering under Spain’s dominance. Ukraine and Iceland, who made up the rest of Group A3, also felt full of Alexia Putellas and her colleagues in this qualifying campaign. But none of those countries are considered as an elite team in the way that England is.

Questions have begun to arise about Wiegman’s team selection, with him reluctant or reluctant to depart from the squad that has guided England to three consecutive finals. An undisputed record. But the truth is that the cracks are visible.

Has progress under the Dutchwoman stalled? The upward curve of progress was sharp at first and always due to decline, but observers are ready to challenge what is widely considered a lack of evolution and an absence of style. Parts of England’s current system feel old, or at least ripe for renewal.

Some of Wiegman’s loyal, long-time cast members – Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Beth Mead – have been on a roll lately. That was especially evident to the Spanish experts last Friday. Lauren Hemp admitted she lost sleep over the embarrassment of the devastating defeat.

What will frustrate Wiegman is just how much better his side were four days later in an emphatic 3-0 win over Ukraine, with Stanway and Mead both netting.

Finishing with 15 points out of a possible 18 in group A3 is more than respectable, but the European cup holders, fourth in the world rankings, must be judged against the best. That is the reality of being the most successful in this country. It is the first time in nearly 25 years that England has failed to qualify for the World Cup.

“We know the game [against Spain] you were below our standards,” said Alessia Russo after beating Ukraine, the humiliation of this humiliation still lingering. Stanway’s conclusion was that the three-0 scoreline was not satisfactory enough.

Is this a pattern? After all, England has failed before. One may remember the opening night of Euro 2025 against France. And after that, those following England’s run to the World Cup finals in 2023 will have noted a series of horrific performances.

However, international football is a result-when-it-matters game and Wiegman has consistently and tirelessly delivered on that. He is a solution-oriented coach who always seems to find the right way in times of great pressure.

This incident probably marks his first major intervention of any real consequence, so caution should be taken to avoid any harsh criticism. England beat rivals Spain two months ago, with Hemp winning 1-0 – a result that would have put them in a position to qualify if supported. That possibility is now gone.

Lucia Kendall started the game, one of the brightest young talents of the Lionesses – a sign of promise for the next generation. Laura Blindkilde Brown, impressive against Ukraine, is another. Wiegman has options to modernize if he chooses.

Jess Park, Aggie Beever-Jones and Freya Godfrey are equally worthy as fun alternatives with a point of difference. And England needs something a little different. Their future, in terms of reaching next summer’s tournament in Brazil and succeeding in it, depends on it.

The way to play

England’s road to next summer’s tournament in Brazil has already been long and convoluted.

Round 1 (October): As champions of League A, England will be eliminated and drawn against the winners of League C (or one of the runners-up of League C).

Round 2 (late November/early December): If successful in round 1, England will advance to the second round of a two-legged play-off to determine the final qualifiers for the tournament.

When do England find out who they are up against?

The draw for the play-offs will take place June 18.

England will face one of them Lithuania, Kosovo, Hungary, Greece, In Romania, Belarus, Croatia or Kazakhstanon two legs.