Who do we think makes England’s Euro 2025 squad?
The Lionesses’ squad for Women’s Euro 2025 is set to be revealed very soon. But who is in contention to make the squad for next month’s major tournament in Switzerland?
It was a mixed bag for England in their last two games, one a 6-0 win at Wembley Stadium over Portugal and then a 2-1 defeat yesterday to one of the favourites to win the Euros at the end of next month Spain.
England are likely to be regarded in the favourites category as well given they head into the tournament as the defending champions. There is also sure to be quite a difference between the team that produced that success in 2022 and the squad we would expect to see in Switzerland.
Expectations are that a couple of players will be set to feature at their first international tournaments in the senior set-up alongside a few of the experienced players we would be less surprised to see make it into the group of 23. There is a sense that it is one of the more straightforward England squads to predict due to what we would perceive as the usual core group that manager Sarina Wiegman has stuck with for a long period of time now.
Wiegman will actually be revealing her chosen squad tomorrow. So I wanted to go through each of the positions and outline those we would expect to be in and those who might be under consideration. Plus, I will also name my personal 23 picks for the Euros squad…
Goalkeepers
Before the sudden international retirement of Mary Earps, a lot of the talk was the No:1 debate between her and Hannah Hampton to be England’s starting keeper. Because of Earps making the decision to end her England career, Hampton is pretty much guaranteed to be the starter and England’s No:1.
In terms of the back-up options, Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse have been the players called up the most by Sarina Wiegman, so the expectation is that them two will be the options relied on in case of an injury to Hannah Hampton.
In a case where others could be called upon if Wiegman wanted to look at someone more experienced, then Ellie Roebuck could be a good choice to have around. If experience wasn’t a consideration, then another previous call-up Kayla Rendell could be considered and it would be a great experience for her, but that opportunity may be considered too soon for her.
Defenders
England have a lot of options defensively when they do have a fully-fit team at their disposal. Injury concerns had been an issue, but heading into Euro 2025 they do have many players available having been able to recover in time it seems.
The preferred defensive starting line under Wiegman tends to be Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Millie Bright and Niamh Charles with Alex Greenwood, Jess Carter and Esme Morgan regularly seen as cover options, so you would expect those players to be in. However, big news dropped with Millie Bright withdrawing herself from selection, so it does leave her spot open for somebody to slot into that position.
Despite not having started much, Maya Le Tissier as well is somebody who should absolutely be in the squad for me and would definitely be a surprise absentee if she did miss out, especially after the fantastic season she has had with Manchester United recently. She is also a good versatile option for this England team to have given she can play at centre-back and right-back if cover was needed for Lucy Bronze.
Three other players for consideration could be Lotte Wubben-Moy and maybe also Gabby George and Lucy Parker. However, I do feel that it is likely that these three could miss out and personally I would take Maya Le Tissier over all of them.
Midfielders
Now in the midfield it’s very interesting because lately the main question is who would you expect to start with Keira Walsh and a now-returning Georgia Stanway in the midfield three that we are used to seeing deployed. Arguably the main options are Jess Park, Ella Toone and Grace Clinton. All three of them should be comfortably in the Euros squad that gets announced, but what about any wildcard options?
You have to think of it as possibly six midfielders at least going to Switzerland if it ends up as the squad in my head, and right now that leaves one spot open for somebody else not mentioned.
In the defeat against Spain, Missy Bo Kearns made her senior England debut so was that a chance for her to impress and be considered? There is a chance it may be too soon for her and Sarina Wiegman wanted to see what she could do in a big game, but ultimately the competition for places is strong.
Somebody else as well who has been called up before and could be considered is Laura Blindkilde Brown and given her versatility across the midfield areas, she might be a more suited option for the major tournament and being there for her as well would have the same impact as it would for Bo Kearns in terms of getting major tournament experience just being around the players.
The key for me here as well is Lauren James’ availability and whether she is fit enough to make the squad. We have seen her at her best when operating more as a number 10, so if okay to play, could we see her in that kind of role or should we expect her to be more out wide, which would actually identify her as a forward.
Having her in the team though does feel pivotal if she has recovered enough just because of how talented a player she is and can be a terrifying prospect for defences when she is at her best. It’s an unpredictability factor that she brings which offers something different for the Lionesses and they’re going to need that in games.
I just want to give a word on Fran Kirby as well who confirmed her international retirement following the Spain defeat, where she has also explained in numerous interviews that she was informed she wouldn’t be selected. It’s a shame that she wasn’t considered given how much players would have probably looked to her with that experience factor and also what she brings to the squad in being a gamechanger still as well. So this part of her career ends and for me personally, she deserves to be regarded as one of the best to have worn the Lionesses jersey.
Forwards
Finally on to the forwards and I’ll start with the wide players, which as I had said, you could put Lauren James in this category as well if she were to play more out wide like we have seen previously for England. Other than that, Lauren Hemp and Beth Mead will definitely be in and possibly even the two starters if recent games are anything to go by.
It feels like Chloe Kelly will be picked for the squad and having turned around her career from not starting at Man City to finding her confidence again at Arsenal on loan. It is probably more than likely she will be utilised as a cover option on that right side of the pitch.
Elsewhere with the rest of the forward picks, we know Alessia Russo is a given as the starting striker unless there is any injury concern. So it comes down to Aggie Beever-Jones, Nikita Parris and Michelle Agyemang as main cover for her and to be fair to Beever-Jones, she has shown versatility in being able to play out wide as well, plus she has more than deserved a place especially after her first half hat-trick against Portugal.
It then comes down to Parris and Agyemang. It’s experience vs potential when it comes to these two and for me, I think this could be the right time to take somebody who we have seen has something pretty special about them in Michelle Agyemang. Having her in the tournament environment would do a lot of good things for her and she could have a better unpredictability factor, which is why I would take her and leave out Nikita Parris.
My 23-player England squad for Euro 2025:
Goalkeepers | Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Khiara Keating (Manchester City), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride)
Defenders | Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Leah Williamson (Arsenal, Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham FC), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United)
Midfielders | Keira Walsh (Chelsea), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Jess Park (Manchester City), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Grace Clinton (Manchester United), Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City)
Forwards | Alessia Russo (Arsenal), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Arsenal on loan from Manchester City), Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea), Michelle Agyemang (Brighton on loan from Arsenal)
Who would make your 23-player squad for England at this summer’s Euros? Tell us in the comments!
Good analysis. Midfield is the issue. We saw that yesterday against Spain. I’m very hesitant on James as she has had recurring injuries this year, yet I don’t know how much Bo Kearns and Blindkilde Brown’s under 23’s experience will help. Love Agyemang. She could cause issues for defenses as late sub.
Same here. But English midfield domination is so weak compared with Spanish one. Any solution?