Sarina Wiegman

Matches in charge: 70

The 55-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable period of success in international management. Having led her home country, the Netherlands, to European glory in 2017 and the World Cup final two years later, she then did exactly the same with her adopted nation at Euro 2022 and the 2023 World Cup. At Euro 2025 she reached her fifth successive major tournament final, winning her third successive European crown.

A former Dutch international, she became Lionesses manager in September 2021 and less than a year later had guided them to their first ever major title with their Euro 2022 victory. Twelve months on, she led England to the World Cup showpiece in Australia, which her side lost 1-0 to Spain.

Widely thought of as one of the best coaches in the women’s game, Wiegman is the only manager to win the Women’s Euros with two different nations and has become only the second to lift the trophy three times in a row, after Germany’s Tina Theune.

After earning universal plaudits, and countless awards, she headed into this summer’s Euros with some questioning her management style after two high-profile retirements – Mary Earps and Fran Kirby – while Millie Bright made herself unavailable. During this Euros some of her tactics have been criticised but she has made game-changing substitutions throughout.

Known for her direct communication style, and occasionally ruthless management, numerous players have praised her leadership and the environment she has created at England. She has already cemented her place in English football history and is contracted until 2027.

Khiara Keating

Club: Manchester City
Caps: 0
Born: 27 June 2004, Manchester

Keating’s career is only in its infancy but she has already found her name in the headlines on a number of occasions – for actions both on and off the pitch.

After becoming a mainstay for Man City in 2023-24, she kept nine clean sheets to end the campaign as the youngest goalkeeper to win the Women Super League's Golden Glove, while several standout performances helper her earn an England call-up.

Yet this season she found herself in the spotlight for error-ridden displays against two of her side's biggest rivals - Manchester United and Arsenal - at the start of the year, while she pleaded not guilty to possessing canisters of nitrous oxide in July 2024 before the case was dropped nearly a year later.

The talented young goalkeeper, who is still battling for City’s number one spot, has spent the majority of her career in the north west.

Growing up in Manchester, her mother set up a team for her to play in, initially as a striker. She played for Manchester United until the age of 11 before switching to City’s academy and progressing into their first team. She remains without a senior England cap.

Anna Moorhouse

Club: Orlando Pride
Caps: 0
Born: 30 March 1995, Oldhamer 2021

Wiegman surprised everyone last year by calling up Moorhouse who, then aged 29, had never played for England, including at youth-team level.

Her remarkable late introduction to international football was reward for impressive performances at club level with American side Orlando Pride, who she joined in 2022. But her club journey to that point had been far from smooth.

After making only a handful of appearances at Durham, Doncaster Rovers Belles and Arsenal, she finally earned regular game time at newly-promoted West Ham, starting all five matches as they reached the FA Cup final in 2019.

A spell at Bordeaux followed, where she helped them qualify for the Champions League, but after falling down the pecking order again, she eventually joined Orlando Pride. Despite a tough debut campaign, she produced an eye-catching season in 2024, playing every game and setting a new league record for clean sheets in a single season with 13, helping the team win the NWSL shield and earning an England spot.

She was not used by Wiegman at the tournament in Switzerland.

Key Player: Hannah Hampton

Club: Chelsea
Caps: 22 (9 clean sheets)
Born: 16 November 2000, Birmingham
Debut: Spain (Arnold Clark Cup) on 20 February 20222020

Hampton’s international career has been far from smooth but she was thrust into the spotlight this summer after being confirmed as England’s number one before the tournament. She handled the pressure impeccably, impressing with both her passing skills as well as her goalkeeping, which included crucial saves against Sweden and Italy to keep England in the games. In the final she played a starring role, denying Spain a second goal in normal time before making two penalty saves as England triumphed in the shootout.

She had started three successive matches prior to Mary Earps’ shock retirement in May but that decision only advanced confirmation that Hampton would start between the sticks – and she is the only keeper in the squad to have won a cap. The Chelsea goalkeeper had a strong season, helping her club finish the league unbeaten and claiming the domestic Treble.

Hampton made a big impression on her debut against Spain in 2022 which contributed to her selection for that summer’s Euros, although she was an unused substitute at the tournament. She was dropped by Wiegman for her subsequent squads, with the manager saying she had "personal issues" that needed sorting amid reports of poor behaviour.

Her response was impressive – she became the undisputed number one at Aston Villa before earning a move to heavyweights Chelsea, while she was recalled by England in time to make the 2023 World Cup squad.

Hampton has spoken about being born with poor eyesight - a condition called strabismus, which affects her depth perception. She revealed it threatened to stop her playing football but, despite the challenges, she said it made her more determined to reach the top.

Lucy Bronze

Club: Chelsea
Caps: 140 (20 goals)
Born: 28 October 1991, Berwick-upon-Tweed
Debut: Japan (friendly) on 26 June 20132021

England's most decorated player at club level, Bronze is also by far the most experienced member of the squad and is only one of two players to have made more than 100 appearances.

The legendary full-back has won five Champions League trophies and nine league titles in three different countries - France, England and Spain.

After swapping Barcelona for Chelsea last summer, Bronze was a mainstay of their treble-winning squad, while she continues to remain unchallenged as her country’s number one right-back. She struggled in England's opening game at Euro 2025 against France, but she put in a match-winning display against Sweden in the quarter-final with a goal and the decisive penalty in the shootout. Bronze revealed after the final that she had played the entire tournament with a fractured leg.

She has numerous individual honours to her name, including the Fifa Best Player of the Year in 2020, Uefa Player of the Year in 2019 and Ballon d'Or runner-up in 2019, but she had to wait until England's victory at Euro 2022 for her first significant silverware on the international stage.

The 33-year-old, who has spoken about her autism and ADHD diagnoses this year to raise awareness, has previously said she will only retire when she loses love for the game.

Jess Carter

Club: Gotham FC
Caps: 51 (2 goals)
Born: 27 October 1997, Warwick
Debut: Kazakhstan (World Cup qualifier) on 28 November 2017

It wasn’t until the 2023 World Cup that her international career really took off. Carter, who also holds American citizenship, made her debut in 2017 but had to wait four years for another appearance. She was on the fringes after that.

Her former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes had previously said Carter was worthy of more England caps given her ability to play in any position across the back four and it was that versatility which drew Wiegman’s attention.

When injuries struck in 2023, Carter earned a starting place in all but one of the Lionesses' games in Australia, including the World Cup final. At the tournament in Switzerland, in the absence of Millie Bright, she started England's first four games, switching from left-back to centre-back after struggling in the first match.

Before the semi-final she revealed she had been the target of racist abuse and would take a step back from social media. Carter started on the bench against Italy but came on late into extra time. She returned to the starting line-up against Spain in the final and produced a superb performance.

Carter, who is engaged to Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, spent six years with Chelsea after joining them from Birmingham in 2018. She won five league titles before joining American side Gotham FC in July 2024.

Niamh Charles

Club: Chelsea
Caps: 29 (0 goals)
Born: 21 June 1999, Wirral
Debut: France (friendly) on 9 April 2021

Charles’ talent has been evident since a young age, when she began her career as an attacking midfielder and winger.

She was a key player for childhood club Liverpool before their relegation in 2020 and she subsequently joined Chelsea, moving further back and developing into an attacking full-back.

Having become a regular starter for Chelsea, she was still waiting for her big breakthrough at international level and twice narrowly missed out on tournament involvement – for Great Britain at the 2020 Olympics and for England at Euro 2022.

But her patience paid off the following year when she played in her first major tournament at the World Cup, coming on as a substitute in the group-stage win over China and in the semi-final victory against Australia.

The majority of her 29 caps have come in the last two years but Charles, who missed the first-half of last season after dislocating her shoulder, is not a certain starter under Wiegman and she has made five appearances - all from the bench - at this tournament, including in the final.

Alex Greenwood

Club: Manchester City
Caps: 105 (7 goals)
Born: 7 September 1993, Liverpool
Debut: Italy (Cyprus Cup) on 5 March 2014

Greenwood may be one of the most experienced squad members but it has taken time for the defender, known for her technical ability and expertise at set pieces, to be more widely appreciated for the player she is.

Her career has taken her from Everton’s academy to rivals Liverpool, before she captained Manchester United and now wears the armband for Manchester City. She was also part of the Lyon squad that won the Champions League in 2020.

On the international stage, she struggled for years to nail down a starting role, partly a victim of her own versatility as well as competition in the squad. During Euro 2022, Greenwood was limited to substitute appearances, coming on in five of the six matches, despite playing a key role in the build-up to the tournament.

She started on the left side of a back three at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and has been one of the Lionesses’ best performing players of the past two years. She had limited game time going into this Euros after knee surgery in December, but she started all the games - at centre-back in the opener before moving to left-back for the other five.

Maya le Tissier

Club: Manchester United
Caps: 8 (0 goals)
Born: 18 April 2002, Guernsey
Debut: Norway (friendly) on 15 November 2022

Manchester United captain Le Tissier has had a remarkable journey since she made history in 2018, becoming the first female player to play for the Guernsey Under-16 boys' team. Despite coming from the same island and sharing a surname, Le Tissier is not related to former England international footballer Matt le Tissier.

With opportunities for women’s football sparse on her home island, Le Tissier moved to Brighton to join their academy and was quickly promoted to the senior squad at the age of 16.

A versatile defender capable of playing at centre-back, full-back and in midfield, Le Tissier’s maturity and talent was clear and she quickly notched up over 50 appearances for Brighton before moving to United.

The 23-year-old became the youngest player, aged 22, to reach 100 WSL appearances in October 2024 and has remarkably played every minute in United’s past two seasons.

Yet she has just eight England appearances and has often been overlooked by Wiegman - who favours her as a right-back where Bronze stands firmly in the way – and she was only a standby at the 2023 World Cup. She did not feature at Euro 2025.

Esme Morgan

Club: Washington Spirit
Caps: 16 (0 goals)
Born: 18 October 2000, Sheffield
Debut: Czech Republic (friendly) on 11 October 2022

Morgan fought her way into the 2023 World Cup squad having played only five games for England and she has added more experience since then. Although still on the fringes, Wiegman turned to her as a substitute against Sweden at Euro 2025 and she started the following game against Italy at centre-back before dropping to the bench for the final.

The 24-year-old spent the majority of her career at childhood club Manchester City, progressing from their academy, before she decided to join American side Washington Spirit in June 2024 and helped them win the NWSL Challenge Cup in her debut season.

Morgan missed the last Euros after suffering a horrific injury - fracturing her lower leg in September 2021, but she came back stronger and made her England debut in October 2022, as well as captaining City for the first time a month later.

A composed full-back with a good passing range, Morgan likes to get forward and use her pace.

Off the pitch, Morgan is best friends with England and former City team-mate Lauren Hemp - the two lived together for several years as they progressed through the ranks.

Lotte Wubben-Moy

Club: Arsenal
Caps: 13 (1 goal)
Born: 11 January 1999, London
Debut: Northern Ireland (friendly) on 23 February 2021

Born and bred in north London, Wubben-Moy, who speaks fluent Dutch because of her father, plays for childhood club Arsenal. She has developed impressively since returning to England in 2020 after two years playing and studying in the United States.

She helped Arsenal reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2023, but her costly mistake in the second leg led to an extra-time winner for Wolfsburg at Emirates Stadium.

However, her consistent performances and the experience she gained that season helped her beat Manchester United's Maya le Tissier to a place in England's World Cup squad.

Building on that the season after, she put in some incredible displays for Arsenal, leading to her being named the club’s player of the year. But Wubben-Moy remains on the fringes of the England squad and is one of two outfield players not to play in Switzerland.

Despite being an unused member of the Euro 2022 squad she certainly made her mark, using the tournament victory to lead discussions with the government to ensure girls were given the opportunity to play football in schools.

Key Player: Leah Williamson

Club: Arsenal
Caps: 64 (5 goals)
Born: 29 March 1997, Milton Keynes
Debut: Russia (World Cup qualifier) on 8 June 2018

One of the most iconic figures in English women’s football history, Williamson became a household name when she lifted the Euro 2022 trophy after captaining the Lionesses to glory at Wembley.

She had taken the armband from the legendary Steph Houghton despite rarely featuring in a major tournament. Former boss Phil Neville gave her six minutes as a substitute at the 2019 World Cup, her only major tournament experience prior to the Euro 2022 success, but since then Williamson’s England career has sky-rocketed.

Yet it has not all been smooth since then and after winning the Euros and the first Women’s Finalissima, she suffered a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury two months before the 2023 World Cup.

She took time to recover - even learning to play the piano as part of an orchestra - but was back to her best at the end of last season, playing a key role in Arsenal’s victory in the Women’s Champions League final in May. She started every game in Switzerland and lifted her second successive European trophy, putting her name firmly in the history books.

Williamson, who has spent her entire club career at childhood club Arsenal, also keeps herself busy off the pitch with modelling, co-authoring children’s books, speaking out about subjects such as LGBTQ+ rights, as well as training to become an accountant.

Grace Clinton

Club: Manchester United
Caps: 16 (3 goals)
Born: 31 March 2003, Liverpool
Debut: Austria (friendly) on 23 February 2024

One of England’s most exciting young talents, Clinton graduated from Everton’s academy at the age of 16 and was named as an unused substitute in their FA Cup final defeat by Manchester City later that year.

It did not take long to attract attention and Manchester United snapped her up in 2022. Loan spells followed at Bristol City and then Tottenham, where her impressive displays saw her named the Professional Footballers' Association’s Young Player of the Year in 2024.

United fans were excited about her return and she delivered immediately, scoring on her debut at Old Trafford and finishing the season with nine goals in 21 league games, as well as helping her side reach the FA Cup final.

Like most of her club career, Clinton did not take long to shine in an England shirt, starting and scoring within 19 minutes of her debut in a 7–2 friendly victory over Austria last year. A star of the future, she is establishing herself as an exciting box-to-box midfielder with excellent technical ability. At Euro 2025 Wiegman used her as a substitute in five of the six games, although she missed a penalty with a weak effort in the shootout against Sweden.

Jess Park

Club: Manchester City
Caps: 20 (3 goals)
Born: 21 October 2001, Brough, Yorkshire
Debut: Japan (friendly) on 11 November 2022

Park is another young player with huge potential and she has impressed Wiegman with her performances this year, which included scoring the winning goal in England’s 1-0 win over world champions Spain in February.

It took her just one minute to make a name for herself on the international stage, scoring seconds into her debut in a 4-0 win over Japan in November 2022 and she made the standby list for the 2023 World Cup before withdrawing with a shoulder injury.

Since then, Park has regularly been selected by Wiegman and the manager has singled her out for praise, pointing to her defensive work off the ball, as well as her creativity in the number 10 position. However, in Switzerland her only minutes came as a half-time substitute when England were already 4-0 up in the group game against Wales.

Her maturity is clear to see and it is no surprise given the vast experience she has built up in the WSL, making over 60 appearances for Manchester City, as well as a hugely-impressive season on loan at Everton, where she played 17 games.

Georgia Stanway

Club: Bayern Munich
Caps: 84 (24 goals)
Born: 3 January 1999, Barrow-in-Furness
Debut: Austria (friendly) on 8 November 2018

Stanway went from being an underrated member of the England squad to one of the most dependable under Wiegman and a certain starter when fit.

After spending seven seasons at Manchester City, Stanway moved to German giants Bayern Munich after the last Euros and has established herself as a key player there, winning the league title in each of her three seasons.

The Cumbrian-born midfielder is known for her attacking intent, powerful shooting technique and athleticism between both boxes, as well as her tenacity off the ball – though she has sometimes taken it too far and German television network Deutsche Welle said her time at the club had been "characterised more by yellow cards than goals".

At Euro 2022 she formed an instrumental midfield partnership with Keira Walsh and scored a stunning long-range winner in the 2-1 quarter-final win over Spain. A year later she played a key role again at the World Cup and took on more of a leadership role when Walsh picked up an injury.

Fears grew when she had knee surgery in January and ended the German domestic season without playing a single minute in 2025. However, valuable minutes in England’s final two Nations League matches showed she was fit enough to go to the Euros and she went on to start every game, scoring goals against the Netherlands and Wales.

Keira Walsh

Club: Chelsea
Caps: 93 (2 goals)
Born: 8 April 1997, Rochdale
Debut: Kazakhstan (World Cup qualifier) on 28 November 2017

Walsh remains the world’s most expensive midfielder having broken the transfer record when she joined Barcelona for £400,000 from Manchester City in 2022, and Chelsea again spent big money in 2024 to bring her back to the WSL.

She is considered one of the greatest players in her position, despite often avoiding the limelight. Like most defensive midfielders, her best work is the simple stuff. She dictates the tempo, controls play, reads the game well and finds pockets of space effectively.

These were important traits for England as she played all but five minutes at Euro 2022 and was named player of the match in the final, after an exquisite assist for Ella Toone's opening goal.

She won back-to-back European titles with Barcelona before returning to England in January and, although her form has dipped slightly during her debut season at Chelsea, she still played a key role as they secured an unbeaten domestic Treble.

Her England career has not always gone smoothly. In 2019 she worked with psychologists as she considered quitting football following a disappointing World Cup in France. She now has the third highest number of caps in the squad, is one of the first names on the team sheet and started every game in Switzerland, where she scored just her second international goal in the defeat by France.

Key Player: Ella Toone

Club: Manchester United
Caps: 65 (23 goals)
Born: 2 September 1999, Wigan
Debut: Northern Ireland (friendly) on 23 February 2021

Universally loved and one of the most popular Lionesses, Toone is considered a legend for childhood club Manchester United, where she is the vice-captain.

Her fame has risen hugely in the past three years and she now has a YouTube channel with partner and fellow footballer Joe Bunney, a BBC podcast with best friend and team-mate Alessia Russo and her own brand called "ET7", inspired by childhood hero Cristiano Ronaldo.

She was one of England's go-to 'super-subs' at Euro 2022, appearing in every match off the bench and scoring twice, including a perfectly placed lob against Germany in the final at Wembley.

Toone has continued to shine on the biggest stages, scoring in England's semi-final win over Australia at the World Cup. She was a substitute in the first game at Euro 2025 but started every match that followed, scoring against the Netherlands and Wales.

Last season she also scored a memorable derby hat-trick for United against rivals City at Etihad Stadium - just a week after returning from a calf injury that had forced her to miss two months during an already difficult period. In September 2024, her father passed away from prostate cancer and Toone later said she had not given herself time to grieve until her injury forced her to step away from football.

Michelle Agyemang

Club: Arsenal
Caps: 5 (3 goals)
Born: 3 February 2006, London
Debut: Belgium (Nations League) on 8 April 2025

Agyemang, who is of Ghanaian descent, joined Arsenal’s academy at the age of six. She made her first team debut in 2022 and in May 2023 came on as a substitute during extra time of Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final defeat by Wolfsburg.

A loan to Watford followed but she missed the first half of the Championship season with injury so it wasn’t until she joined Brighton last summer that she really showed her quality.

Already tipped to be one of Arsenal’s brightest youngsters, she received a surprise call-up to the senior England squad in April, replacing the injured Russo.

What followed two days later was simply remarkable. She came on as a substitute and scored a stunning volley 41 seconds into her debut during a defeat by Belgium.

That goal is surely what earned her a place at the Euros as England’s “wildcard” and she has more than lived up to that billing. She scored twice in four eye-catching cameos from the bench, including pivotal late equalisers against both Sweden and Italy to keep England's title defence alive.

Aggie Beever-Jones

Club: Chelsea
Caps: 11 (6 goals)
Born: 27 July 2003, Carshalton
Debut: Republic of Ireland (Euro qualifier) on 12 July 2024

A lifelong Chelsea fan and academy graduate, Beever-Jones has made an impressive start to her professional career.

After making her breakthrough with the Blues, she was sent out on two successful loan spells with Bristol City and Everton. Upon her return to Chelsea, then-manager Hayes said she “left as an academy player and came back as a first-team player”.

She ended the 2023-24 season with 11 goals and the best minutes-per-goal ratio in the WSL, as well as her first goal at Stamford Bridge.

Last season continued in a similar vein and she finished as club top scorer with nine league goals, while she also headed in an injury-time winner in Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool.

Her senior England call-up came a year ago and she has already netted six goals in her 11 caps, including a memorable first-half hat-trick against Portugal in June - only the second player to score three in one game at Wembley for the Lionesses.

At Euro 2025 she has come off the bench three times, scoring once and providing one assist in the win over Wales, yet she has found herself overshadowed by her younger team-mate Agyemang's heroics.

Lauren Hemp

Club: Manchester City
Caps: 70 (19 goals)
Born: 7 August 2000, North Walsham, Norfolk
Debut: Portugal (friendly) on 8 October 2019

It was clear from an early age that Hemp would go on to enjoy international success having won the PFA’s Young Player of the Year award four times in five seasons between 2018 and 2022.

The Norwich City fan made her England debut in 2019 under Phil Neville. It took a while for her to score her first international goal but when she did the floodgates opened, finding the net four times in a 20-0 win over Latvia in 2021.

She started every match at Euro 2022 and it was her corner that was scrambled over the line by Kelly for the winner in the final.

At the 2023 World Cup, Hemp put in a match-winning display, including a goal and an assist, against Australia in England's semi-final win.

England have missed the 24-year-old greatly this year after she required knee surgery and missed over five months of the season – but she returned for their final Nations League games in May and June and looked dangerous, demonstrating her pace and willingness to take on players.

She started every game in Switzerland, finding the net once in the 6-1 win over Wales with a header.

Lauren James

Club: Chelsea
Caps: 34 (9 goals)
Born: 29 September 2001, London
Debut: Austria (World Cup qualifier) on 3 September 2022

Chelsea forward James is undoubtedly one of the world’s most talented footballers and could one day win the Ballon d'Or - if she stays fit and fulfils her potential.

Her ability to glide past opponents, along with her scintillating footwork, make her a real weapon for England and she would have earned more caps had it not been for injuries.

A hamstring injury sustained on international duty in April forced her to miss the end of the season but Wiegman gambled on her and she was a surprise starter in England's opening match at the Euros against France. After playing that game in a central role she moved out to the right and scored twice in a match-winning display against the Netherlands. In the semi-final and final she had to be substituted early through injury.

There was never any doubt James, whose older brother Reece also plays for Chelsea and England, could transfer her talent to the international stage. She lit up the 2023 World Cup, less than a year after making her debut, with two player-of-the-match displays against Denmark and China, scoring three goals and providing three assists.

But she was then needlessly sent off for stamping on an opponent’s back in the last-16 match with Nigeria, receiving a two-match ban and depriving the Lionesses of her talent until the final.

Chloe Kelly

Club: Arsenal
Caps: 59 (9 goals)
Born: 15 January 1998, London
Debut: Austria (friendly) on 8 November 2018

Kelly became a household name after her extra-time winner - and memorable celebration - sealed victory for England in the Euro 2022 final. She had only just made the Euros having missed the majority of the 2021-22 season recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury which kept her out for 11 months.

Other decisive contributions have kept on coming with Kelly demonstrating her nerves of steel by scoring two winning penalties - one in the Finalissima shootout victory over Brazil at Wembley and another in the World Cup shootout win over Nigeria.

But it has been a difficult 12 months at club level as Kelly, who grew frustrated with limited game time at Manchester City, eventually secured a loan move to Arsenal in January after claiming on social media that City’s behaviour in the transfer window was having a “huge impact” on her mental health.

The 27-year-old has impressed since moving to London though, and started their stunning Champions League final win over Barcelona. She has continued that form in Switzerland, coming off the bench in all of England's games and her impact cannot be overstated. She scored the extra-time winner over Italy in the semi-final, converting the rebound after her penalty was saved. Kelly then kept her cool again as she converted the winning spot-kick in the shootout with Spain in the final.

Beth Mead

Club: Arsenal
Caps: 74 (37 goals)
Born: 9 May 1995, Whitby
Debut: Wales (World Cup qualifier) on 6 April 2018

A record-breaking 2022 put Mead’s name on the map. Her stunning performances at the Euros saw her win the Golden Boot with six goals, provide the most assists with five in six matches, while she was also named player of the tournament.

Mead became the only English player of either gender to be named both the best player and top goalscorer at a major tournament – equalling the record for the most goals scored in a single Women’s Euros edition in the process.

It led to countless honours including the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, as well as runner-up in the Ballon d’Or and Uefa Player of the Year awards. In total, Mead scored 20 goals and assisted 16 in 19 matches for England in the 2021–22 season, breaking former men’s player Jimmy Greaves’ long-standing record.

That was the pinnacle of Mead’s career. However, the following year was difficult both professionally and personally. Her mother died of ovarian cancer and Mead suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, with partner and Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema later getting the same injury, which forced them both to miss the 2023 World Cup.

After starting England's opening match at Euro 2025, she came off the bench in the other five games, scoring once. Mead missed her penalty in the shootout with Spain after having to retake it.

Key Player: Alessia Russo

Club: Arsenal
Caps: 57 (25 goals)
Born: 8 February 1999, Maidstone
Debut: Spain (SheBelieves Cup) 11 March 2020

Like Kelly and Toone, Russo’s goalscoring cameos at Euro 2022 grabbed headlines as she scored four goals as a substitute, with her final goal of the tournament going down as one of England's most iconic at a major tournament. It was an audacious, instinctive backheel which went between the legs of the Sweden goalkeeper in the semi-final.

After Ellen White's retirement, Russo became England’s starting number nine. She made a low-key start to the 2023 World Cup but once again delivered pivotal contributions with the winner in the quarter-final against Colombia and her side’s third in their 3-1 win over hosts Australia in the semis. In Switzerland, while she only scored twice, she played a crucial role in the Lionesses' triumph, which included providing three assists in the 4-0 win over the Netherlands and heading a second-half equaliser against Spain in the final.

At club level she has enjoyed further success since leaving Manchester United for Arsenal in 2023. She scored 12 goals in 21 league appearances last season, sharing the WSL Golden Boot with Khadija Shaw before helping her side lift the Champions League trophy.

Russo is of Italian descent and has sporty siblings, following in the footsteps of her brother Luca by attending college in the United States, while she roomed with Arsenal team-mate Lotte Wubben-Moy at the University of North Carolina.

Lionesses defy odds to create English football history

What makes Euro 2025-winning manager Wiegman so successful?