Football May 31, 2026

England Women: Ella Toone and Aggie Beever-Jones return to squad for June World Cup Qualifiers against Spain and Ukraine

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By Admin
Sports Journalist
England Women: Ella Toone and Aggie Beever-Jones return to squad for June World Cup Qualifiers against Spain and Ukraine

Ella Toone and Aggie Beever-Jones have been included in the latest England Women squad for the final World Cup qualifiers in June.

Manchester United midfielder Toone has not played for the Lionesses since November due to an ongoing knee injury. She returned after four months out on April 26 and started in the final two games of the season against Brighton and Chelsea.

When asked if Toone could be ready to start against Spain and Ukraine, England boss Sarina Wiegman said: "We haven't made decisions on the starting line-up and minutes yet. I know for a lot of the players, it's the end of the season, although some are still playing.

"We have to see her in our environment. What I have seen looks good. Can she play 90 minutes at the highest level? I don't know, but I know she can play.

"We have options in midfield and we'll approach it that we want to get the best team on the pitch and if also know if we need to sub, what we need to do."

Chelsea striker Beever-Jones is also back after injury kept her out of the April camp, while her club team-mate Niamh Charles is also included after being called up as an injury replacement last month.

There is also a spot for London City Lionesses forward Freya Godfrey. She has previously been called up by Sarina Wiegman for camps in November 2025 and March this year, although is yet to earn her first senior cap, having come through England's youth ranks. She scored six WSL goals with four assists for her club this season.

However, there is not a second call-up for 18-year-old Erica Meg Parkinson, who was a surprise inclusion in the previous squad. Speaking about the midfielder, Wiegman added: "She came in as a young player to our squad for the first time. She bought what we thought she could bring and she showed a couple of things.

"There's still a gap for her to earn the minutes to compete with the other players in the squad and she's currently with the World Cup U20 team."

One player who has again missed out on an England call-up is Everton defender Ruby Mace. The centre-back has excelled in her first season at the club, but remains omitted from the senior national team.

Wiegman said of the defender: "She plays in a different position than we would select her for. She's doing well but at the same time, there's so much competition in our squad and she's just behind other players as well as some other players that are not selected."

The Lionesses face their final two World Cup qualifiers next month. They face Spain on June 5, before their final qualifier against Ukraine on June 9 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

England's match against Spain in Majorca is likely to be a showdown for the first place in Group A3, which will automatically guarantee a place at next summer's tournament in Brazil. Second place will go into the World Cup play-offs.

The Lionesses are currently three points clear at the top and beat the current world champions in the reverse fixture at Wembley in April. The two teams are level on goal difference and while a point will still put the Lionesses in prime position at the top, the confirmation of their qualification would still go down to the final matches.

"We're approaching it as we have an opportunity to qualify for the World Cup and we know what the scenarios are," Wiegman said.

"We want to go out there and play to win. We know how it stands that if we win then we qualify in the first game [against Spain], but even if we don't, there's a chance against Ukraine. And if that wouldn't be the case, then we have a chance to qualify in the autumn.

"Of course, what we want to do is go to Majorca and play Spain and beat them. That's our starting point, go out there and play better than we did at Wembley because we want to improve every single day."

Alongside the victory last month, England were also winners against Spain in the Euro 2025 final last summer, defending their European title.

Asked about their recent victories against La Roja, Wiegman replied: "It's enjoyable to win games, especially such competitive games. It's going to be an incredibly tough game.

"We know the strength of Spain, but it's not going to put any more pressure on. There's pressure anyway and we know what it brings when you win the game.

"We just go out there and improve the games we've played against them recently and let's see what we can bring out there and show. I'm sure they want to do that too."

Analysis from Your Site News' Anton Toloui:

Sarina Wiegman is willing to do all she can to have Beth Mead in her World Cup squad but knows the next 12 months will be crucial.

The 31-year old will be a free agent this summer and, after a quiet season at Arsenal, knows getting time to impress on the field will be crucial in the buildup to Brazil.

"It's very important", Wiegman admitted when asked about Mead's next career move.

An offer's on the table from Manchester City but Mead will be keen to avoid a similar situation to England team-mate Grace Clinton, who struggled to break into the champions' line-up and has now lost her Lionesses place.

Freya Godfrey is another threat. She's been the breakout English forward of the WSL this season and another year of development could see her star rise.

Wiegman clearly loves working with Mead and if she can find a team where she's playing and scoring regularly she'll be a certainty for next summer. Picking the right club, however, is never that simple.

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