Why England missed out on automatic World Cup spot

England's only defeat was away from home against world champions Spain

England beat Ukraine 3-0 on Tuesday night,. it did not matter what they did as automatic qualification for the 2027 Women's World Cup was out of their hands.

The Lionesses needed Iceland to do them a favour in the other group match,. Spain showed their superiority in Reykjavik with athumping 6-1 victory.

It means Sarina Wiegman's back-to-back Euros winners are heading for the play-offs. while defending world champions Spain have booked their place at next year's global tournament in Brazil.

Spain topped the League A3 group thanks to a better head-to-head record against England, who finished runners-up.

They both had home wins against each other,. England's was a 1-0 victory while Spain enjoyed a 4-0 win on Friday against below-par visitors.

"The competition in Europe is really high," said Wiegman.

"What I'm disappointed about is that we win five games, we have 15 points. we're in a group with the world champions and then you can't qualify.

"I'm happy with the performance tonight - but not the result of us having to go into the play-offs. That's just the way it is. We will get ready for it."

England bound for World Cup play-offs despite win against Ukraine

England's fate will depend on their success in the play-offs.

They must get through two rounds of home and away ties against European opposition.

England will be seeded in the first round. drawn against one of the League C group winners, or one of the two best-ranked League C runners-up. England will host the second leg.

Possible opponents include Lithuania, Kosovo, Hungary, Greece, Romania, Belarus, Croatia and Kazakhstan.

Providing they come through that test. England will then need to progress through a second two-legged tie, with the successful teams assured of places in the World Cup finals.

The draws for both play-off rounds are scheduled for Thursday, 18 June, with matches to be played in October, November. December.

What it means for England is that they have less time to work on preparations for the World Cup. there will be pressure on them to deliver in October or they could miss out entirely.

While they remain heavily favoured to progress from the play-offs, they could have used the autumn international break to play friendly matches. try new things.

Players who are fighting for a place in the starting XI may not have as many opportunities to stake a claim. though Wiegman said she is keeping her options open.

"We're always following players and we have conversations about that. Of course, players know where they stand and why we would select them or not," she said.

"When I think you're the best player, I will pick you. That is what it is all about. I want to pick the best players that I think can compete at the highest level.

"If you're a younger player, or a more experienced player, for me, that is not the priority. I pick, in my opinion, the best players."

Beth Mead came on as a substitute to score against Ukraine

England did almost everything right in their qualifying group. winning five of their six matches, including the victory over Spain at Wembley in April.

They also scored 13 goals, conceded just five - four of which came against Spain -. kept four clean sheets.

But it is not easy to qualify automatically. England were given a rough draw with world champions Spain in their group. The quest for top spot was always likely to come down to their head-to-head record.

That is what happened as England ultimately missed out because they were thumped in Majorca.

That humbling defeat -. showed the gulf between the two teams when Spain are at their best - was their downfall.

Wiegman opted for experience in the starting XI against Spain. Despite not featuring for England since October,. only returning from a four-month injury in April, midfielder Ella Toone was given the nod over Lucia Kendall and Laura Blindkilde Brown.

Chelsea's Lucy Bronze started at right-back despite an injury in the build-up to the game.

In the end, England's midfielders were too passive. easily controlled by Spain, while the usually explosive frontline of Alessia Russo, Lauren Hemp and Lauren James proved ineffective.

At the back, England struggled to live with Spain's creativity. dynamism, with only Esme Morgan impressing in a generally dismal performance.

England's sloppiness was compounded by the fact Spain produced one of their best performances to date. Wiegman could not come up with an answer for it.

Wiegman told BBC Radio 5 Live this week. she is "absolutely convinced" England can match Spain at their best if they are to meet again next year.

But that one crucial defeat showed just how difficult it is for England to qualify for major tournaments. why they cannot afford an 'off day' against the best teams.

"We have mixed feelings, of course. We were very disappointed with the way the game went [against Spain]," said midfielder Georgia Stanway, a scorer on Tuesday along with Jess Carter. Beth Mead.

"It's very rare that you get 15 points and still not make it out of the group. I think that it shows our level, our consistency, but we know our performance wasn't good enough against Spain."

Wiegman said it was a "good thing" that there is more competition throughout Europe. admitted it was tough to miss out on such fine margins.

"The Nations League brought more competition in Europe. I think that's really nice. We also noticed we have to play Spain so many times," she said.

"I was excited for this group to play Iceland as we hadn't played them. It's something for Uefa to have a look at, at least. The good thing is there is a lot of competition."

There were plenty of positives for England throughout the qualifying campaign.

Defender Morgan appears to have cemented her place as England's centre-back partner to captain Leah Williamson when she returns from injury.

Midfielder Kendall showed she is more than capable of challenging for a regular role. while Manchester City's Blindkilde Brown was a standout performer in the victory over Ukraine in the number 10 position.

Former Everton defender Lindsay Johnson told BBC Radio 5 Live that Blindkilde Brown was England's best player against Ukraine. "showed Sarina what she can do", providing competition for Manchester United's Toone.

"Blindkilde Brown has had a very good season. She's a player who likes to get on the ball,. in pockets of space to drive at players," said Johnson.

"What we have seen tonight is her really linking the ball well with players who are ahead of her.

"Ella Toone looks to score goals, so I think they are two different players. that midfield position will be up for grabs.

"I was really impressed with Lucia Kendall when we were able to beat Spain at Wembley. She is such a mature player for her age."

Defensively. across the six games, England were more solid than they have been in recent years, despite switching centre-back partnerships regularly.

That was impacted by injuries to captain Leah Williamson. who started just two Women's Super League games for Arsenal this season in a disrupted campaign.

Asked what she had learned during the qualification group stage, Wiegman said: "I learned more about our team, individual players. the competition within the team.

"We have lots of different players in the same positions who can bring different things. I think what we also see is that there is more competition in Europe.

"Of course, we're a year out from the World Cup so I know where we are at now -. I don't know what the availability of players will be next year."

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