Chloe Kelly and Ella Toone have been left out of Sarina Wiegman’s squad for England’s World Cup play-off first round games against Greece next month.
The pair won Euro 2022 and 2025 with the England manager but have struggled for game time with their clubs over the past 12 months.
Toone missed a chunk of last season with injury, only managing 13 starts for Manchester United, and recently watched on from the bench in a match against Arsenal. Meanwhile, Kelly has only started five WSL games for Arsenal since September 2025.
In her press conference at St George’s Park on Tuesday, Wiegman said the decision to omit Kelly and Toone from the squad was due to “football”.
She said: “The main reason is that I think the levels weren't what I expected from them on the pitch, and I've had a conversation with them, and there's a big competition going on too.”
When pressed on whether Kelly’s absence was down to injury concerns, Wiegman added: “I had the conversation with Chloe, and for me, it's just what I saw on the pitch, so I kept I kept with football with her.”
The other players to miss out on selection are Chelsea’s Aggie Beever-Jones as well as Arsenal duo Taylor Hinds and Lotte Wubben-Moy.
There’s a first senior call-up for Lexi Potter, who had been tipped to make the cut after starring for Chelsea at the start of the new WSL season.
Sonia Bompastor was full of praise for the 20-year-old midfielder after Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday, saying: “What I can say right now is I was also really happy with Lexi last season. Probably she didn’t get as many opportunities as this season, but for her age, being able to be consistent the way she’s been performing, I think it’s great.
“I think probably people were also looking forward to this game to see, on this big occasion, if she was able to repeat and to sustain the performance. I think she proved that today. So yeah, it’s great news for us. Great news for her, but for a player as young as her, being able to bring that impact into the game, out of possession, in possession, it’s really good. Great news for England. I wish she could be French”.
On Potter, Wiegman said: “I think she's grown a lot. Last season we already kept a close eye on her because she's already getting into the [Chelsea] squad and playing, and doing really well. But I think she started the season so well and her performances have really impressed us. So she really deserved this call up.”
Erica Meg Parkinson, who was called up to Wiegman’s squad for the first time in March, also returns having made the move to the NWSL in the summer.
England’s full squad:
Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Khiara Keating (Liverpool), Anna Moorhouse (Manchester City on loan from Orlando Pride)
Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham), Niamh Charles (Manchester City), Grace Fisk (Liverpool), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Leah Williamson (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City), Lucia Kendall (Aston Villa), Erica Meg Parkinson (North Carolina Courage), Lexi Potter (Chelsea), Georgia Stanway (Arsenal), Keira Walsh (Chelsea)
Forwards: Freya Godfrey (London City Lionesses), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Beth Mead (Manchester City), Jess Park (Manchester United), Alessia Russo (Arsenal)
This is the first squad Wiegman has named since suffering a 4-0 defeat to Spain in World Cup qualifying in June. The result ended England’s chances of qualifying automatically for the tournament and marked the heaviest defeat of the Wiegman era.
The Lionesses finished second in their qualifying group, level on points with Spain but with a significantly lower goal difference than the world champions.
England travel to Greece for the first leg of their World Cup play-off first round on 9 October before the home leg at Leicester’s King Power Stadium on 13 October. It’s the first-ever meeting between the two sides at a senior national team level.
If England progress, they will face the winner of Slovakia-Ukraine in round two of the play-offs during the international window that runs from 26 November to 5 December.
There are 11 slots for European sides at the 2027 Women’s World Cup, Germany, Denmark, Spain and France have already qualified for the tournament.
The 2027 Women’s World Cup takes place in Brazil from 24 June to 25 July.
Russo as the only striker in the squad shows a worrying lack of English no. 9s at the moment 🙁