James & Stanway shine but Lionesses set for World Cup play-offs

Georgia Stanway England HIC

England will have to navigate the play-offs in order to reach the 2027 Women's World Cup, with Tuesday night's 3-0 win over Ukraine not enough to secure top spot in their qualifying group. The Lionesses went into the game knowing they needed a favour from Iceland against Spain, after La Roja thumped Sarina Wiegman's side on Friday, and they didn't get it, rendering their own victory meaningless in the chase for the sole automatic berth available.

It was always a long shot that Spain would slip up but England still needed to go out and get the job done in case the unlikely occurred and they made a fast start in the pursuit of three points, with Jess Carter sending a smart header beyond Ukraine shot-stopper Kateryna Boklach with just 14 minutes on the clock. By that point, though, La Roja had already taken the lead in Iceland through Vicky Lopez, giving the game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium something of a exhibition vibe from the outside.

Still, England put on a good performance as they responded to the disappointment of Friday night, dominating proceedings and not letting their opponents have a sniff of goal. Ukraine were pinned back in their own half for the majority of the game, with Lauren Hemp seeing an effort from the edge of the box well-saved, Maya Le Tissier sending a great chance over the bar and Laura Blindkilde Brown only denied a first senior international goal by a great tackle from Yana Kotyk, before Georgia Stanway made it 2-0.

A superb reverse pass from Keira Walsh carved open the Ukraine defence, finding Alessia Russo's clever run before the striker in turn picked out Stanway in the box, with her sliding in to finish and move herself further up the Lionesses' all-time goal-scoring charts. Within seconds, though, Spain had doubled their own lead and they would add another before the break, to send England in at half-time needing a miracle to change the situation.

There would be one great moment for the fans to enjoy before the game was out, as Beth Mead came off the bench to score a brilliant free-kick to make it 3-0 just past the hour. It was a brilliant strike which ended the scoring, as England closed out this stage of World Cup qualifying on a high. Spain's eventual 6-1 victory in Iceland, however, means the play-offs now beckon for the Lionesses, with Wiegman's side to find out their opponents in those games later this month.

GOAL rates England's players from the Hill Dickinson Stadium...

Niamh Charles England Women 2026

Goalkeeper & Defence

Hannah Hampton (6/10):

Had one straight-forward save to make in the first half, but that was it. Good on the ball but wasn't asked to do much.

Maya Le Tissier (7/10):

Got forward well, offered a good outlet in attack and created chances. Really should've scored a great opportunity of her own in the first half.

Jess Carter (7/10):

Broke the deadlock with a really smart header. Like the rest of the back line, she wasn't troubled much in her own half.

Esme Morgan (6/10):

Had very little to do defensively before going off at half time. Solid in possession.

Niamh Charles (7/10):

Was able to do much more attacking than defending and did it well, with some nice work out wide to get good deliveries into the box.

Laura Blindkilde Brown England Women 2026

Midfield

Keira Walsh (7/10):

Played a sublime reverse pass in the build-up to the second goal. Helped England dictate the game and play at a good tempo, with them moving the Ukraine defence about plenty to create opportunities.

Georgia Stanway (7/10):

Made a great run to get another goal in an England shirt in an all-round solid display, in and out of possession.

Laura Blindkilde Brown (7/10):

Probably her best game in an England shirt, albeit with her only winning her seventh cap here. Did a lot of good work off the ball to win possession high and moved the ball well when she had it.

Lauren James England Women 2026

Attack

Lauren Hemp (6/10):

Was lively throughout, though not quite as deadly with her final ball as usual.

Alessia Russo (6/10):

Made a great run off the ball before delivering the perfect cross for England's second, with a couple of other chances created too. Knocked down a mark for failing to really trouble the goalkeeper despite having a fair few efforts at goal herself, though.

Lauren James (7/10):

Everything went through her in the first half. Unlucky to hit the bar and the post with one effort, before delivering a lovely cross for the opening goal. Off at the break.

Alex Greenwood Beth Mead England Ukraine Women 2026

Subs & Manager

Alex Greenwood (6/10):

Slotted into the defence seamlessly at the break.

Beth Mead (7/10):

The most impactful of the subs. Scored a great free-kick and generally brought energy and threat to the attack.

Chloe Kelly (5/10):

Struggled to make an impact, despite England's dominance.

Jess Park (6/10):

A lively addition to the middle of the park, producing some bright moments without standing out too much.

Lucia Kendall (N/A):

Replaced Walsh for the final few minutes.

Sarina Wiegman (6/10):

A little disappointing that she didn't rotate more in attack, given this felt like an opportunity to give chances to some of the more inexperienced names. Blindkilde Brown was one to get that sort of run-out though and she shone.