Beth Mead and Steph Houghton are left OUT of England manager Sarina Wiegman’s 23-player squad for the World Cup… though Bethany England makes the list despite not being involved in the international set-up since September
- Sarina Wiegman has named her 23-player England squad for the World Cup
- Experienced pair Beth Mead and Steph Houghton have been left out of the team
- Click here to follow Mail Sport’s coverage of Wiegman’s press conference
Beth Mead and Steph Houghton will not go to the World Cup this summer after England manager Sarina Wiegman opted to leave the experienced pair out of her 23-player squad.
Mead, who won the golden boot at Euro 2022, suffered an ACL injury in November and has not been deemed fit enough to be included. Houghton, meanwhile, has missed out for a second time after she was dropped from the provisional squad of 28 last summer.
Bethany England is, however, in the squad despite having not been part of the set-up since September.
The forward, who was an unused squad member last summer, scored 12 goals in 12 Women’s Super League appearances for Tottenham after joining from Chelsea in January.
Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze have both survived fitness scares to make the squad of 23. Bright had knee surgery last month and has not played since March but is expected to be fit in time for the first group game.
England’s Euro 2022 hero Beth Mead (left) has been left out of the England squad for the upcoming World Cup by Sarina Wiegman (right) as she was not deemed fit enough
Mead has not played since she suffered an ACL injury for Arsenal back in November
Steph Houghton has also been left out of the squad after she was dropped from the provisional squad of 28 ahead of last year’s European Championships
England’s 2023 World Cup squad
FULL SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa).
Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Millie Bright (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Esme Morgan (Manchester City) Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal), Niamh Charles (Chelsea).
Midfielders: Keira Walsh (Barcelona), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa), Laura Coombs (Manchester City), Katie Zelem (Manchester United).
Forwards: Alessia Russo (Manchester United), Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Katie Robinson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Beth England (Tottenham Hotspur).
Bronze also had surgery last month but the Barcelona defender is set to return to play in the Champions League final this weekend.
Bright is set to be captain in the absence of Leah Williamson, who is also ruled out with an ACL injury.
Williamson and Mead are two of six changes from the Euro-winning squad. Fran Kirby was also ruled out with a knee injury this month while Ellen White and Jill Scott retired after last summer’s tournament while Nikita Parris has been left out.
Chelsea star Lauren James is also in the squad and is one of six players going to their first major tournament, alongside Esme Morgan, Niamh Charles, Laura Coombs, Katie Zelem, Katie Robinson.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has also been included after previously being dropped by Wiegman. Hampton joins Mary Earps and Ellie Roebuck as the three goalkeepers, with Emily Ramsey named as a stand-by option.
A notable omission is Manchester United defender Maya Le Tissier, who has had a stellar season.
Le Tissier has been named as a stand-by player alongside Jess Park and Emily Ramsey.
Bethany England though makes the fold despite not being included in the Lionesses’ set-up since September
Lucy Bronze (pictured) and Millie Wright survived fitness scares to make the squad
Manchester United defender Maya Le Tissier (right) misses out despite a stellar season
Wiegman had previously said in March that Mead would need a ‘miracle’ to recover in time for the tournament and while the Arsenal forward had not given up hope, she had not been expecting to get a call-up.
The Lionesses’ boss had also said it was ‘unlikely’ Houghton would feature in her World Cup squad last month after the Manchester City defender spoke out on her continued exclusion.
The England manager is due to speak to the media at 2pm.
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