Ella Toone recalled to England squad after Bronze injury withdrawal — SkimNews
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- Ella Toone received a late call-up to the England squad for the Women's World Cup play-off against Greece after being omitted from the initial selection, despite her 24 goals in 69 senior caps and status as a Euro 2022 and Euro 2025 winner.
- Lucy Bronze (Chelsea) withdrew from the squad and returned to her club to manage a minor injury sustained in last weekend's league match against West Ham.
- Sarina Wiegman explained the swift recall, saying she was "really impressed" by Toone's reaction — noting Toone "straight away wanted to fix this" after spending the week on a self-booked individual training camp in Spain.
- Arsenal winger Chloe Kelly was also omitted from the original squad, with Wiegman saying neither player had "played to their potential in my opinion in the last couple of weeks."
- The first leg against Greece is Friday at the Pankritio Stadium in Heraklion, with the second leg at Leicester's King Power Stadium on Tuesday, 13 October.
- Winners of the Greece tie face either Slovakia or Ukraine on 26 November and 5 December in a two-leg play-off, with the 2027 Women's World Cup held in Brazil from 24 June to 25 July.
Why it matters: Toone's recall gives the 24-goal midfielder a direct chance to force her way back into Wiegman's plans on a high-stakes qualifying stage, while Bronze's absence strips England of an experienced defender at a critical point in their World Cup qualifying path.
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