England’s Lionesses delivered the emphatic response they needed, sweeping aside Greece 5-0 in the second leg of their FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 qualifying play-off to secure a commanding 8-1 aggregate victory and advance to the final qualifying round.
Alessia Russo and Lauren James scored twice each, while Georgia Stanway added another goal in a dominant performance at the King Power Stadium in Leicester. The victory underlined England’s attacking depth and offered head coach Sarina Wiegman an encouraging glimpse of the team’s potential as they pursue qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
After a relatively subdued 3-1 victory in the first leg in Greece, England raised their intensity on home soil, establishing a four-goal advantage before half-time. Their clinical finishing, positional fluidity and control of possession left the visitors struggling to contain the reigning European champions.
England wasted little time establishing their dominance, with Russo opening the scoring in the third minute. The Arsenal striker capitalised on a perfectly weighted through ball from James, finishing calmly to give the hosts an early advantage and put Greece under immediate pressure. James doubled England’s lead in the 16th minute, producing a powerful finish after Maya Le Tissier’s involvement in the attacking move. Her movement and ability to operate between the lines created repeated problems for the Greek defence.
The Lionesses continued to press, with Stanway heading home England’s third goal in the 30th minute following an excellent delivery from Lauren Hemp. Four minutes later, James struck again, converting another Hemp assist to complete a devastating first-half performance. Despite having two goals ruled out during the contest, England maintained their attacking intent after the interval. Russo eventually completed her brace in the 75th minute, rounding the goalkeeper before finishing to make it 5-0.
England finished the match with 84 per cent possession, registering 19 shots compared with Greece’s two, underlining their control throughout the encounter. One of the notable positives for Wiegman was the performance of debutant Lexi Potter, who started in midfield alongside Chelsea teammate Keira Walsh. Potter looked composed in possession and nearly marked her senior international debut with a goal, only for the effort to be ruled out following a free-kick decision.
England’s tactical approach also offered an interesting development, with James and Stanway operating in advanced positions behind Russo. Wiegman explained the thinking behind evolving the team’s style of play.
“We’ve played the system [4-3-3] we did for a long time and we tried to improve that but now after the summer we thought, ‘OK, how can we adapt or evolve our style of play to become better?'” Wiegman said. “We also want to see what would fit the best to the players we have. “The football world is going so fast and developing so fast, we want to keep developing and taking our game to the next level. I also think we have the players to do this.”
England will now meet Ukraine in the second round of the European qualifying play-offs, with the two-legged tie scheduled between November 26 and December 5, 2026. The winners of the round will move closer to securing a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
England’s emphatic win was more than a routine progression. James’ creativity, Russo’s clinical finishing and Potter’s promising debut demonstrated the depth available to Wiegman. However, the tougher test will come against Ukraine, when England must prove their tactical evolution can deliver against stronger opposition. With qualification still to be secured, maintaining this attacking sharpness will be crucial to their World Cup ambitions.
