Lionesses must turn Spain defeat into fuel for World Cup push in 2027

England's heavy loss to Spain forces Lionesses to rely on Iceland dropping points or overtaking Spain to avoid World Cup playoffs.

Setback fuels urgency Sarina Wiegman believes the Lionesses need painful moments like their 4-0 loss to Spain to sharpen their competitive edge. The defeat in Majorca on Friday eliminated England’s chance at automatic qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup. Now, they must wait for world champions Spain’s match against Iceland on Tuesday, hoping the reigning champs drop points so England can finish top of their group. England will play Ukraine at the same time (20:00 BST) at Hill Dickinson Stadium and must surpass Spain’s result to secure automatic qualification. ## Lessons from Euro 2025 Wiegman recalled how setbacks before Euro 2025—such as friendlies where they tested new tactics—helped the team identify areas for improvement. "You don’t want these moments, but at some point you need some setbacks to get even more urgency to improve and to do better now, when you have the time to do that," she told the media. She emphasized the need to focus on their next game against Ukraine, aiming for a strong performance to prove their quality. "We have a year to work on that. But the first thing is now we have to play Ukraine. We want to win that game." ## Spain’s dominance exposes gaps Spain outplayed England despite the Lionesses’ 1-0 win at Wembley in April, which had previously given England a strong position in the group. That win had put England in control of their destiny, but the 4-0 defeat in Spain reversed their fortunes. With only the top team in the group securing direct qualification, one of the European champions or reigning world champions were always bound to miss out on automatic spots. ## Staff monitor Spain’s progress Wiegman’s staff tracked Spain’s match on Tuesday, though they would not share updates with the players, who must focus on beating Ukraine regardless. She hinted at making changes to the squad that faced Spain, with all 24 players training at Melwood the following afternoon. "Of course it doesn’t feel nice and it should be like that because this is not what we wanted. There was disappointment and there was hurt," she admitted. ## England’s competitive spirit Wiegman stressed the importance of unity after a tough day, stating the team would bounce back stronger. "We’re a competitive team. We want to win. We were really disappointed—it’s a big setback. At the same time, we had a day of disappointment and then we move on. That’s how it works. We stick together. We want a good performance and to show we’re England and that we can come back from those moments." ## Hemp urges calm after Spain drubbing England forward Lauren Hemp described the night after the Spain loss as sleepless, reflecting on the concerning performance gap between the two sides. The teams have met in the last three major tournaments, with England winning the Euro 2025 final and Spain triumphing in the 2023 World Cup final. Despite the setback, Hemp insisted it’s "not time to panic" as they prepare to face Ukraine in their final qualifying clash. ## Focus on performance and mentality Hemp admitted England’s individual quality was not reflected in their display against Spain. "It wasn’t a great performance from us. We know every individual is better than what we showed the other day," she said. She stressed the need to deliver a performance worthy of the fans, combining results and effort. "We will go out there with a great mentality. We know how to bounce back from that. The performance will be just as important as the result."