Lionesses ease past Ukraine but must navigate playoffs to qualify for World Cup

<ul><li><p>England 3-0 Ukraine</p></li><li><p>Carter 14, Stanway 37, Mead 67</p></li></ul><p>Sarina Wiegman calmly asserted that she was confident England will still qualify for next summer’s World Cup, despite having to settle for a place in the playoffs as Spain’s 6-1 win in Iceland forced England to finish in second spot.</p><p>England cruised to victory over Ukraine on Merseyside but the result proved insignificant with Spain getting the result they needed. The Lionesses finish this group with 15 points from a possible 18 but miss out on a precious automatic spot in Brazil because of their inferior head-to-head record against Spain, after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/05/spain-england-world-cup-qualifying-match-report">Friday’s humbling 4-0 loss</a> in Mallorca.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/09/enlgand-ukraine-womens-world-cup-2027-qualifying-match-report">Continue reading...</a>