Leah Williamson has been ruled out of England’s World Cup qualifiers against Spain and Ukraine with a hamstring injury. The Arsenal defender will not report to St George’s Park, removing England’s captain and one of Sarina Wiegman’s main organisers from the back line ahead of the defining week of this group.
The Football Association confirmed the change as England finalise preparations for the two June fixtures, after Williamson had followed a rehabilitation plan in the hope of being available. She Kicks has already covered the wider England squad for these June qualifiers and the late squad changes ahead of this window.
Qualification context / fixture detail
England travel to Mallorca to face Spain on Friday before returning home to take on Ukraine at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on Tuesday June 9. Those are the final two matches of this section of qualifying and the Spain game in particular carries obvious weight at the top of Group A3.
The Lionesses are three points clear and beat Spain at Wembley in the reverse fixture in April, although the two sides are level on goal difference. A win in Mallorca would secure automatic qualification for next summer’s World Cup in Brazil, while second place means a play-off route instead. Fixture details are also listed via Sky Sports’ match and squad report.
Leah Williamson and the defensive core
Williamson’s absence matters because England lose more than a centre-back. They lose the captain who sets the line, builds calmly from deep and gives Wiegman a familiar structure in possession and without the ball.
The Football Association said Williamson had followed a rehabilitation programme but was ruled out by the hamstring problem before camp. That leaves Wiegman to reshape the centre-back group against Spain’s technical front line, with players such as Lotte Wubben-Moy and Esme Morgan the obvious senior cover options. More background on Williamson’s place for club and country sits in She Kicks’ earlier piece on Leah Williamson’s Arsenal commitment, while the FA’s update was published through England Football.
Replacement call-ups – detail
Liverpool captain Grace Fisk has been called up in Williamson’s place. Fisk has been around the senior squad before, with call-ups dating back to February 2020, but she is still waiting for a first England cap.
There was also a change in the goalkeeper group, with Brighton’s Sophie Baggaley brought in after Khiara Keating remained with Manchester City under return-to-play concussion protocols. England said a further assessment will determine whether Keating is available for the Ukraine game, but for now Baggaley restores the numbers in a busy week.
