Aston Villa goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has been handed a deserved recall to the England squad by head coach Sarina Wiegman for this month’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia New Zealand 2023 qualifiers against Northern Ireland and Latvia.
The Football Association announced Wiegman’s 24-player selection via an official press release this afternoon.
In addition to Hampton’s recall, Manchester United forward Alessia Russo also returns, as does Manchester City midfielder Keira Walsh following injury. Youngsters Jess Carter, Niamh Charles, Lauren Hemp, Sandy MacIver, Ella Toone and Lotte Wuben-Moy have also retained their places. In terms of injuries, the Lionesses remain without sidelined Manchester City trio Ellie Roebuck, Steph Houghton and Lucy Bronze.
England face Northern Ireland at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 23 October before travelling to Riga to take on Latvia on Tuesday 26 October. The games come off the back of the Lionesses’ winning start to FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia New Zealand 2023 qualifying last month. Wiegman’s side defeated North Macedonia 8-0 in Southampton before recording a 10-0 away victory against Luxembourg.
Speaking following the squad announcement, head coach Wiegman said “After a wonderful start to our World Cup qualifying campaign last month, we are incredibly excited to play our first competitive fixture at Wembley Stadium.
“The incredible atmosphere our supporters generated at St Mary’s Stadium for our match against North Macedonia gave our players and staff a tremendous lift, so the prospect of playing in front of thousands of fans at our national stadium later this
month will be a special moment.
“Northern Ireland have made strong progress in recent years, qualifying earlier this year for the 2022 home UEFA Women’s EURO. On top of that, their recent 4-0 victory over Latvia shows the strength of their team and their determination to qualify
for the World Cup.
“I can’t wait to get back together with our squad this weekend. Every player showed great ability and the collective positivity and ambition within the group was fantastic to see. We do still have one or two injuries to key players to contend with, but the depth in our squad is very strong.
“We hope to give our supporters more reasons to celebrate this month as we continue our progress towards qualification.”
England Squad
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa), Sandy MacIver (Everton)
Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Rachel Daly (Houston Dash), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Jill Scott (Manchester City), Lucy Staniforth (Manchester United), Georgia Stanway (Manchester City), Keira Walsh (Manchester City), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Katie Zelem (Manchester United)
Forwards: Beth England (Chelsea), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Nikita Parris (Arsenal), Alessia Russo (Manchester United), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Ellen White (Manchester City)
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