Sarina Wiegman has called on her England players to “stick together” following their heaviest defeat in 17 years—a 4-0 loss to Spain that has severely complicated their automatic qualification hopes for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
Playing in Mallorca, the Lionesses were comprehensively outplayed as Pati Guijarro, Claudia Pina, and a double from Alexia Putellas secured victory for Spain. The result leaves England second in Group A3 with just one match remaining, level on 12 points with Spain but behind on head-to-head and goal difference.
Sarina Wiegman urged her Lionesses to stick together after suffering the heaviest defeat of her tenure
The defeat marks England’s worst margin of victory since the Euro 2009 final—a 6-2 loss to Germany—and deals a significant blow to their World Cup ambitions. Despite being level on points with Spain, the Spanish lead the group due to superior head-to-head results and goal difference.
Looking ahead, automatic qualification now hinges on England outperforming Spain when they face Iceland on Tuesday, while the Lionesses take on Ukraine in their final qualifier at Wembley’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. Should both results fail to go England’s way, they would face a two-legged playoff to secure their place in Brazil.
“Of course it hurts,” Wiegman said after the defeat. “I hoped for a totally different game. I expected a tight, competitive match, but there was a clear difference tonight.”
“We wanted to press high at times, but they played straight over our press. Even when we dropped back, they still found space. Their first goal was a deflection—we lost the ball at a crucial moment. After that, we couldn’t build momentum. We struggled to keep possession, find longer passes, or play behind their defense.”
“We also had difficulty staying compact without the ball, even in our own half. I’m trying to analyse what went wrong—was it our execution or Spain’s dominance? A bit of both.”
“I’m frustrated and very disappointed, but so are the players. It hurts because we’ve lost before, but never by such a large margin.”
England midfielder Georgia Stanway reacts to the 4-0 loss to Spain in the FIFA Women’s World Cup UEFA qualifiers
England midfielder Georgia Stanway addressed the team’s performance on Sky Sports News: “The better team won. There’s not much we can say—we lacked quality and were a bit late in all areas. We missed timings and were late to the ball. Their quality was stronger than ours.”
“We’re disappointed, Spain beat us at home, and we beat them at home. We’re level on points with a lot still to play for in this group. Our full focus is on Tuesday.”
“We have to analyse it and pick it apart. As a midfielder, you’re in the mix all the time. It’ll be interesting to see how we can change our shape or adjust different elements to stop those goals.”
“We knew coming here would be tough. They’ve got a really good home record, and we said before the game they’re one of the best teams in the world. They stopped us from playing our game and took over possession too.”
“We’re very, very disappointed today, but we want to thank the fans for coming over. Now our full focus is on Tuesday.”
Wiegman emphasized her team’s need to respond positively in their final qualifier against Ukraine on Tuesday at 8pm at Wembley’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. “If we qualify, the preparation is different than if we don’t,” she explained. “First, we want a good performance and a win—that’s the most important thing. Then we’ll see what happens with Spain’s game against Iceland.”
“I want to see a reaction—show we’re a team, a strong team, playing strongly and sticking together. That’s what matters most.”
The Lionesses now face a crucial week as they attempt to salvage their World Cup qualification campaign.