When the Lionesses were relegated to the World Cup play‑offs in June, it felt like a dramatic step backwards for a team that had just lifted the European Championship. How could a side that had seemed invincible on the continent suddenly find itself fighting for a place in the next major tournament on the international calendar? England’s qualifying campaign ended with 15 points out of a possibl…

When the Lionesses were relegated to the World Cup play‑offs in June, it felt like a dramatic step backwards for a side that had just lifted the European championship. How could a team that had seemed a certainty for the next big tournament find itself fighting for a place in the final stages? England’s qualifying campaign ended with 15 points out of a possible 18 – a single result away from auto…

When England were relegated to the World Cup play‑offs in June, it felt like a massive step backwards for a side that had just lifted the European Championship. How could the reigning continental champions not be a certainty for the next big tournament on the international calendar? The Lionesses fell just short of automatic qualification, ending their qualifying campaign with 15 points out of a…

When the Lionesses were relegated to the World Cup play‑offs in June, it felt like a dramatic step backward for a side that had just lifted the European Championship. How could a team that had been crowned continental champions not be a lock for the next marquee tournament on the international calendar? England’s qualifying campaign had been impressive on paper – 15 points out of a possible 18 – …

When England were relegated to the World Cup play‑offs back in June, it felt like a massive step backwards. How could the reigning European champions not be a lock for the next major tournament on the international calendar? The Lionesses missed out by the slimmest of margins, finishing their qualifying campaign with 15 points out of a possible 18. One result away from automatic qualification. Y…

When England were relegated to the World Cup play‑offs in June, the result felt like a dramatic step backward for a side that had just been crowned European champions. How could a team that had lifted the Euro trophy not be a lock for the next major tournament on the international calendar? The Lionesses missed out on an automatic berth by the slimmest of margins, ending their qualifying campaig…

When England were relegated to the World Cup play‑offs back in June, it felt like a massive step backwards. How could the reigning European champions not be a certainty for the next big tournament on the international calendar? The Lionesses missed out by the slimmest of margins, finishing their qualifying campaign with 15 points out of a possible 18 – just one result away from automatic qualific…