Sarina Wiegman explains why England's clash with France is not a must-win game

Sarina Wiegman played down the importance of England's game against France on Tuesday night despite sitting just third in their UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying group.

England's promotion hopes took a major hit on Friday night when they were beaten 2-1 by France at St James' Park. Sweden's victory over the Republic of Ireland in the other group game pushed Wiegman's side up to third, albeit only on goal difference.

The new qualification format, similar to that of the Nations League, means that only the top two teams from each group across League A will qualify for next summer's tournament in Switzerland. The third and fourth placed teams will need to compete in two rounds of play-offs if they want to secure a place.

The England team has three of the top six teams in the FIFA world rankings, making their qualification far from assured – even more so now that they have dropped three points against their nearest rivals.

Wiegman, however, painted a liberal figure when he spoke to the media Monday afternoon. Although England are always determined to win every game they play, the Dutch coach insists that they are not too focused on the table yet.

“We don't count,” he told reporters. “We approach every game to win, but I understand well what is being said.

“Yes, we know that if we win we are in the best place. We want to win, but if we don't win, we still have a chance to enter the Euros.

“It's not what we want, yes we want to lead the team but we [focus] by winning tomorrow.”

Friday's setback to Tyneside did little to dampen the confidence of the England camp as they prepare for another big game against France. Despite Beth Mead's well-taken first-half opener, the Lionesses' vulnerability in set-pieces was laid bare for all to see as Elisa De Almeida and Marie-Antoinette Katoto fired Les Bleues to a famous win.

Wiegman outlined what his side must do if they are to make up for the mistakes of last week's meeting, but reiterated the belief in the squad that they can get the result.

“Yes, France are a very good team,” continued the England manager. “That's what they showed with the strength and speed they have in the team, we know that.

“We want to take out their energy. We want to have the ball more than them. Last Friday, we had big chances that we couldn't turn into a lot of chances and score goals.

“We want to be a little stronger in football and do better than we did [on] Friday.”

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