Beth Mead has not recovered from injury to make the England squad for the Women’s World Cup as head coach Sarina Wiegman named her 23-player squad on Wednesday.
Mead, who was named Euro 2022 Player of the Tournament, suffered an ACL injury when playing for Arsenal in December. Wiegman had previously said it would take a “miracle” for her to recover in time for this summer’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
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There is also no place for defender Steph Houghton, but Millie Bright is included as she continues to recover from a knee injury and will captain the team in the absence of Leah Williamson.
Forward Beth England is also named in the squad after impressing for Tottenham this season following her Women’s Super League-record move from Chelsea last summer.
Elsewhere, Jordan Nobbs is included as are Esme Morgan, Laura Coombs, Katie Zelem, Katie Robinson and England.
Maya Le Tissier, who has drawn praise for her maturity this season, missed out on the final squad, although has been listed as a stand-by with Jessica Park and goalkeeper, Emily Ramsey.
“I have huge belief in this squad and we’re very fortunate to be selecting a fantastic group of players to travel to Australia,” Wiegman said in a statement.
“We know we will face tough challenges from strong teams, and we will have to be competitive from the first match on July 22. We will do everything to be at our very best again this summer.
“It is important the players get some well-deserved time to rest and recover over the next few weeks before we start the final preparations to get them ready. We learned a lot of positive lessons about how to get the players fit, fresh and ready from the Euros last summer and we know what we have to do to make sure we hit the ground running in the right way when the tournament starts.”
England are looking to add to their trophy haul under Wiegman after winning last summer’s Euro 2022 and the inaugural Women’s Finalissima in April.
The Women’s World Cup begins on July 20, with England beginning their tournament against Group D opponents Haiti on July 22. They then face Denmark on July 28 and China on Aug. 1 in their final group stage games.
The final is scheduled for Aug. 20 in Sydney.
Full 23-player England squad
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City).
Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal).
Midfielders: Laura Coombs (Manchester City), Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Barcelona) Katie Zelem (Manchester united).
Forwards: Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Bethany England (Tottenham Hotspur), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Alessia Russo (Manchester United), Katie Robinson (Brighton & Hove Albion).
Standby: Emily Ramsey (Everton), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United) and Jessica Park (Everton).
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Lioness’ Women’s World Cup squad: Bright captain, Mead out
