England have suffered a major setback ahead of their crucial Women's World Cup qualifying match against Spain, as captain Leah Williamson has been forced to withdraw from Sarina Wiegman's squad. The announcement, made on Monday, comes as another blow for the European champions, who are also dealing with concerns over Lauren James' fitness.

Another injury blow in a testing season for Williamson

Williamson’s season has been plagued by injury concerns. She entered the campaign carrying a knee issue sustained during last summer’s European Championship victory, delaying her return to action until December. Shortly after coming back, the defender suffered a calf injury that sidelined her for another month, followed by a hamstring problem that kept her out for five more weeks.

Although she recovered in time for Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final clash with Lyon, Williamson has featured for only one minute since the Gunners’ defeat to the French side on May 2. She ended the Women’s Super League season as an unused substitute against Liverpool on May 16.

The England skipper was still named in Wiegman’s squad last month for the qualifiers against Spain and Ukraine. However, an official update on Monday confirmed she had withdrawn, stating that she had “followed a rehabilitation programme to be available but has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.”

Setback for England, but confidence remains after Wembley victory

Williamson’s absence is undoubtedly a blow for the Lionesses, who currently lead their qualifying group and need a positive result in Spain on Friday to stay in control of the automatic qualification spot. West Ham defender Grace Fisk has been called up as her replacement.

Nevertheless, England can take confidence from their 1-0 triumph over Spain at Wembley in March, achieved without Williamson in the lineup. Central defenders Lotte Wubben-Moy and Esme Morgan excelled that day, providing reassurance that the squad can handle the challenge even without their captain.

Keating also withdraws from the trip to Spain

Williamson is not the only player forced to withdraw. Goalkeeper Khiara Keating has also been ruled out after sustaining a concussion during training with Manchester City last week. The 21-year-old, who had been expected to make her Wembley debut on Sunday after starting all of City’s FA Cup fixtures this season, was absent from the final lineup. Japan international Ayaka Yamashita started instead, keeping a clean sheet in a 4-0 win over Brighton that sealed a league and cup double for City.

While the severity of Keating’s injury was initially uncertain, it has now been confirmed that she is following concussion return-to-play protocols. There remains a possibility she could recover in time for the upcoming qualifier against Ukraine. In her absence, Brighton’s Sophie Baggaley has been called up to the national squad.

England monitoring Lauren James as injury concerns persist

Fans will hope the bad news stops there, with uncertainty also surrounding Lauren James’ fitness. The Chelsea forward participated in the recent World Sevens tournament in London but missed the final as her team lifted the trophy.

Following the tournament, Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor revealed that James had picked up “a small injury,” noting, “We still need to assess her and see if she could be joining the camp for England.” Losing James would be another serious blow for Wiegman’s side, as her creativity and ability to change games are unmatched within the squad.

England regrouped on Monday and are scheduled to face Spain on Friday at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix. They will then return home to meet Ukraine in their final World Cup qualifying group fixture on Tuesday, June 9, at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Lionesses currently sit top of the group and are on course for automatic qualification for next summer’s tournament, though failure to finish first would send the European champions into the play-offs.