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Women’s Euro 2025 qualifying: England’s Mary Earps and Niamh Charles to be fit for July matches – BBC Sport

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Women’s Euro 2025 qualifying: England’s Mary Earps and Niamh Charles to be fit for July matches – BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Earps sustained a hip injury in June’s qualifying defeat by France

  • Author, Adam Millington
  • Role, BBC Sport journalist

Goalkeeper Mary Earps and defender Niamh Charles are expected to return to the England squad in time for the Women’s Euro 2025 qualifiers, which resume next week.

Manager Sarina Wiegman said “we expect that everyone who is in camp right now would be available.”

England will play the Republic of Ireland on Friday, 12 July followed four days later by a tie with Sweden.

The Lionesses are currently taking part in a training camp in the Netherlands and Earps and Charles travelled with the squad to rehab as they recover from injuries.

“Everyone who is here is fit – well, fit or in rehab or building towards minutes,” said the England manager.

“It’s progressing well but it was too early to bring her in,” she said. “She has been out of training and is also still not totally recovered, while she is going in the right direction.”

Players are joining the England squad at different times, with midfielder Georgia Stanway linking up with the team on Monday as she has already started pre-season training with Bayern Munich.

Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, who has received her first call-up, will also join on Monday as she is currently playing league football for Orlando Pride.

Wiegman said the staggered arrival times has been planned around.

“This is what we knew from the summer,” she added. “We said at the beginning of this year that we talked to every club and discussed what the summer would look like, and they could train with us when the club release them.”

England ‘want new standards’ against Ireland and Sweden

England are currently third in Group A3 on goal difference, level on points with second-placed Sweden and two behind leaders France.

Finishing in the top two secures automatic qualification, while other positions must go through a play-off system – and endure competitive fixtures in the winter months instead of wrapping it up in July.

Wiegman said beating France away in their last game just four days after losing at home to the same opponents “proved they can play at the highest level”.

She added: “We want to get to new standards, to push ourselves and improve all the time, against different opponents because now, against Ireland first and then Sweden, some things will be different and then we want to perform at the highest level too.

“So we’ll come in here, we’re in a good position, we have it in our own hands to qualify in July and that’s what we absolutely want to do.”

England play Ireland in Norwich on 12 July (20:00 BST) before a trip to Gothenburg to take on Sweden on 16 July (18:00 BST).

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