Ella Toone Steps Up for England as Bronze Exits Ahead of World Cup Play-offs

Ella Toone is back in the England fold just in time for the Women's World Cup play-offs against Greece. The Manchester United midfielder has been called up after initially being left out of the squad. Toone, along with Arsenal’s Chloe Kelly, was omitted from manager Sarina Wiegman's earlier selection, who expressed that both players hadn’t been at their best recently. Toone has made 69 appearances for England since her debut in February 2021, netting 24 goals and contributing to the team’s successes in Euro 2022 and Euro 2025, not to mention her role in the World Cup final against Spain this year. After finding out she wasn’t included initially, Toone shared her disappointment: "It's been a really difficult week. It's not the news that any footballer wants." In a twist, Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze has now withdrawn from the squad due to a minor injury suffered during a recent league match against West Ham. The Lionesses touched down in Crete on Wednesday night, gearing up for the first leg of their play-off on Friday at the Pankritio Stadium in Heraklion. The return leg is set for Tuesday, 13 October, at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium. The victors will move on to face either Slovakia or Ukraine in a two-legged tie on 26 November and 5 December, with a spot in next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil (24 June to 25 July) on the line.