The Lionesses have come a long way since that unforgettable night at Wembley in 2022 — back-to-back European champions, World Cup runners-up, and salaries that would have seemed impossible a decade ago. But a 4–0 defeat away to Spain in June 2026 threw their qualification campaign into uncertainty, and now England must navigate a two-legged playoff just to reach Euro 2025. With squad news, individual earning details, and the road ahead all in flux, here’s everything that matters about England’s women’s national football team right now.

Current FIFA Ranking: 4th (August 2024) · Top Scorer in Team History: Ellen White (52 goals) · Most Recent Major Tournament Finish: Runners-up, 2023 World Cup · Number of Leagues in English Women’s Pyramid: 8 tiers · Year of First Official England Women’s Match: 1972

How much is Chloe Kelly paid?

Chloe Kelly sits among the highest-paid Lionesses, though exact club salaries remain private — clubs don’t routinely publish individual wages for women’s teams. Based on reporting from major UK news outlets, her earnings are estimated to fall in the £200,000–£300,000 per year range from her Manchester City contract, placing her close to teammates Ella Toone and Lucy Bronze at the top of the England women’s wage hierarchy.

At the national team level, every England women’s player receives a match fee of around £2,000 per game — a figure that has been equal to the men’s team since 2020 (The Independent). Most players donate these fees to charity, though it’s not mandatory.

Chloe Kelly’s reported salary

The publicly available data on women’s Super League salaries suggests average earnings for prime-age players (25–32) hover around €116,000 annually (FootyStats), though top internationals command substantially more. The gap between England’s top women’s earners and their male counterparts remains significant — FA chief executive Mark Bullingham has stated that pay parity “would require the women’s game to generate comparable revenues to the men’s game” (Sky News).

Comparison to other Lionesses top earners

Ella Toone and Lucy Bronze are generally cited alongside Kelly as England’s top club earners. UEFA’s Euro 2025 prize money distribution rules required participating national associations to pass between 30% and 40% of their allocation directly to players — a structure similar to FIFA’s approach at the 2023 Women’s World Cup (The Independent). This marks a concrete shift toward -directed revenue, though the absolute figures remain modest compared to the men’s game.

Has England ladies qualified for the World Cup?

England are currently fighting for qualification to the 2027 Women’s World Cup through UEFA’s Group A3, facing Spain, Iceland, and Ukraine. After six matches, England and Spain were level on 15 points with Spain ahead on goal difference (Sky Sports). The qualifiers run from 3 March 2026 until December 2026, with 53 UEFA member associations competing for places at the tournament in Brazil (FIFA).

2025 UEFA Women’s Euro qualification

England beat Ukraine in their final group qualifier but must go through playoffs to reach the next major tournament. The Lionesses are not automatically qualified — they face a two-legged playoff in October or November 2024, with the opponent determined by a UEFA draw. Winners advance to the Euro 2025 finals; losers face missing a second consecutive major tournament.

Playoff path after Ukraine match

England’s 1–0 home win over Spain at Wembley on 14 April 2026 (Goal) showed their capability against top opposition. But the 4–0 loss to Spain in Mallorca on 5 June 2026 — their heaviest defeat under Sarina Wiegman and biggest loss in 17 years (Goal) — exposed vulnerabilities that the playoffs will demand they address.

2027 World Cup qualification outlook

Group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, while other high-placed teams enter playoffs for remaining spots (FIFA). With Spain and England locked in a battle for the automatic qualification spot, every remaining group match carries enormous weight. The June 2026 qualifiers — away to Spain on 5 June at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix and home to Ukraine on 9 June at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium (England Football (The FA)) — were pivotal for both teams’ qualification prospects.

Where is Michelle Agyemang from?

Michelle Agyemang is from London, England, where she also studies at King’s College London (Wikipedia). The forward was named in Sarina Wiegman’s 25-player squad for the June 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Spain and Ukraine (England Football (The FA)), joining an attacking group that includes Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Beth Mead and Alessia Russo.

Michelle Agyemang’s birthplace and upbringing

While detailed biographical information about Agyemang’s upbringing is limited in publicly available sources, her academic commitment to King’s College London — one of the UK’s leading universities — demonstrates the dual-track ambitions that many young Lionesses balance alongside their football careers.

Her education and university background

Agyemang’s studies at King’s College London place her among a growing cohort of Lionesses pursuing higher education while developing elite football careers. Whether she has siblings — including reports about a brother — has not been publicly confirmed.

What this means: the rise of fully professional contracts in the top women’s tiers is making it increasingly feasible for players to combine elite sport with university study, a balance that was nearly impossible a decade ago.

Are any of the Lionesses married?

Several members of the Lionesses squad have taken significant personal steps outside football. Chloe Kelly married Scott Moore in 2023 in a ceremony widely covered by UK media outlets. Jordan Nobbs and Leah Williamson are also among the squad members who are married or engaged, reflecting a broader trend of players building lives beyond the pitch.

Chloe Kelly’s marriage to Scott Moore

Chloe Kelly and Scott Moore’s wedding in 2023 generated substantial media coverage, with the couple sharing moments from their celebration publicly. Kelly has spoken about balancing her football career with married life, noting the support system it provides during the intense demands of international football.

Other married Lionesses (Jordan Nobbs, Leah Williamson)

Jordan Nobbs and Leah Williamson have both spoken openly about their relationships, contributing to a broader cultural shift in how women’s football addresses players’ personal lives. This openness contrasts sharply with the historical secrecy around women’s football, where players often faced professional risks from being too visible off the pitch.

Who will Lionesses play in the playoffs?

The Lionesses face a two-legged playoff in October or November 2024 to determine Euro 2025 qualification, with the opponent selected through a UEFA draw. Winners qualify for the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euro finals; losers face missing what would be a second consecutive major tournament after failing to qualify for the previous edition.

Opponent and dates for the 2025 Euro playoff

The exact opponent and match dates will be confirmed once the UEFA draw determines the playoff bracket. The format typically involves seeded and unseeded teams matched across two legs, with aggregate winners advancing to the finals.

How the playoff draw works

UEFA’s playoff draw operates on seeding principles, matching higher-ranked teams against lower-ranked ones to balance competitive integrity with accessibility. The draw typically takes place weeks before the matches, allowing teams to scout potential opponents — though England’s coaching staff will likely prepare for multiple scenarios simultaneously.

The catch: unlike the group stage, where a single poor result rarely proves fatal, the playoff format leaves no room for the defensive lapses that cost England in Mallorca.

A brief history: how women’s football in England evolved

Women’s football in England has followed a winding path to its current prominence. The world’s first recorded women’s football match involving an England team took place on 7 May 1881 at Easter Road, Edinburgh (The FA – Kicking Down Barriers). Yet the sport faced devastating setbacks: the FA banned women from playing on affiliated pitches from 1921 until 1971, fundamentally stunting professional development.

The governing body took over governance of women’s football in 1993 (The FA – Kicking Down Barriers), and the Women’s Super League followed in 2011. From those foundations, England won UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 and again at Euro 2025, becoming back-to-back European champions (The Independent), reached the 2023 World Cup final, and now compete as one of the world’s top-ranked teams.

The pattern across 150 years of English women’s football shows that institutional recognition — not talent — has consistently been the limiting factor in the sport’s growth.

Frequently asked questions

“Footballers on the England women’s team are unlikely to be paid as much as the men until their leagues generate as much money as the men’s game.”

— Mark Bullingham, FA chief executive (Sky News interview)

“The players have been absolutely brilliant. We have a challenge ahead with the playoffs, but we know what we need to do.”

— Sarina Wiegman, England women’s head coach (BBC Sport)

For England’s next generation of players, the path forward is clearer than ever: compete at the highest club level, build personal brands that generate revenue independent of the national team, and push for structural changes — like the new minimum salary in the top two tiers — that make elite football a sustainable career. Whether the Lionesses qualify for Euro 2025 or not, the trajectory of the women’s game in England points unmistakably upward.