England women's national football team manager Sarina Wiegman has emphasised the importance of patience ahead of her side’s 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification clash with Iceland women's national football team on Saturday.
The Lionesses enter the fixture as strong favourites after beginning their qualifying campaign with a commanding 6–1 victory over Ukraine women's national football team earlier this week.
Despite the convincing scoreline, England had to wait until the second half to break the deadlock in Antalya, with all seven goals arriving after the interval and the first coming in the 47th minute.
England will now play in front of a sold-out crowd at City Ground in Nottingham, and Wiegman believes her team must remain composed and disciplined if the breakthrough does not come quickly.
“It’s very important. That’s what we showed on Tuesday,” Wiegman said during Friday’s pre-match press conference.
“Of course we wanted to score goals in the first half and we did have some opportunities, but the team showed that we could do better.
“We stuck with the plan and everyone kept doing their tasks together. We didn’t start doing things on our own because that doesn’t help in those moments.”
She added that the team’s collective discipline and pressing mentality played a key role in eventually breaking down Ukraine.
“We stayed calm, kept doing our task and created opportunities up front. In the moments where we lost the ball, we won it back very quickly as well. That says a lot about the mentality of this team.”
Wiegman, who has guided England to consecutive European titles and the final of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, believes the squad’s experience in high-pressure matches helps them manage frustrating periods during games.
England dominated possession against Ukraine in the opening half, registering 85% possession and 40 touches in the opposition penalty area but struggled to break through a compact defensive structure.
“It’s partly about experience and partly about the environment,” Wiegman explained.
“It’s also about managing the game, and that comes with experience. We have a good balance in the team with players who understand what to do in those moments.”
The breakthrough against Ukraine came from Alessia Russo early in the second half. The Arsenal Women striker operates as England’s central forward for the national side, a more advanced role than she typically occupies at club level.
Russo is expected to again lead England’s attack against Iceland.
Reflecting on the Ukraine match, she highlighted the importance of maintaining attacking intensity even when early chances do not result in goals.
“We knew we were dominating the ball and wanted to be ruthless in the final third,” Russo told BBC 5 Live.
“They defended well in the first half, but then the spaces started to open up. Scoring early in the second half allowed us to play with more freedom.”
She added that confidence within the squad allows England to remain composed regardless of when the breakthrough arrives.
“As long as we are doing our job with our counter-pressure and creating chances, that builds confidence. Whether the goal comes in the first 10 minutes or the last 10 doesn’t matter—we know we can change games quickly.”
Iceland head into the match following a 3–0 defeat to Spain women's national football team earlier this week, although they managed to frustrate the world champions for much of the game before conceding their first goal in the 39th minute in Castellón.
Wiegman expects a similarly disciplined and physical challenge from the Icelandic side.
“They are a very strong team,” she said. “They are disciplined, very physical and very direct, with a lot of pace.”
“We expect to have a lot of the ball, but it will be very hard to break down their defence.”
Only the winner of Group A3 will secure automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil, and the group has widely been viewed as a potential battle between England and Spain.
However, Wiegman insisted her team is fully focused on the immediate challenge.
“We’re not talking about Spain at all at the moment—we are only talking about Iceland,” she said.
“We know it’s going to be a very tough game. They are difficult to beat and we will need to perform at our highest level.”
