Sarina Wiegman has defended her decision not to hand out any England debuts during the Lionesses' dominant 8-0 victory over China in their recent friendly at Wembley Stadium. The match, which saw Georgia Stanway score a hat-trick, and Beth Mead bag a quickfire double, also featured goals from Lauren Hemp, Ella Toone and Alessia Russo. Despite the comfortable lead, with England 5-0 up at half-time, Wiegman opted against introducing fresh faces like Freya Godfrey and Anouk Denton into the game.

Wiegman made three changes at halftime, bringing on Chloe Kelly, Jess Park, and Lotte Wubben-Moy, all of whom were part of the successful Euro 2025 squad. However, she stood firm on her choice not to give opportunities to uncapped players.

Speaking after her 50th win as the Lionesses' manager, Wiegman emphasized the importance of taking every game seriously. She highlighted the competition within the squad, noting that many players are "really knocking on the door" for a chance to play. She said that players are finding their feet and competing for starting positions, which is how she views the game. Wiegman has always tried to encourage players to take on more responsibility.

A crowd of over 70,000 fans at Wembley witnessed Stanway's first international hat-trick, including a penalty, with Mead opening the scoring with two goals in three minutes. Hemp scored in her first England match since Euro 2025, while Toone and Russo rounded off the scoring late in the game. Wiegman acknowledged the incredible atmosphere created by the fans at Wembley.

Wiegman's focus remains on utilizing the depth and experience within her squad as they prepare for upcoming challenges. She stated that she has a squad of 25 players. The England manager also said that it is really exciting to see how the team will perform in the future.