England sweep past Greece 8-1 to set up Ukraine playoff

England are one step closer to the 2027 World Cup. They beat Greece 5-0 at the King Power Stadium on 13 October 2026 to win their playoff tie 8-1 on aggregate, according to The Guardian.

The second leg was done early and finished in style. England had already won the first leg 3-1 at Pankritio Stadium on 9 October, and they never let Greece settle in Leicester.

Lauren James ran the night. She scored twice and set up another goal. Georgia Stanway added a header. Alessia Russo scored twice, including the fifth goal in the 75th minute to make it 5-0 on the night and 8-1 overall, as confirmed by live reporting from The Guardian.

Greece goalkeeper Styliani Katergiannaki faced wave after wave. The scoreline in the return game was also listed as a 5-0 England win by ESPN.

It was a night for new faces too. Lexi Potter, 20, made her senior England debut. Freya Godfrey of London City Lionesses also made her first senior appearance. Maya Le Tissier stepped in with Lucy Bronze injured.

More than 22,000 tickets were issued for the match. That is a strong turnout for a playoff second leg, and the crowd got goals to match.

England now play Ukraine in the next round. These are European qualifying playoffs, which are straight knockout ties. Win the tie over two legs and you move closer to the finals. Lose and you are out.

Elsewhere in the playoffs, the margins were stark. Sweden beat Lithuania 15-0 on aggregate. The Republic of Ireland beat Kazakhstan 12-0 on aggregate. The Netherlands beat Hungary 11-0 on aggregate.

What makes this stand out for England is the balance. Manager Sarina Wiegman got the result she needed, gave minutes to young players, and kept momentum building. Russo, quoted by England Football after the game, was among the scorers again.

For fans, this means a winter tie with real stakes. Ukraine next. A place at the World Cup still to earn.