And here’s Ben Fisher’s report from Cardiff, where Wales kept the dream alive. Goodnight!
Updated
Here’s Suzanne Wrack’s report on England’s crushing win in Stoke
These European teams have qualified for next year’s World Cup
Sweden
Spain
Netherlands (who scored a 93rd-minute winner to shatter Iceland)
England
Denmark
Norway
Italy
Germany
France
And this lot will be in the playoffs
First round
Scotland
Austria
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Belgium
Portugal
Wales
Second round
Switzerland
Iceland
Republic of Ireland
Updated
The playoff draw is on Friday. Wales and Scotland will play in the first round, while the Republic of Ireland go straight into the second round.
Full time: Wales 0-0 Slovenia
Wales have qualified for the World Cup playoffs! They got the draw they needed in a scruffy, tense match at the Cardiff City Stadium, and their dream of going to Australia and New Zealand next summer is still alive. It’s big.
Cymru 0 Slovenia 0. Wales have reached the play offs for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. MASSIVE, MASSIVE IT IS
— Elis James (@elisjames) September 6, 2022
Updated
90+4 min: Wales 0-0 Slovenia Slovenia can’t generate any momentum, and a throw-in allows Wales to waste more precious seconds.
90+2 min: Wales 0-0 Slovenia Ingle limps the ball anywhere to waste another 10 or 15 seconds. Wales are so close to the playoffs.
90 min: Wales 0-0 Slovenia Five minutes of added time.
88 min: Wales 0-0 Slovenia A speculative through ball almost runs for Kustrin, with O’Sullivan flying from her line to make a brave save. She was caught by Kustrin and has stayed down, though it’s probably just a bit of timewasting.
87 min: Wales 0-0 Slovenia Play resumes. Three minutes.
86 min: Wales 0-0 Slovenia Golob is down after a late challenge from Holland, who was also hurt when they collided. It looks like Golob’s shin is bleeding.
Updated
84 min: Wales 0-0 Slovenia A reminder that one of these teams will qualify for the World Cup playoffs. Wales need a draw, Slovenia need a win.
Full time: England 10-0 Luxembourg
England complete the perfect qualification campaign: 10 wins out of 10, with 80 goals scored and none conceded. They hammered Luxembourg as expected, with eight players getting on the scoresheet. Georgia Stanway and Beth England helped themselves to a couple apiece. England’s next game: the USA at Wembley on 7 October. Oh aye.
And now it’s over to Cardiff, where Wales are 10 minutes away from a World Cup playoff.
GOAL! England 10-0 Luxembourg (England 90+2)
England hit double figures again! Zelem’s driven corner is met at the near post by England, who flashes a header past Schlime.
Updated
GOAL! England 9-0 Luxembourg (Hemp 90)
It’s nine. Bronze’s header from a corner is pushed away by Schlime, and Hemp gobbles up the rebound.
Updated
87 min A corner is taken short to Zelem. She clips a deep cross towards Bright, whose powerful header is pushed away by Schlime, and Parris heads the rebound wide from a few yards.
Updated
86 min Almost a chance for Luxembourg, when Bright loses the ball in a dangerous area, but Greenwood calmly snuffs out the danger.
Wales 0-0 Slovenia (72 min) At the other end, Mateja Zver drifts a shot just wide of the far post. It’s so tense in Cardiff.
Wales 0-0 Slovenia Gemma Evans has just missed a brilliant chance for Wales, heading straight at the keeper from a corner. There are just under 20 minutes remaining.
81 min Hemp’s low cross is just behind England, who would have had a tap-in had it been a better ball.
Updated
80 min Greenwood’s flighted corner is headed onto the roof of the net by Bronze.
80 min A double change for Luxembourg – Jessica Becker and Joana Lourenco Magalhaes are replaced by Edina Kocan and Noemie Tiberi.
66 min: Wales 0-0 Slovenia We’ll have more detailed coverage of this game once England v Luxembourg is over.
77 min Joana Lourenco Magalhaes goes on an enterprising run, beating a couple of players before being fouled by Bright.
74 min That’s England 100th goal under Sarina Wiegman in competitive matches.
GOAL! England 8-0 Luxembourg (Toone 73 pen)
Ella Toone sends Schlime the wrong to way to make it 8-0.
Updated
73 min: Penalty to England! Parris charges into the area and is tripped by the substitute Abreu. A silly tackle and a clear penalty.
70 min Bronze finds Hemp, who scurries into the area and cuts the ball back towards England at the near post. Her snapshot is blocked.
It’s still Wales 0-0 Slovenia in Cardiff, 55 minutes gone.
66 min A change for Luxembourg: Julie Marques Abreu replacing Caroline Jorge.
65 min Schlime gets in a tangle with Bronze’s cross, trying to kick it clear and falling over. Moments later she makes a brave save with her legs to deny Toone.
64 min And Parris has moved over to the left wing, with Hemp on the right.
63 min Zelem is playing as the No6, with Walsh moving forward to play as one of the No8s. It would be a lovely moment if Walsh, making her 50th appearance, could score her first goal for England.
62 min Hemp immediately has a run at Becker, cutting inside on her left foot before shooting straight at Schlime.
61 min: Double change for England Lauren Hemp and Demi Stokes replace Beth Mead and Rachel Daly.
GOAL! England 7-0 Luxembourg (Parris 59)
Another excellent team goal. Zelem plays the ball into England, who lays it off to Toone. She adjusts her body to angle a perfect first-time through ball for Parris, who takes a touch and rifles the ball across Schlime.
Updated
57 min Roebuck, who has had nothing to do all night, loses concentration and lets Greenwood’s backpass run under her boot. But she has enough time to scamper back and stop what would have been an embarrassing own goal. Actually I think it would have hit the post anyway.
56 min A free-kick to England on the right. Zelem swings it deep and it’s headed away.
53 min After a lovely move involving Zelem and Toone, Mead swerves away from Kremer but screws her shot into the side netting from a tight angle.
50 min Toone shoots high and wide from 25 yards. All the players, understandably, are keen to get on the scoresheet.
GOAL! England 6-0 Luxembourg (England 48)
Beth England scores, possibly with his first touch. Bronze and Toone worked the ball across the field to Mead, who made space for a perfect low cross that gave England an open goal.
Updated
46 min Peep peep!
England are making three half-time changes Millie Bright, Katie Zelem and Beth England are on for Georgia Stanway, Alessia Russo and Leah Williamson.
And Luxembourg have made two changes – Kelly Mendes and Isabel Albert replace Marisa Soares Marques and Mariana Lourenco Magalhaes.
Updated
Half time: Wales 0-0 Slovenia
Half-time reading
Wales 0-0 Slovenia It’s still goalless in Cardiff, though that game kicked off 15 minutes later. It sounds like Wales and Slovenia have had a decent chance apiece.
31' | 🏴 0-0 🇸🇮
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) September 6, 2022
Kayleigh Green's cross picks out Ingle, who looks to find the far corner but sees her effort go marginally wide of the post.#BeFootball | #TogetherStronger
Half time: England 5-0 Luxembourg
Russo has another chance on the stroke of half-time, heading straight at Schlime from Bronze’s cross. It’s been the expected mismatch, with England scoring five and forcing at least as many saves from Lucie Schlime. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
45 min One minute of added time.
45 min Stanway’s sharp cross – probably too sharp – is volleyed across goal and wide by Russo.
42 min England are pressing as if it’s 0-0 in a must-win game, not 5-0 in a dead rubber. As the co-commentator Emma Hayes says on ITV, their attitude is exemplary.
41 min England’s qualification campaign, as things stand: P10 W10 D0 L0 F75 A0 Pts 30.
GOAL! England 5-0 Luxembourg (Mead 39)
Two in a minute. Daly scored the fourth and now she has made the fifth with a sharp cutback to Mead in the area. Mead danced past Have and slid the ball into the net via the boot of the keeper Schlime.
Updated
GOAL! England 4-0 Luxembourg (Daly 38)
It’s four! England took a short corner on the right, with Toone eventually floating a cross beyond the far post. The Luxembourg defence pushed out and Daly timed her run perfectly before planting a header past Schlime.
Updated
35 min Greenwood’s corner is headed onto the roof of her own net by the off-balance Miller. Schlime had it covered, to be fair.
Updated
34 min Parris scurries away from Becker and into the area, but Becker recovers to make an important lunging tackle.
33 min England have had a whopping 87 per cent of the possession.
Wales 0-0 Slovenia It’s still goalless after 17 minutes in Cardiff. Wales need a draw; Slovenia need a win.
11' | 🏴 0-0 🇸🇮
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) September 6, 2022
Zver finds space and tries an effort at goal but O'Sullivan is equal to it.#BeFootball | #TogetherStronger
Updated
30 min “Angles, lines, points - now that was a positively Euclidean goal,” coos Charles Antaki.
29 min There’s a break in play while Dos Santos receives treatment.
GOAL! England 3-0 Luxembourg (Stanway 26)
Georgia Stanway gets her second. This was an excellent team goal. Greenwood and Toone combined to release Mead on the left side of the area. She laid the ball back carefully to Stanway, who cracked a first-time shot through the legs of the unsighted Schlime.
An excellent team move!
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) September 6, 2022
✌️ for @StanwayGeorgia
Watch the #Lionesses live on @ITV. pic.twitter.com/HAp5s4ZU4P
Updated
24 min Mead’s corner is headed towards goal by Daly, and Schlime reaches above her head to make an instinctive save.
24 min Mead plays the ball through to Russo in the area. She tries to go round Schlime, who dives at her feet to make a good save.
22 min Russo stabs a short pass to Mead, who wafts over from 15 yards.
21 min: Greenwood hits the post! Mead’s inswinging corner is headed against the post by the backpedalling Greenwood, with the ball eventually rebounding to safety.
21 min Stanway chips a pass into Toone, who takes it down on the chest and whacks a shot that hits a defender and goes behind for another corner.
Full time: Faroe Islands 0-6 Scotland A big win for Scotland, who will join the Republic of Ireland and possibly Wales in Friday’s playoff draw.
20 min Toone shoots high and wide from the edge of the D. England look like creating a chance almost every time they attack.
GOAL! England 2-0 Luxembourg (Russo 18)
Third time lucky for Alessia Russo. Leah Williamson clipped a beautiful cross to the far post, where Russo pulled away from Kremer and steered a close-range header past Schlime. That’s a good finish, especially after missing two chances in quick succession.
Updated
17 min Another chance for Russo, who turns Mead’s low cross wide of the near post. It’s completely one-sided, as we expected/feared.
13 min: Good save by Schlime! Toone slides a precise pass through to her best mate Russo, who gets it out of her feet and hammers a shot that is pushed round the post by Schlime. Russo’s first touch was immaculate but the shot was too close to the keeper.
Updated
GOAL! England 1-0 Luxembourg (Stanway 11 pen)
Stanway crashes the penalty into the net. Schlime went the right way, to her right, but couldn’t get there.
Updated
11 min: Penalty to England Russo turns smartly in the area and is brought down by Have. A clear penalty.
Wales v Slovenia has kicked off at the Cardiff City Stadium, where it is pelting down.
8 min Am ambitious through ball from Toone just evades Parris, who made a good run from right to centre.
7 min England are smothering Luxembourg, who have barely been able to cross the halfway line.
5 min Stanway forces the first corner for England, to be taken by Greenwood. It’s nodded behind for another, which is headed away at the near post.
2 min Almost an early chance for England. Parris’s cross is only half cleared, with Stanway picking the ball up on the edge of the area. She tries to make an angle for a shot but is well tackled by Kremer.
1 min Peep peep! Ella Toone gets the match under way.
A special moment before tonight's game. 🏆
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) September 6, 2022
❤️ @JillScottJS8 pic.twitter.com/Yx9r42eG5j
Here come the England players, on what is a wet, windy night in Stoke. There’s a lovely ovation for the players, and then an almighty cheer when Sarina Wiegman, the genius behind England’s Euro triumph, is presented with the Uefa coach of the year trophy.
Your UEFA Women's Coach of the Year 🏆
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) September 6, 2022
Congratulations, @wiegman_s! 👏 pic.twitter.com/l1rSYXXJwl
Updated
Full time: Slovakia 0-1 Republic of Ireland
Denise O’Sullivan’s first-half goal has given Ireland an excellent – and significant – victory in Senec. It means they will go straight into the second round of the playoffs, and they could* be one game away from World Cup qualification.
Scotland, who will be in the first round of the playoffs, are 5-0 up away to the Faroe Islands.
Updated
The great Keira Walsh wins her 50th cap tonight. The word on the street is that it might be her last as a Manchester City player.
Wales v Slovenia team news
CYMRU XI 🏴🇸🇮
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) September 6, 2022
📺 Watch live 👉 https://t.co/m2llELwCZi#BeFootball | #TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/nbB01xyOBO
Znana je prva postava slovenske ženske reprezentance za obračun z Walesom.#SrceBije #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/vqNCHMixeX
— NZS | FA Slovenia (@nzs_si) September 6, 2022
We’ll also have goalflashes from the huge game in Cardiff, where Wales need a point against Slovenia to qualify for the World Cup playoffs.
Scotland and the Republic of Ireland are already in Friday’s playoff draw, but Northern Ireland won’t be going to Australia and New Zealand next summer. They ended their campaign this afternoon with a peculiar 3-1 win away to Latvia; all three Northern Ireland goals were own-goals.
Team news
Sarina Wiegman makes three changes from the team that won in Austria on Saturday. Ellie Roebuck, Rachel Daly and Nikita Parris – who came off the bench to score in Wiener Neustadt – replace Mary Earps, Millie Bright and Lauren Hemp.
🤩 Here's how the #Lionesses line up tonight! 👊 pic.twitter.com/o2MS4mhgh1
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) September 6, 2022
England (4-1-4-1) Roebuck; Bronze, Williamson, Greenwood, Daly; Walsh; Parris, Stanway, Toone, Mead; Russo.
Substitutes: Earps, MacIver, Bright, Zelem, Wubben-Moy, Carter, Hemp, Nobbs, England, Stokes, James, Salmon.
Luxembourg (possible 4-4-1-1) Schlime; Dos Santos, Have, Kremer, Becker; Jorge, Miller, Soares Marques, Mariana Lourenco Magalhaes; Schmit; Joana Lourenco Magalhaes.
Substitutes: Goetz, Weyer, Ludwig, Delgado Do Rosario, Mendes, Schon, Tiberi, Marques Abreu, Kocan, Albert.
Updated
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the World Cup qualifier between England and Luxembourg in Stoke. It’s a celebration dressed up as a football match – England’s first home game since the joyous afternoon at Wembley when they beat Germany to win the European Championships.
If that was a perfect day, then England are chasing a different kind of perfection tonight. They clinched a World Cup place by beating Austria at the weekend, and now they have a chance to complete an immaculate qualification campaign. So far they have won nine out of nine, scoring 70 (yep) goals and conceded precisely none. Even allowing for the inequality in international football, that’s quite the performance.
They hammered Luxembourg 10-0 in the return fixture, and if I was running my own illegal online bookies I’d give you odds of 1,000,000,000,000,000-1 on an away win tonight. We know what’s going to happen, pretty much. But tonight is about more than just the football.
Kick off 7.30pm.
