England Women will face Portugal in the Women's Nations League on Friday, a match that will see Lucy Bronze come up against a team she has "always supported." The game holds special significance for Bronze due to her Portuguese heritage, adding an emotional layer to the competition.
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02-23, 2025The 33-year-old defender is eligible to represent both countries as her father is Portuguese and her mother is English. The Portuguese FA approached her when she was 16, but she ultimately chose to represent the Lionesses, having grown up in England. Bronze stated that she hopes Portugal does well in the competition, but not at the expense of England on Friday, emphasizing her divided loyalties.
"I actually have little Portugal flags on my boots. My parents met in the Algarve many years ago," Bronze said at a press conference held in Portugal. "I've always had a good connection with the Portuguese FA. I always want them to do well and I want them to do well in the Nations League – just not beat us. My first ever shirt was a Portugal shirt. All my holidays were in that area and a lot of my football growing up was here. It’s had a massive impact on me. I’m equally proud to be Portuguese and English."
England are aiming for a strong start in the Nations League, following criticism of their recent performances. Sarina Wiegman's team is preparing to defend their European Championship title this summer in Switzerland, with group stage opponents including Spain and Belgium. Their final ranking will also determine their starting point in the European qualifying league system for the 2027 Women's World Cup, making the competition crucial.
Prior to the introduction of the Nations League in 2023, the Lionesses often faced lower-ranked opponents, leading to some lopsided scorelines, such as their 20-0 victory over Latvia in 2021. But Wiegman says the matches are more challenging now. "We can't take for granted that everything has changed. We're never going to win 20-0 anymore. That's not competitive," Wiegman said. "I'm excited to see those who step up and show themselves."
England will be without several key players, including midfielder Georgia Stanway, forward Lauren Hemp, and defender Alex Greenwood, all sidelined due to injury. However, they welcome back Chelsea forward Lauren James and defender Niamh Charles. Charles stated that despite some defensive lapses in recent matches, she can still "see from the outside what the team is building." "Of course, mistakes happen. I think the consistency and the stability within the team is being built," she said. "That's a solid foundation to win games. Defending is massive. We'll continue to focus on it."
The 2025 European Championship will begin in July, but England centre-back Millie Bright says the focus is on the Nations League and they are not looking too far ahead. "I've not thought about the Euros, to be honest. It's too far away," Bright said. "Whilst everything we're doing now is preparing for the Euros, when we go into the two Nations League games, I think it's really important to be present in the moment. Everything is riding on the Nations League. It's really important. First and foremost, we want to be successful in that. We can take momentum from that."
