England 0-0 Sweden: Lionesses secure automatic qualification to Euro 2025 as defending champions keep hosts at bay to grind out goalless draw

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There was nothing glamorous about the way England sealed their qualification for Euro 2025.

Two summers ago the Lionesses were lighting up a home tournament, playing electrifying football that saw them crowned European champions for the first time in their history.

They have found it difficult to reach the levels they set for themselves in recent times but they will be in Switzerland to defend their title next summer.

To do that, they will have to play better than they did in Gothenburg on Tuesday evening. This was not a champion performance against a Sweden team who had to win to progress, but it was enough to get the job done and avoid play-off matches later this year.

With two of the top-six ranked nations in the world all drawn in the same group, automatic qualification was never going to be straightforward for the Lionesses.

Defending champions England have qualified automatically for Euro 2025 in Switzerland

Hannah Hampton in goal helped neutralise the Swedish threat as England saw out the much-needed draw

Sarina Wiegman will need to see more from her team to threaten at next year's tournament

Second place is where they finished, despite France suffering a shock 3-1 defeat by the Republic of Ireland in their final game.

England just needed a point against Sweden, who finished two points behind them in third place.

This campaign has shown there are issues for Wiegman to resolve. They have lacked fluidity and have appeared to tire in the second half of every game they have faced in their group.

‘Yeah that is something that we absolutely have to improve,’ Wiegman said of England’s second half performance.

‘It’s good we now have a year. I think in the first half we played very good football. The only thing we didn’t do was score a goal. We could have created some more chances if we got more players up front in the final third.

Hampton was selected ahead of No 1 'keeper Mary Earps and proved her mettle in goal

The newly minted Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper will have to fight for her jersey back now

‘In the second half it was a battle. In those moments, when they start pressing higher with more players, then when you have the ball you want to keep it better so we have control of the game more. That’s correct we had it against France and here too. That’s to do with the quality of the opponent but it’s good you have a year to prepare for the Euros and work on those things.’

One of Wiegman’s key selection dilemmas coming into Tuesday’s crucial match was whether to bring goalkeeper Mary Earps back into the starting XI or to stick with Hannah Hampton, who had started the last two games. 

Earps missed last month’s victory over France after picking up a hip injury in the defeat against Les Bleus four days earlier. She had been fit to play against the Republic of Ireland on Friday but Hampton retained her place and Wiegman opted to keep the Chelsea shot-stopper in goal here.

The England manager had insisted before kick-off that it was too early to suggest that whoever started in goal would be the No1 choice moving forward, but starting Hampton over Earps was certainly a bold move and it feels as though it is now her shirt to lose.

‘Mary was very professional and ready,’ Wiegman said of Earps’ reaction to not starting.

The defending champions had a strong first-half but struggled to contain a renewed Sweden in the second-half

‘We split the games in February and April. In the May/June window unfortunately Mary got injured. In that period we said there is more competition going on between the two, of course we have Khiara [Keating] too and we had Anna Moorhouse in the squad and they’re doing well too.

‘The competition is on, really on. They are both incredibly talented goalkeepers who we are really happy with and of course with the others too. Now we have done this, there is three months until our next window, they are going back to their clubs, Mary of course to France, and we’ll see how that goes first and when they come in October.’

England controlled possession in the first half without creating a chance of note. Neither team managed a shot on target before the half-time whistle, with Sweden’s best opportunity falling to right back Hanna Lundkvist, whose shot from the edge of the box flew over the bar.

England needed Hampton to make an important stop to keep out Filipa Angeldahl’s close-range effort from a set-piece before Lucy Bronze saw her header saved by Zecira Musovic at the other end.

Lucy Bronze (right) saw her headed effort stopped by Sweden goalkeeper Zecira Musovic

Sweden will now have to navigate the choppy waters of play-off matches to qualify themselves

Wiegman has spoken many times about sloppiness from her side throughout this campaign and they were guilty of playing themselves into trouble as the half wore on. Leah Williamson and Jess Carter were both guilty of gifting possession away while Millie Bright kept getting in Hampton’s way when the goalkeeper tried to come and collect crosses. Hampton dropped the ball on multiple occasions, though Wiegman was furious at a supposed lack of protection from the referee.

Hampton was nearly caught out when Angeldahl fired a 30-yard shot towards the top right corner of her goal, but she recovered well to produce a one-handed save to preserve England’s clean sheet.

England were hanging on during the four minutes of added time but, as has been the case throughout this campaign, they did just enough to get over the line.