England may be back-to-back European champions but former captain Steph Houghton believes trying to win the holy grail of a World Cup is a “different entity.”
Sarina Wiegman led England to their first major women’s trophy at Euro 2022 and they retained their crown last year with a nerve-jangling penalty shootout win over Spain in the final.
It was a measure of revenge after Spain defeated them in the 2023 World Cup showpiece match, the first time England had reached the final after suffering semifinal heartache in both 2015 and 2019.
They again beat Spain on Tuesday to take a big stride towards qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Brazil, where Houghton expects the tournament hosts and the United States to be England’s big rivals.
“Two Euros trophies back-to-back and you go for a World Cup, of course England are going to be up there as favourites,” Houghton told the Press Association.
“A World Cup is a different entity. You’ve got the likes of USA, it’s in Brazil and they’ll be expected to do well. It’s going to be really, really tough.
“It’s taking confidence in their last two Euros victories.
“Sarina’s got it right, the last two tournaments, so why couldn’t she get it done again?”
– ‘Proper England’ returns as Sarina Wiegman’s blueprint stifles Spain once more
– England beat Spain at Wembley to make huge progress in World Cup qualifying journey
– Lauren Hemp scores only goal in Lionesses win – as it happened
Houghton brought an end to her glittering playing career — which included three Women’s Super League and five FA Cup titles as well as 121 England caps — nearly two years ago, but has thrown herself into media work since then.
“When you retire, you get told to take as many opportunities as you can and to continue [to] learn different things,” she said.
“I made my schedule so busy in that first season that you’re not really getting the time and the enjoyment of the reason why I wanted to retire — which was to spend more time with my family and do stuff I’ve never done before.
“I think I’ve got the balance a little bit better this year.
“Do I miss football? Sometimes. When the big games come, you miss those moments of playing with your mates and playing football in front of 50 or 60,000 fans.”
Houghton scratched the itch at Soccer Aid for UNICEF last year and does so again on May 31 at the London Stadium as part of an England team containing former footballers and celebrities.
One of the big talking points of last year was Leonardo Bonucci’s crunching tackle on Houghton, who will have the chance to get her own back after it was confirmed the Italian would also return in 2026.
“I’ll have to see my mate, Leo,” Houghton said with a smile. “I’ll just have to be a bit quicker than him this time.
“Soccer Aid keeps us in touch with playing football and just getting that feeling back of what it used to be. Honestly [last year] was by far the best experience I’ve ever had away from football.”
Soccer Aid for UNICEF takes place on May 31 at the London Stadium.