Taylor Hinds has withdrawn from the England squad after suffering an ankle injury last week, leaving the side to continue its buildup without the defender ahead of Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Spain.
Hinds will return to Arsenal for further assessment and treatment, while the rest of the England squad trains at St. George’s Park before heading to the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix. England can seal a place at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil if it avoids defeat against Spain, a result that would remove any lingering doubt before the next step of the campaign.
The timing matters because England are in the middle of a two-match qualifying window, with Ukraine next on 9 June at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. Hinds’ absence leaves one fewer option for a team that has already started planning for the decisive stretch of the schedule, and it comes just as the squad needs to keep its focus on the match in Spain.
There is still no clear answer on how long Hinds will be out. Her return to Arsenal for more checks suggests the ankle problem needs closer attention, and that makes the immediate concern less about the qualifier itself than about how quickly she can be available again. Hinds was part of the England squad that won bronze at the 2018 Fifa U20 Women’s World Cup in France, and this setback interrupts another chance to be involved at senior level.
For England, the next 48 hours are straightforward even if the outlook for Hinds is not. Train at St. George’s Park, face Spain on Friday, then come home and reset for Ukraine. If the team leaves Mallorca unbeaten, the path to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil opens immediately.
