Sarina Wiegman has signed a two-year contract extension to remain England Women’s head coach until the end of the 2029 European Championships.
The 56-year-old Dutch coach’s contract with England was due to expire after next summer’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The extension means Wiegman will remain in post through next summer’s World Cup and Euro 2029, as well the 2027 Nations League campaign next spring which will serve as a qualification pathway for a Team GB squad at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Wiegman’s backroom staff, including Janneke Bijl and Arvid Smit, who joined after the 2025 Euros, will remain in post as well as long-standing goalkeeping coach Darren Ward.
It is the second contract extension of Wiegman’s England tenure since her appointment in September 2021, having signed a new contract in 2024 after reaching the World Cup final with England in Australia and New Zealand.
Since her appointment five years ago, Wiegman has helped catalyse an unprecedented era of success for England’s women’s national team and become the most successful manager of the team in history.
England lifted their first-ever major trophy at the home European Championships in 2022, a feat that arrived in Wiegman’s first 12 months at the helm. England reached the finals of the World Cup the following summer, narrowly losing 1-0 to Spain, before defeating Spain in a penalty shoot-out two years later in Switzerland to successfully defend their European title.
On her new contract, Wiegman, who has reached five successive major tournament finals including the EURO wins with England in 2022 and 2025, said: “I am honoured by their trust, which I never take for granted and want to keep this great partnership going. I have such a strong desire to see what more we can achieve together with our amazing fans.
“Anyone who knows me will understand that my main concern right now is absolutely the World Cup, and helping this squad realise their potential in the years to come.”
England face Ukraine in a two-legged playoff qualification final to reach next summer World Cup following their comfortable 8-1 aggregate defeat of Greece in the two-legged playoff qualification semi-final earlier this month.
Just how important is this for England?
Analysis by women’s football writer Megan Feringa
There’s no other way of putting it. This is huge for England. Sarina Wiegman is one of the best head coaches, if not the best in international women’s football, with a sparkling CV that few others can boast. She has overseen one of the greatest and strongest periods of sustained success in England football history, men’s or women’s, and helped revolutionise the national and domestic game from the top-down in the country.
The thought of England not having Wiegman after next summer’s World Cup was unnerving for many, a no-man’s land given how influential Wiegman has been not only in the senior women’s team but her influence over the entire national team set-up, from the under-23s to the emphasis on growing the grassroots game for the next generation.
But the biggest significance of this extension is of course Wiegman’s potential to get more silverware out of this England team. With two European championships already scooped up, it is a World Cup that she and England Women are missing. The Lionesses are one of the favourites to contend for next summer’s prize, alongside reigning world champions Spain.
The sense of security over her future will be valuable heading into next summer’s competition. No distractions and pure focus on form and football is where Wiegman – and this England squad – thrive best. The England FA are ensuring they create that environment as early as possible. From there, the possibilities are endless.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
England, International Football, Women's Soccer, Women's Super League
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