Sarina Wiegman: Lionesses given safety reassurances in Turkey

Manager Sarina Wiegman says England have been given reassurances there are no safety concerns about their Women's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine being held in Turkey as the conflict in the Middle East widens.

The Lionesses play in Antalya at 17:00 GMT on Tuesday because Ukraine are unable to play in their home country as a result of the war with Russia, which is in its fifth year.

On Saturday the US attacked Iran as part of a joint operation with Israel, sparking retaliatory strikes across the Middle East.

The Iranian regime has responded with attacks on US assets and countries in the region with a US military presence, including Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq.

Turkey borders Iran and Iraq and is close to Cyprus, where an Iranian drone crashed into a British RAF base on Sunday. Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have also exchanged strikes.

"Yes, we did have reassurances. We are in close contact with the government and the people here that are responsible," said Wiegman.

"We're fine here but we're keeping an eye on it. We're in contact all the time with the responsible authorities.

"Of course, you're concerned about what's happening in the world. When we think, or our government thinks it's unsafe, we will go back. At this moment, we don't have signals of that."

England travelled to Turkey last Wednesday for a training camp but it is unclear how many fans will attend the match following the weekend's developments, with some supporters and several media outlets already choosing to withdraw.

Wiegman says the fact Ukraine are having to host the match in Turkey because of conflict in their home country following Russia's invasion is "really sad".

"We have great facilities here and the climate is really good so we can prepare really well. But the reason we're here is not nice," she added.

"You want Ukraine to be able to play in their home country. They had to travel a lot themselves to get here. The things they have in front of them in their country is really horrible.

"We hope this game unites a bit. It's a chance for Ukraine to show themselves to the world in another way where hopefully football unites and brings some joy."

England are in a group with Ukraine, Iceland and Spain, with only the top team qualifying automatically for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil.

Midfielder Georgia Stanway hopes England can get off to a winning start this week when they face Ukraine, before hosting Iceland at the City Ground on Saturday.

"Our main task is to qualify as fast as possible but we also understand the process behind it and what it takes to get to a Euros and a World Cup," said Stanway.

"We know it's super difficult. We need to make sure we're adapting, evolving and changing our game. We know our opposition are getting better and better."

Stanway has announced she will be leaving Bayern Munich when her contract expires at the end of the summer.

She says she is "very close" to confirming her future, with extensive talks with Arsenal ongoing over a pre-contract agreement.

"I've absolutely loved my time at Bayern and it has probably been one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life," said Stanway.

"From the moment I got there, it felt like home. I still love it but I just came to the conclusion that I always want to have good memories at Bayern.

"I didn't want to get to the point that I wasn't enjoying it or I was a little bit over it. I want to continue to play this season and make as many memories as possible."

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