Russo ready for 2026 after Homecoming Tour success

Alessia Russo signed off for 2025 with another goal for England as the Lionesses saw off Ghana in Southampton.

The Arsenal striker came off the bench in the second half, before netting England’s second goal at St. Mary’s with a stoppage-time penalty.

England had taken an early lead after Lucia Kendall’s first senior goal, but couldn’t build on their early advantage much to the frustration of head coach Sarina Wiegman.

But Russo believes the Lionesses head into 2026 and a new World Cup qualifying campaign with plenty to look forward to.

“We’ve had a good camp, we’ve built on a lot,” she said.

“You can tell it’s a bit of a new England, we say it after every camp but there’s lots of youngsters making their debuts again tonight.

“They [Ghana] posed a completely different threat, they were really good and they put on a really good show and made it really difficult for us.

“That’s what we want from these fixtures pre-World Cup. We want to test ourselves against different styles and we certainly got that tonight.”

Since the summer’s success in Switzerland when Russo helped England retain their EURO title, the Lionesses have enjoyed four games held across the UK, in London, Manchester, Derby and Southampton.

And she says it’s been an enjoyable few months as England prepare for the road to the next World Cup in Brazil in 2027.

"It's nice to be able to come and be able to celebrate in front of our fans and play in front of our fans,” she admitted.

“They travel a lot and are really important for us. Also, we're just constantly building. When you have friendlies and camps where you have time, you can train a bit more but you can also try new things, try new relationships. We've seen that over the past few camps. It's a really exciting time to be part of England."

Russo also reserved special praise for Kendall and her impact since coming into the senior squad over the last two camps.

"She's brilliant, she's come straight into the team and it's like she's been here for years,” she added.

“She's got so much quality and wants to learn off the other girls as well in midfield.

“Sometimes in football there's 'meant to be' moments and I think that was it for her tonight."