Lauren James shows England what they’ve been missing

The energy at the City Ground notably picked up when it happened. After a fairly subdued opening seven minutes, Lauren James picked up the ball for the first time. The murmurs in the sold-out stadium became more excited as England’s No 7 looked to attack Iceland’s defence.

This is a team full of players who have become superstars. The experience of an England women’s match in 2026 is akin to a frenzied Beatlemania if that had been accompanied by hot pink knock-off scarves.

Children look up to the team sweetly and adults do the same ­parasocially. Chloe Kelly has her own Barbie doll as of this week – a “dream come true” she shared when it was announced. Three members of the squad have written children’s books, with Leah Williamson having authored a whole shelf given her prolific output of five.

James keeps herself a bit further out of the limelight. Some of her most memorable moments in an England shirt have been less than positive, whether it was her petulant red card against Nigeria in the last 16 at the 2023 World Cup or being forced to limp off 40 minutes into the 2025 European Championship final when she had clearly not been fit to start. It would be understandable if she was a player who wasn’t thought of as ­affectionately as some others.

Yet the auditory feedback is that James is the England player who really gets the pulse racing. Anyone who watched her singlehandedly destroy China in 2023 or take apart the Netherlands in 2025 knows why.

That first moment from James saw her ping the ball out wide to an onrushing Lucy Bronze. Bronze couldn’t reach that one but she did latch on to the ball that James played from the byline, heading in for England’s first goal in a 2-0 win.

The result made it two from two in World Cup qualifying after a 6-1 win over Ukraine on Tuesday. Perfection in these games was required given that England are in a group with Spain, and only one automatic World Cup qualifying spot.

It was James’s first start for England since the final where she limped off and it served as a reminder that when she is at her best, she takes this team to another level. Against Iceland she was close to unplayable as she ­operated off the left side, switching the play out to Bronze or Lauren Hemp on the right or swinging in crosses for Alessia Russo to attack.

But for the profligacy of her ­team-mates, she could have had a hat-trick of assists in the first half. It was no surprise that 46% of England’s attacking play in the first half came down her side. Her ­dominance also freed up more space for Hemp as Iceland players were forced to gravitate towards her in an effort to close her down. Not that it made much of an impact. Give James space and she will place a ball exactly where she wants to. Try and get tight, and she’ll drop her shoulder and go past you. Both options will be carried out with utmost nonchalance.

As James told The Times this week her laconic style on the ball often gets misunderstood as laziness or ­arrogance. “Because I’m such a laid-back character, it can sometimes come across that I’m not bothered, but actually I care a lot,” she said. “That is just the way I am.”

The seemingly never-­ending ­question for both England and Chelsea is how on earth they can keep her fit. The injuries have piled up over the years, months missed due to toe, calf, hamstring or foot issues. It is apparent that James also takes a while to find her form after a period of time out. It is like her absences take away her trust in her own ability. For a player who brings so much confidence and swagger to the pitch, she can look lost after time away from it.

One hope may come in the form of her brother, Reece, who after an injury-hit couple of years for Chelsea and England has spent a year fit. He is playing some of the best football of his career. There are a lot of similarities stylistically between the siblings – their immaculate first touch, wicked deliveries and physical prowess – but it is a different Chelsea player who James most resembles. The two ­quietly spoken No 10s at the club, in James and Cole Palmer, have the talent that makes onlookers hold their breath, knowing that when they are on the ball anything can happen next.

As soon as James finished her post-match interview with ITV, an Iceland player made an immediate beeline to swap shirts with her. Another James shirt was dug up to give to a ­second. No Icelandic left empty-handed. It is not only the England fans who are aware of how good James can be when she gets going. Bronze herself said the same on ITV. “She can be the best in the world one day.”

It is a day that has always felt ­tantalisingly close but whenever she has been near, something has got in the way. She is 24 years old now and no longer the ingénue. Performances like this continuing would elevate England from an accomplished team to a frightening one.

Photography by Naomi Baker/Getty