England women's national football team

Early years

The success of the men's national football team at the 1966 FIFA World Cup led to an upsurge of interest in football from women within England. The Women's Football Association (WFA) was established in 1969 as an attempt to organise the women's game.^[3] That same year, Harry Batt formed an independent English team that competed in the Fédération Internationale Européenne de Football Féminine (FIEFF) European Cup.^[4]: 43 Batt's team also participated in two FIEFF World Cups held in Italy (1970) and Mexico (1971).^[5][6]

Following a UEFA recommendation in 1972 for national associations to incorporate the women's game, the Football Association (FA) later that year rescinded its ban on women playing on English Football League grounds.^[7][8] Shortly after, Eric Worthington was tasked by the WFA to assemble an official women's national team. England competed in its first international match against Scotland in Greenock on 18 November 1972, 100 years to the month after the first men's international.^[3][9] The team overturned a two-goal deficit to defeat their northern opponents 3–2, with Sylvia Gore scoring England's first international goal.^[10] Pat Firth scored a hat-trick in an international against Scotland in 1973 among the 8–0 scoreline.^[11] Tom Tranter replaced Worthington as long term manager of the women's national football team and remained in that position for the next six years.^[4]: 94

1979–1993: Progress under Reagan

Martin Reagan was appointed to replace Tranter in 1979.^[4]: 100 England reached the final of the inaugural European Competition for Women's Football, in 1984, after beating Denmark 3–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals. Despite resolute defending, including a spectacular goal line clearance from captain Carol Thomas, the England team lost the first away leg 1–0 against Sweden, after a header from Pia Sundhage, but won the second home leg by the same margin, with a goal from Linda Curl.^[12] England lost the subsequent penalty shootout 4–3. Theresa Wiseman saved Helen Johansson's penalty but both Curl and Lorraine Hanson had their spot kicks saved by Elisabeth Leidinge.^[13]

At the 1987 European Competition for Women's Football, England again reached the semi-finals but lost 3–2 after extra time against holders Sweden, in a repeat of the previous final. The team settled for fourth, after losing the third place play-off against Italy 2–1.^[14] Reagan was sacked after England's 6–1 quarter-final loss against Germany at UEFA Women's Euro 1991, which left them unable to qualify for the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup. John Bilton was appointed as head coach in 1991 after Barrie Williams's brief tenure.^{[4]: 103–104}

1993–1998: FA involvement

In 1993, the FA took over the running of women's football in England from the WFA, replacing Bilton with Ted Copeland as national team manager.^[4]: 105 England managed to qualify for UEFA Women's Euro 1995, having previously missed out on the last three editions, but were beaten 6–2 on aggregate over two legs against Germany.^[15] Reaching the European semi-finals granted England a place at the World Cup for the first time. The team advanced from the group stage of the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden, but lost out again to Germany 3–0 in the quarter-finals.^[16]

1998–2013: Development under Powell

Hope Powell became the team's first full-time head coach in June 1998, succeeding her former coach Copeland.^[17] The European Championship expanded in 1997 to eight teams and moved from a biennial event to a quadrennial one. England qualified via the play-offs for the 2001 competition held in Germany, despite recording their biggest loss (away against Norway 8–0) during qualification, but did not advance past the group stage.^[18] England automatically qualified as hosts in 2005, but again did not make it to the semi-finals.^[19]

Qualification for the World Cup changed for the 1999 edition. European qualifiers were introduced, so that teams no longer needed to rely on advancing to the latter stages of the European Championship. England qualified unbeaten for the 2007 World Cup in China, winning Group 5 in the European qualifiers and recording their biggest win (away against Hungary, 13–0) in the process, ending a 12-year hiatus from the competition.^[20][21] After coming second in their group, they advanced into the quarter-finals to face the United States but lost 3–0.^[22]

In May 2009, central contracts were implemented to help players focus on full-time training without having to fit it around full-time employment.^[23][24] Three months later, at the European Championships in Finland, England marked their return to the recently expanded 12-team competition by reaching the final for the first time in 25 years. They advanced from Group C to the quarter-finals by virtue of being the top third-placed team, beating both the hosts and the Netherlands in the knockout stage on the way to the final. There they lost 6–2 to reigning champions Germany.^[25]

England reached their third World Cup in 2011, having won Group 5 and their play-off 5–2 over two legs against Switzerland.^[26][27] In Germany, they topped Group B – ahead of eventual winners Japan.^[28] England were paired with France in the quarter-finals, with the match ending in a 1–1 draw. England had taken the lead with Jill Scott's chip, only to have Élise Bussaglia equalise with two minutes remaining. After extra time ended in stalemate, they lost the ensuing penalty shootout 4–3. Karen Bardsley had saved Camille Abily's initial penalty but misses by Claire Rafferty and Faye White sent England out of the competition.^[29]

Powell left the role in August 2013 after a poor showing at the UEFA Women's Euro 2013, with England bowing out after the group stage.^[17]

2013–2017: Sampson era

Welshman Mark Sampson succeeded Powell as England manager. England qualified for their third successive World Cup in August 2014 with a game to spare, winning all ten matches and topping Group 6.^[30] England played their first international match at the new Wembley Stadium, home to the men's national team, in a friendly against the reigning European champions Germany on 23 November 2014. England had not played Germany since their heavy defeat in the European Championship final five years earlier. They lost the match 3–0, marking the 20th attempt at which England had failed to record an official win over Germany.^[31][32]

At the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, England lost their opening group game to France but won their remaining group games against Mexico and Colombia, easing through to the last 16 to play 1995 champions Norway. A 2–1 win set up a meeting with hosts Canada in the quarter-finals. Despite facing not only a strong Canadian team but a capacity partisan crowd at BC Place in Vancouver, England progressed to the semifinals of the Women's World Cup for the first time in their history with another 2–1 win, which also marked the first semifinal appearance by any England senior team since the men reached the last four of the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Playing reigning World Cup holders Japan in the semi-finals, England conceded a penalty kick, which Aya Miyama converted past Karen Bardsley. Japan then conceded a penalty as Yuki Ogimi clipped Steph Houghton and Fara Williams slotted it past Ayumi Kaihori to level the game. However, in the last minute of the game, Laura Bassett scored an own goal to send Japan through to the final.^[33] England eventually finished in third place by beating Germany 1–0 after extra time after a Williams penalty, their first time beating their archrivals in the women's game. It marked the best finish for any England senior team since the men's team famously won the 1966 World Cup as hosts.^[34]

England qualified for the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 in the Netherlands and won all three of their group games at the tournament. England beat France 1–0 in the quarter-finals before meeting hosts and eventual champions, the Netherlands. In the semi-finals, England conceded three goals without reply and were knocked out of the tournament.^[35]

In September 2017, Sampson was sacked from his role as manager by the FA after evidence of "inappropriate and unacceptable" behaviour was uncovered during his tenure at Bristol Academy.^[36] The FA in January 2019 agreed to pay a "significant" financial settlement to Sampson, on the week his claim for unfair dismissal was due to be heard in court.^[37] He was replaced by Phil Neville, who had played at Manchester United – including in their 1999 treble winning season – and Everton and been capped by the England men but had never before held a high-profile managing job.

2018–2021: Neville era

After being appointed manager, Neville's first games in charge were at the 2018 SheBelieves Cup. In their first game, England defeated France 4–1, then drew 2–2 against Germany. They went into the final game against the United States with the opportunity to win the tournament, but lost 1–0. Second place was the highest England had finished at the SheBelieves Cup.^[38]

England continued with World Cup qualification in 2018. On 6 April they drew 0–0 against Wales. After the qualifying games in June, England and Wales were guaranteed the first two spots in qualifying Group 1,^[39] and England's 3–0 win against Wales in August 2018 saw them clinch the group and qualify for the World Cup finals.^[40]

In the 2019 SheBelieves Cup, England won the tournament for the first time after winning their first match 2–1 against Brazil, drawing 2–2 with the United States and defeating Japan 3–0.^[41]

In the 2019 Women's World Cup in France, England won group D, beating local rivals Scotland and archrival Argentina to qualify for the knockout phase, before beating Japan. England beat both Cameroon and then Norway 3–0 to advance to the semifinal against United States in Lyon – the team's third straight major tournament semifinal. However, similar to the previous two tournaments, England once again failed to make the final, losing 2–1. Alex Morgan scored the winner after Ellen White had equalised following Christen Press' opening goal, while White had an equaliser ruled out by VAR and Houghton had a penalty saved by Alyssa Naeher. The team finished in fourth after losing the third place play-off to Sweden 2–1.^[42]

In March 2019 Winsford was chosen for the site of the £70m Cheshire FA Centre of Excellence, which will be the new home of the England Women's Football Team. It will also act as a training base for European teams playing in Liverpool and Manchester. The development was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020. In October 2020 the Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave his support for the development to go ahead; planning applications are expected to be submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council in spring 2021 with a possible opening date of 2023. The site is being designed to revolutionise women's football in England.^{[43][needs update]}

In the wake of the World Cup exit, England's form dropped as the team struggled in a series of friendlies to end the year including a 2–1 defeat by Germany at Wembley Stadium on 9 November 2019. The game set a new record attendance for an England women's match at 77,768, becoming the second-biggest crowd for a women's game on English soil after the 2012 Olympic final which was watched by 80,203 at the same venue.^[44] The poor run continued into 2020 as England failed to defend their title at the 2020 SheBelieves Cup in March. Losses to the United States and Spain made it seven defeats in 11 games, the team's worst stretch since 2003, mounting further pressure on Neville, who admitted he was personally responsible for England's "unacceptable" form amid increased media scrutiny.^{[45][46][47][48]} In April 2020, Neville announced he would step down as manager when his contract expired in July 2021. Originally his tenure would have extended to England's hosting of UEFA Women's Euro 2021, but the tournament was postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[49]

An FA budget restructure at the end of 2020 saw the women's team become independent from the men's team for the first time, allowing more strategic freedom.^[50] In January 2021, Neville elected to resign early in order to take up the managerial position at Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer club founded by previous England men's captain David Beckham.^[51][52] As it had already been agreed that incumbent Netherlands manager Sarina Wiegman would be appointed to the role from September 2021, Hege Riise was named caretaker manager until then.^[53] Riise oversaw a 6–0 friendly win over Northern Ireland in her first game in charge.^[54]

From 2021: Wiegman era

On 14 August 2020, the FA announced it had reached a four-year deal with Netherlands manager Sarina Wiegman, who agreed to take over the team from September 2021, becoming the first non-British permanent manager.^[55][56] Entering as England began their 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification, Wiegman wanted the team to be ruthless, beginning a streak of large winning goal margins in both competitive and friendly matches, including a "humiliating" defeat of the Netherlands.^[50] On 30 November 2021, during qualification for the 2023 World Cup, Ellen White became England's all-time record goals scorer (overtaking Kelly Smith), during a 20–0 win over Latvia, in which she scored a hat-trick. The game was a multi-record breaking game as three other players scored a hat-trick (Mead, Hemp (scored 4), and Russo), marking the first time four players had scored a hat-trick in a senior England women's game. The game was also the largest victory for either the women's or men's senior England sides, surpassing the women's team's 2005 13–0 win against Hungary and the men's 1882 13–0 win against Ireland.^[57]

England were drawn into Group A of Women's Euro 2022 as hosts and won each of the group stage matches: 1–0 against Austria at Old Trafford in Manchester;^[58] 8–0 against Norway at the Falmer Stadium in Brighton and Hove (a new European Championship record score);^[59] and 5–0 against Northern Ireland at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton.^[60] In the quarter-final, England recovered from being a goal behind against Spain to win 2–1 in extra time at the Falmer Stadium.^[61] In the semi-final at Bramall Lane in Sheffield, they defeated Sweden 4–0, the highlight of this match being a goal scored by Alessia Russo with an "instinctive backheel" that was later nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award.^[62]

On 31 July, England defeated Germany 2–1 in extra time in the Women's Euro 2022 Final at Wembley, with Chloe Kelly's 110th-minute close-range goal from a corner being the decider after goals in normal time by Ella Toone for England and Lina Magull for Germany. It was the team's first-ever major trophy and was the first major international championship won by an England team (women's or men's) since 1966.^[64] The final was watched by a crowd of 87,192, a record for either the women's or men's European Championship.^[65]

Soon after Euro 2022, the England players wrote an open letter to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, the candidates in the ongoing Conservative Party leadership election, in which they declared their "legacy and goal was to inspire a nation". They saw their victory "as only the beginning". The letter pointed out that only 63% of British girls could play football in school PE lessons and concluded: "We – the 23 members of the England Senior Women's EURO Squad – ask you to make it a priority to invest in girls' football in schools, so that every girl has the choice".^[66][67]

With a further series of wins and draws including a friendly win against the United States at Wembley and qualifying for the 2023 Women's World Cup, the team ended 2022 having gone unbeaten for the calendar year.^[68] In December at BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Mead became the first female footballer to win the Sports Personality of the Year Award, with the team as a whole winning the Team of the Year Award and Wiegman winning the Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award.^[69] At The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022, held in February 2023, Mary Earps won the Best Women's Goalkeeper award; Wiegman won the Best Women's Coach award; and Mead, Williamson, Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh were named to the World XI.^[70]

As European champions, England contested the 2023 Women's Finalissima against South American champions Brazil in April 2023, which they won on penalties.^[71] The team then suffered their first defeat under Wiegman days later, losing to Australia, to end a 30-match unbeaten run.^[72] Following the Euro win and a series of high-profile wins in the months afterward, the England squad was reported to newly carry the aura of top teams that reflects winning confidence.^[73]

At the 2023 World Cup, the Lionesses won their group, winning all three matches.^[74] England subsequently defeated Nigeria, Colombia and Australia in the knockout stages to reach their first World Cup final, where they lost 1–0 to Spain.^[74][75][76]

Nickname

The England women's national football team is widely nicknamed the Lionesses. The moniker was developed in-house by The Football Association's digital marketing department as a way of increasing the visibility and reach of the women's team to a dedicated women's football audience and community, particularly on social media. It was first used as a hashtag in June 2012 when the men's team was competing in UEFA Euro 2012 at the same time the women's team was playing a crucial UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifier against Netherlands in a bid to help differentiate the coverage and allow people to follow the women's team more easily without getting lost in conversation about the men which was using the same generic #ThreeLions branding at the time. The name started to be used organically by fans and media outlets before The Football Association adopted it as an official brand identity, including with commercial and licensing partners, ahead of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.^[77][78]

The name was also used in an updated version of the popular English anthem "Three Lions" during England's ultimately successful Women's Euro 2022 run, which Fara Williams, Rachel Yankey, Faye White, Rachel Brown-Finnis and Anita Asante performed along with Chelcee Grimes and original artists Lightning Seeds and David Baddiel (with another original artist, Frank Skinner, in attendance).^[79] Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds later also not only referenced the team and their Women's Euro 2022 championship in "Three Lions (It's Coming Home for Christmas)", a remake for the men's World Cup in Qatar that November and December, but also included footage of the players interrupting Wiegman's post-Euro final press conference singing the chorus and appearances from Bethany England and Jess Carter.

In February 2024, when each of the London Overground lines were given names, the line from Watford Junction to Euston that includes Wembley Central was christened the Lioness Line in the team's honour.^[80]

Media coverage and promotion

The 2019 media campaign in announcing the World Cup squad was part of a broad marketing ambition to make the players into more recognisable stars to promote the team, the competition, and women's football. Using celebrities with connections to the players to make social media facing announcements, the marketing agency received praise for the campaign, which successfully increased social media engagement.^[81]

A documentary film, The Lionesses: How Football Came Home, was produced about the 2022 Euro win and released later that year.^[82][83] It has been reported that the team's campaign at the 2023 World Cup will also be given a documentary.^[84]

England matches at selected international tournaments are currently broadcast by ITV Sport (excluding Euro and World Cup finals) and BBC (major finals).^[85][86] Previously, the Euro and World Cup finals were broadcast by Channel 4 (Euro 2017 only) and Eurosport.

Collective honours

World Cup teams

In 2015, the World Cup squad won the BT Sport Action Woman Awards Team of the Year award.^[87]

In 2019, the World Cup squad won the GQ Men of the Year Inspiration Award.^[88]

2022 Euro team

The 23-player squad and coach Sarina Wiegman who won the 2022 Euro, the women's team's first major international title, received several honours that year, including:

• Freedom of the City of London (as individuals)^[89]
• Pride of Britain Awards (2022): Inspiration Award^[90][91]
• BT Sport Action Woman Awards: Team of the Year^[92]
• Northwest Football Awards: Billy Seymour Impact Award^[93]
• Manchester City of Champions Awards: Hall of Fame induction^[94]
• Just A Ball Game? LGBT+ inclusion and visibility award^[95]
• Sports Journalists' Association Awards: Team of the Year^[96]
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year (2022): Team of the Year Award^[97]
• Laureus World Sports Awards: Team of the Year nomination^[98][99]

This list includes match results from the past 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

All times are listed in GMT except where noted.

Legend

  Win  Draw  Lose  Void or Postponed  Fixture

2023

England  v  Portugal

1 July Friendly	England	0–0	Portugal	Milton Keynes, England
15:15		Report		Stadium: Stadium MK Attendance: 26,267 Referee: Esther Staubli (Switzerland)

England  v  Haiti

22 July FIFA World Cup 2023 GS	England	1–0	Haiti	Brisbane, Australia
19:30 UTC+10	Stanway 29' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Lang Park Attendance: 44,369 Referee: Emikar Calderas Barrera (Venezuela)

England  v  Denmark

28 July FIFA World Cup 2023 GS	England	1–0	Denmark	Sydney, Australia
18:30 UTC+10	James 6'	Report		Stadium: Sydney Football Stadium Attendance: 40,439 Referee: Tess Olofsson (Sweden)

China  v  England

1 August FIFA World Cup 2023 GS	China	1–6	England	Adelaide, Australia
20:30 UTC+9:30	Shuang 57' (pen.)	Report	Russo 4' Hemp 26' James 41', 66' Kelly 77' Daly 84'	Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium Attendance: 13,497 Referee: Casey Reibelt (Australia)

England  v  Nigeria

7 August FIFA World Cup 2023 R16	England	0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p)	Nigeria	Brisbane, Australia
17:30 UTC+10		Report		Stadium: Lang Park Attendance: 49,461 Referee: Melissa Borjas (Honduras)
	Penalties
	Stanway England Daly Greenwood Kelly		Oparanozie Alozie Ajibade Ucheibe

England  v  Colombia

12 August FIFA World Cup 2023 QF	England	2–1	Colombia	Sydney, Australia
20:30 UTC+10	Hemp 45+6' Russo 63'	Report	Santos 44'	Stadium: Stadium Australia Attendance: 75,784 Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva (United States)

Australia  v  England

16 August FIFA World Cup 2023 SF	Australia	1–3	England	Sydney, Australia
20:00 UTC+10	Kerr 63'	Report	Toone 36' Hemp 71' Russo 86'	Stadium: Stadium Australia Attendance: 75,784 Referee: Tori Penso (United States)

Spain  v  England

20 August FIFA World Cup 2023 Final	Spain	1–0	England	Sydney, Australia
20:00 UTC+10	Carmona 29'	Report		Stadium: Stadium Australia Attendance: 75,784 Referee: Tori Penso (United States)

England  v  Scotland

22 September 2023–24 UEFA Nations League	England	2–1	Scotland	Sunderland, England
19:45	Bronze 39' Hemp 45'	Report	Hanson 45+2'	Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 41,947 Referee: Maria Sole Caputi (Italy)

Netherlands  v  England

26 September 2023–24 UEFA Nations League	Netherlands	2–1	England	Utrecht, Netherlands
19:00	Martens 34' Jansen 90'	Report	Russo 64'	Stadium: Stadion Galgenwaard Referee: Ivana Martinčić (Croatia)

England  v  Belgium

27 October 2023–24 UEFA Nations League	England	1–0	Belgium	Leicester, England
19:45	Hemp 13'	Report		Stadium: King Power Stadium Attendance: 28,321 Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (Finland)

Belgium  v  England

31 October 2023–24 UEFA Nations League	Belgium	3–2	England	Leuven, Belgium
20:30 (CET)	De Neve 9' Wullaert 45+6', 85' (pen.)	Report	Bronze 38' Kirby 44'	Stadium: Den Dreef Attendance: 7,235 Referee: Esther Staubli (Switzerland)

England  v  Netherlands

1 December 2023–24 UEFA Nations League	England	3–2	Netherlands	London, England
19:45	Stanway 58' Hemp 60' Toone 90+1'	Report	Beerensteyn 12', 35'	Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 71,632 Referee: Tess Olofsson (Sweden)

Scotland  v  England

5 December 2023–24 UEFA Nations League	Scotland	0–6	England	Glasgow, Scotland
19:45		Report	Greenwood 12' James 38', 39' Mead 45+1' Kirby 49' Bronze 90+3'	Stadium: Hampden Park Attendance: 15,320 Referee: Alina Peşu (Romania)

2024

England  v  Austria

23 February Friendly	England	7–2	Austria	Algeciras, Spain
19:45	Russo 3', 61' Clinton 19' Mead 37', 89' Carter 70' Daly 90+3'	Report	Kirchberger 30', 88'	Stadium: Estadio Nuevo Mirador Attendance: 949 Referee: Ainara Andrea Acevedo Dudley (Spain)

England  v  Italy

27 February Friendly	England	5–1	Italy	Algeciras, Spain
17:00	Wubben-Moy 2' Hemp 21', 34' Toone 69' Daly 79'	Report	Cambiaghi 45+3'	Stadium: Estadio Nuevo Mirador Attendance: 650 Referee: María Eugenia Gil Soriano (Spain)

England  v  Sweden

5 April Euro 2025 qualifying	England	1–1	Sweden	London, England
20:00	Russo 24'	Report	Rolfö 64'	Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 63,248 Referee: Ivana Projkovska (North Macedonia)

Republic of Ireland  v  England

9 April Euro 2025 qualifying	Republic of Ireland	0–2	England	Dublin, Ireland
19:30		Report	James 12' Greenwood 18' (pen.)	Stadium: Aviva Stadium Attendance: 32,742 Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (Finland)

England  v  France

31 May Euro 2025 qualifying	England	v	France	Newcastle, England
		Report		Stadium: St James' Park

France  v  England

4 June Euro 2025 qualifying	France	v	England	Saint-Étienne, France
		Report		Stadium: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard

England  v  Republic of Ireland

12 July Euro 2025 qualifying	England	v	Republic of Ireland	Norwich, England
		Report		Stadium: Carrow Road

Sweden  v  England

16 July Euro 2025 qualifying	Sweden	v	England	Gothenburg, Sweden
		Report		Stadium: Gamla Ullevi

Current information

As of 10 August 2021

Position	Staff	Ref.
Manager	Sarina Wiegman	[100]
Assistant manager	Arjan Veurink	[101]

Managerial history

As of 9 April 2024

Image	Manager	Tenure	P	W	D	L	Win %	Competitions
	Harry Batt	1969–1970, 1972	6	1	0	5	016.7	unofficial matches
	Frank Baker	1971	1	0	0	1	000.0	unofficial match
	Eric Worthington	1972	1	1	0	0	100.0
	Tom Tranter	1973–1979	25	17	2	6	068.0
	Mike Rawding	1979	1	0	1	0	000.0
	Martin Reagan	1980–1990	61	28	14	19	045.9	Euro 1984 runners-up Euro 1987 fourth place
	Barrie Williams	1991	1	1	0	0	100.0
	John Bilton	1991–1992	11	5	2	4	045.5
	Ted Copeland	1993–1998	35	15	5	15	042.9	Euro 1995 semi-finals 1995 World Cup quarter-finals
	Dick Bate	1998 (caretaker)	3	0	0	3	000.0
	Hope Powell	1998–2013	169	85	33	51	050.3	Euro 2001 group stage Euro 2005 group stage 2007 World Cup quarter-finals Euro 2009 runners-up 2011 World Cup quarter-finals Euro 2013 group stage
	Brent Hills	2006, 2013 (caretaker)	5	4	0	1	080.0
	Mark Sampson	2013–2017	60	39	8	13	065.0	2015 World Cup third place Euro 2017 semi-finals
	Mo Marley	2017 (caretaker)	3	2	0	1	066.7
	Phil Neville	2018–2021	35	19	5	11	054.3	2019 World Cup fourth place
	Hege Riise	2021 (caretaker)	3	1	0	2	033.3
	Sarina Wiegman	2021–	49	37	8	4	075.5	Euro 2022 champions 2023 Finalissima champions 2023 World Cup runners-up 2023–24 Nations League fifth place

Caps, goals, and recent players may be outdated or incorrect, as the FA does not maintain a database of historical statistics.

Current squad

The following 23 players were named to the squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying matches against Sweden and the Republic of Ireland on 5 and 9 April 2024 respectively.^[102]

Khiara Keating withdrew from the squad due to injury on 4 April 2024 and was replaced with Kayla Rendell.^[103]

Caps and goals are correct as of match played 9 April 2024 against Republic of Ireland.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Mary Earps	(1993-03-07) 7 March 1993 (age 31)	49	0	Manchester United
	1GK	Hannah Hampton	(2000-11-16) 16 November 2000 (age 23)	4	0	Chelsea
	1GK	Kayla Rendell	(2001-06-29) 29 June 2001 (age 22)	0	0	Southampton
	2DF	Lucy Bronze	(1991-10-28) 28 October 1991 (age 32)	121	15	Barcelona
	2DF	Alex Greenwood	(1993-09-07) 7 September 1993 (age 30)	92	7	Manchester City
	2DF	Leah Williamson (captain)	(1997-03-29) 29 March 1997 (age 27)	44	4	Arsenal
	2DF	Jess Carter	(1997-10-27) 27 October 1997 (age 26)	32	2	Chelsea
	2DF	Niamh Charles	(1999-06-21) 21 June 1999 (age 24)	16	0	Chelsea
	2DF	Lotte Wubben-Moy	(1999-01-11) 11 January 1999 (age 25)	13	1	Arsenal
	2DF	Esme Morgan	(2000-10-18) 18 October 2000 (age 23)	8	0	Manchester City
	2DF	Millie Turner	(1996-07-07) 7 July 1996 (age 27)	1	0	Manchester United
	3MF	Keira Walsh (vice-captain)	(1997-04-08) 8 April 1997 (age 27)	73	0	Barcelona
	3MF	Fran Kirby	(1993-06-29) 29 June 1993 (age 30)	70	19	Chelsea
	3MF	Georgia Stanway	(1999-01-03) 3 January 1999 (age 25)	67	17	Bayern Munich
	3MF	Ella Toone	(1999-09-02) 2 September 1999 (age 24)	48	19	Manchester United
	3MF	Jess Park	(2001-10-21) 21 October 2001 (age 22)	8	1	Manchester City
	3MF	Grace Clinton	(2003-03-31) 31 March 2003 (age 21)	3	1	Tottenham Hotspur
	4FW	Rachel Daly RET	(1991-12-06) 6 December 1991 (age 32)	84	16	Aston Villa
	4FW	Lauren Hemp	(2000-08-07) 7 August 2000 (age 23)	55	18	Manchester City
	4FW	Beth Mead	(1995-05-09) 9 May 1995 (age 28)	55	32	Arsenal
	4FW	Chloe Kelly	(1998-01-15) 15 January 1998 (age 26)	41	7	Manchester City
	4FW	Alessia Russo	(1999-02-08) 8 February 1999 (age 25)	38	18	Arsenal
	4FW	Lauren James	(2001-09-29) 29 September 2001 (age 22)	24	7	Chelsea

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the England squad within the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Khiara Keating	(2004-06-27) 27 June 2004 (age 19)	0	0	Manchester City	v.  Sweden, 5 April 2024 INJ
GK	Ellie Roebuck	(1999-09-23) 23 September 1999 (age 24)	11	0	Manchester City	v.  Belgium, 31 October 2023
GK	Emily Ramsey	(2000-11-16) 16 November 2000 (age 23)	0	0	Everton	2023 FIFA Women's World Cup PRE
DF	Maya Le Tissier	(2002-04-18) 18 April 2002 (age 22)	3	0	Manchester United	v.  Italy, 27 February 2024
DF	Millie Bright	(1993-08-21) 21 August 1993 (age 30)	77	5	Chelsea	v.  Netherlands, 1 December 2023 INJ
DF	Lucy Parker	(1998-11-18) 18 November 1998 (age 25)	0	0	Aston Villa	v.  Belgium, 27 October 2023 INJ
MF	Katie Zelem	(1996-01-20) 20 January 1996 (age 28)	12	0	Manchester United	v.  Scotland, 5 December 2023
MF	Jordan Nobbs	(1992-12-08) 8 December 1992 (age 31)	71	8	Aston Villa	v.  Netherlands, 26 September 2023
MF	Lucy Staniforth	(1992-10-02) 2 October 1992 (age 31)	17	2	Aston Villa	v.  Netherlands, 26 September 2023
MF	Laura Coombs	(1991-01-29) 29 January 1991 (age 33)	7	0	Manchester City	v.  Netherlands, 26 September 2023
FW	Katie Robinson	(2002-08-08) 8 August 2002 (age 21)	5	0	Brighton & Hove Albion	v.  Netherlands, 26 September 2023
FW	Bethany England	(1994-06-03) 3 June 1994 (age 29)	26	11	Tottenham Hotspur	2023 FIFA Women's World Cup INJ
INJ = Withdrew due to injury RET = Retired from international football PRE = Preliminary squad MED = Withdrew on medical grounds WD = Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury or medical issue

Team captains

Since 1972, there have been eleven permanent captains and twenty-seven known captains.

• Bold indicates current captain
• Italics indicates still-active players
•    indicates player was captain for matches under the Women's Football Association^[a]

Tenure	Incumbent		Reserve captains[b]
1972–1976	Sheila Parker[109]
1976–		Carol Thomas (née McCune)[110]
1983: WFA becomes a "County Association" of The Football Association[111]
−1985	Carol Thomas (née McCune)[110]
1985–		Debbie Bampton[106]
1990–	Gillian Coultard[112][106]
1993: The team becomes incorporated into The Football Association[113]
−1997	Debbie Bampton[112]
−2000	Gillian Coultard[112]
2000–2001	Mo Marley[112][114]
2001–2002		Tara Proctor[115]	Karen Walker,[116] Faye White[116]
2002–2003		Karen Walker[116][117]	Mary Phillip[116]
2002–2012		Faye White[116][118][119]	Mary Phillip,[116] Kelly Smith,[120] Fara Williams,[116][121] Casey Stoney,[116][122] Rachel Yankey[123]
2012–2014		Casey Stoney[124]	Rachel Yankey,[122] Alex Scott,[125] Steph Houghton,[122] Fara Williams,[122] Laura Bassett[122]
2014–2022		Steph Houghton[126]	Fara Williams,[122] Karen Bardsley,[122] Jordan Nobbs,[127][128] Jill Scott,[122] Ellen White,[122] Laura Bassett,[122] Lucy Bronze,[129] Keira Walsh,[130] Toni Duggan,[122] Millie Bright,[131][132] Leah Williamson[131]
2022–present		Leah Williamson	Millie Bright,[133] Ellen White,[134] Steph Houghton,[135][c] Alex Greenwood,[136] Mary Earps,[137] Keira Walsh[138]

As of 9 April 2024

Most capped players

Bold names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

Top goalscorers

Bold names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

Carol Thomas was the first player to reach 50 caps in 1985, before retiring from representative football later that year, having amassed 56 caps. Fara Williams holds the record for England appearances, having played 172 times since 2001. She overtook previous record holder Rachel Yankey in August 2014, in a friendly against Sweden.^[148] Yankey had passed Gillian Coultard's 119 record England women caps in September 2012, in a European qualifying match against Croatia, and Peter Shilton's 125 record England international caps in June 2013, in a friendly against Japan.^[149]

Ellen White has scored the most goals for England, with 52. She surpassed Kelly Smith's record on 30 November 2021, scoring a hat-trick against Latvia during a UEFA qualifier for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup where England won 20–0, the Lionesses' biggest-ever competitive win.^[150]

Attendance

	Date	Opponent	Result F–A	Venue	Attendance	Competition
	31 July 2022	Germany	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Wembley Stadium, London, England	87,192[151]	UEFA Women's Euro 2022 final
	6 April 2023	Brazil	1–1 (4–2 p)		83,132	2023 Women's Finalissima
	9 November 2019	Germany	1–2		77,768[152]	Friendly
4	7 October 2022	United States	2–1		76,893[153]
5	12 August 2023	Colombia	2–1	Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia	75,784	2023 FIFA Women's World Cup quarter-final
	16 August 2023	Australia	3–1			2023 FIFA Women's World Cup semi-final
	20 August 2023	Spain	0–1			2023 FIFA Women's World Cup final

In England only

	Date	Opponent	Result F–A	Venue	Attendance	Competition
	31 July 2022	Germany	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Wembley Stadium, London	87,192[151]	UEFA Women's Euro 2022 final
	6 April 2023	Brazil	1–1 (4–2 p)		83,132	2023 Women's Finalissima
	9 November 2019	Germany	1–2		77,768[152]	Friendly
4	7 October 2022	United States	2–1		76,893[153]
5	1 December 2023	Netherlands	3–2		71,632	2023–24 UEFA Nations League group stage

FIFA World Cup

England have qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup six times (1995, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023) and failed to qualify for three competitions (1991, 1999, 2003). The England team reached the quarter-finals on three occasions; losing out to Germany in 1995, the United States in 2007 and France on penalties in 2011. In 2015, however, England earned the bronze medal for the first time, under Mark Sampson, by beating Germany in the third place play-off. The team finished in fourth place in 2019 after losing to Sweden in the third place play-off. In 2023, the team achieved their best result, as runners-up to Spain in the final.

FIFA World Cup finals record										Qualification record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D[d]	L	GF	GA	GD		Pld	W	D[d]	L	GF	GA	GD
1991	Did not qualify									6	2	3	1	4	2	+2
1995	Quarter-finals	4	2	0	2	6	9	−3		6	4	2	0	29	0	+29
1999	Did not qualify									8	3	0	5	9	12	−3
2003										10	3	3	4	12	10	+2
2007	Quarter-finals	4	1	2	1	8	6	+2		8	6	2	0	29	2	+27
2011		4	2	2	0	6	3	+3		10	9	1	0	35	4	+31
2015	Third place	7	5	0	2	10	7	+3		10	10	0	0	52	1	+51
2019	Fourth place	7	5	0	2	13	5	+8		8	7	1	0	29	1	+28
2023	Runners-up	7	5	1	1	13	4	+9		10	10	0	0	80	0	+80
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2031	To be determined									To be determined
Total	6/9	33	20	5	8	56	34	+22		76	51	12	10	211	32	+245

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

Correct as of 20 August 2023

Olympic Games

England does not directly participate in football at the Summer Olympics, as the country does not have its own National Olympic Committee (NOC). Since England falls under the jurisdiction of the British Olympic Association, remit for an Olympic football team requires support from all four Home Nation associations: the Scottish Football Association (SFA), the Football Association of Wales (FAW) and the Irish Football Association (IFA), as well as the English Football Association (FA). In women's football, members of the England team played for the Great Britain women's Olympic football team at both London 2012 (having been granted automatic qualification as the host nation) and Tokyo 2020.^[154][155]

With the other Home Nations associations reluctant to give up autonomy in men's football, no agreement could be reached before the qualifying events for Rio 2016, though the women's team would have qualified based on England's results.^[154] In 2019, ahead of the qualifying event for Tokyo 2020, an agreement was reached for the women's team that allowed for England, as the highest-ranked Home Nation, to qualify an Olympic team on behalf of Great Britain,^[156] which they achieved.^[157]

For Paris 2024, England was again selected to attempt to qualify via the 2023–24 Women's Nations League on behalf of Great Britain,^[158] but did not achieve this.^[159]

UEFA European Championship

England first entered the UEFA Women's Championship in the inaugural 1984 edition, and were runners-up that year and again in 2009. They won the tournament for the first time in 2022. The team have reached the semi-finals on three other occasions (1987, 1995, 2017), but failed to make it out of the group stage in three other editions (2001, 2005, 2013). England did not qualify in 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1997.

UEFA European Championship record									Qualifying record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D[d]	L	GF	GA		Gp	Pos	Pld	W	D[d]	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rnk
1984	Runners-up	4	3	0	1	4	2		2	1st	6	6	0	0	24	1	–
1987	Fourth place	2	0	0	2	3	5		2	1st	6	6	0	0	34	2	–
1989	Did not qualify								1	3rd	6	2	1	3	6	10	–
1991									3	2nd	8	2	3	3	5	8	–
1993									3	1st	6	4	0	2	11	7	–
1995	Semi-finals	2	0	0	2	2	6		7	1st	8	6	2	0	33	2	–
1997	Did not qualify								3	2nd	8	4	2	2	19	6	–
2001	Group stage	3	0	1	2	1	8		2	2nd	8	5	1	2	12	14	–
2005		3	1	0	2	4	5		Qualified as host
2009	Runners-up	6	3	1	2	12	14		1	1st	8	6	2	0	24	4	–
2013	Group stage	3	0	1	2	3	7		6	1st	8	6	2	0	22	2	–
2017	Semi-finals	5	4	0	1	11	4		7	1st	8	7	1	0	23	1	–
2022	Champions	6	6	0	0	22	2		Qualified as host
2025	To be determined								A3[e]	2nd	2	1	1	0	3	1		6th
Total	9/13	34	17	3	14	62	53		Total		82	55	15	12	216	58	–

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place/Semi-finalists    Fourth place    Hosted tournament

Correct as of 9 April 2024

UEFA Nations League

England have competed in the UEFA Women's Nations League since its inaugural season in 2023–24, when they narrowly missed out on qualification to the 2024 Finals after finishing behind Netherlands on goal difference.

UEFA Nations League record
League stage													Finals[f]
Season	Lg	Gp	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rnk		Year	Pos	Pld	W	D[d]	L	GF	GA
2023–24	A	1	2nd	6	4	0	2	15	8		5th		2024	Did not qualify
2025–26	To be determined												2026	To be determined
Total				6	4	0	2	15	8	5th			Total	0/1	0	0	0	0	0	0

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

Correct as of 5 December 2023

Women's Finalissima

Women's Finalissima record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D[d]	L	GF	GA
2023	Champions	1st	1	0	1	0	1	1
Total	1 title	1/1	1	0	1	0	1	1

Minor tournaments

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D[d]	L	GF	GA
1976 Pony Home Championship	Winners, group stage	1st	2	2	0	0	9	1
1969 Unofficial European Championship	Third place	3rd	2	1	0	1	5	4
1979 Unofficial European Championship	Semi-finals	4th	4	2	1	1	6	4
1981 Mundialito	Group stage	3rd	2	1	0	1	4	1
1984 Mundialito	Semi-finals	3rd	4	0	2	2	3	6
1985 Mundialito	Winners	1st	2	3	1	1	13	5
1988 Mundialito	Winners	1st	4	3	1	0	8	2
1990 North America Cup	Group stage	3rd	4	1	1	2	3	7
2002 Algarve Cup	Group stage	9th	4	1	0	3	8	12
2005 Algarve Cup	Group stage	8th	4	3	1	0	13	0
2007 Four Nations Tournament	Group stage	4th	3	0	2	1	3	0
2009 Cyprus Cup	Winners	1st	4	3	1	0	14	3
2010 Cyprus Cup	Group stage	5th	4	2	1	1	6	5
2010 Peace Queen Cup	Group stage	2nd	2	0	2	0	0	0
2011 Cyprus Cup	Group stage	5th	4	2	0	2	4	4
2012 Cyprus Cup	Group stage	4th	4	2	0	2	5	7
2013 Cyprus Cup	Winners	1st	4	3	1	0	12	7
2014 Cyprus Cup	Runners-up	2nd	4	3	0	1	7	2
2015 Cyprus Cup	Winners	1st	4	3	1	0	8	2
2015 Yongchuan International Tournament	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	2	2
2016 SheBelieves Cup	Group stage	3rd	3	0	1	2	1	3
2017 SheBelieves Cup	Group stage	3rd	3	1	0	2	2	3
2018 SheBelieves Cup	Runners-up	2nd	3	1	1	1	6	4
2019 SheBelieves Cup	Winners	1st	3	2	1	0	7	3
2020 SheBelieves Cup	Group stage	3rd	3	1	0	2	1	3
2022 Arnold Clark Cup	Winners	1st	3	1	2	0	4	2
2023 Arnold Clark Cup	Winners	1st	3	3	0	0	12	2
Total		9 titles	88	44	22	25	162	91

Major

• FIFA Women's World Cup
  • Runners-up: 2023
  • Third place: 2015
• UEFA Women's Championship
  • Champions: 2022
  • Runners-up: 1984, 2009
• Women's Finalissima
  • Champions: 2023

Minor

• Pony Home Championship
  • Champions: 1976
• Mundialito
  • Champions: 1985, 1988
• Cyprus Cup
  • Champions: 2009, 2013, 2015
• SheBelieves Cup
  • Champions: 2019
• Arnold Clark Cup
  • Champions: 2022, 2023

• Sport in England
  • Football in England
    • Women's football in England
• Great Britain women's Olympic football team
• England women's national under-23 football team
• England women's national under-20 football team
• England women's national under-19 football team
• England women's national under-17 football team
• England national football team, the men's national football team

• Aluko, Eniola (2019), They Don't Teach This, Random House, ISBN 9781473564480
• Clarke, Gemma (2019), Soccerwomen: The Icons, Rebels, Stars, and Trailblazers Who Transformed the Beautiful Game, ISBN 9781568589206
• Caudwell, Jayne (2013), Women's Football in the UK: Continuing with Gender Analyses, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 9781317966234
• Dunn, Carrie (2019), Pride of the Lionesses: The Changing Face of Women's Football in England, Pitch Publishing (Brighton) Limited, ISBN 9781785315411
• Dunn, Carrie (2016), The Roar of the Lionesses: Women's Football in England, Pitch Publishing Limited, ISBN 9781785311512
• Dunn, Edwina (2017), The Female Lead: Women Who Shape Our World, Ebury Publishing, ISBN 9781473529458
• Grainey, Timothy (2012), Beyond Bend It Like Beckham: The Global Phenomenon of Women's Soccer, University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 0803240368
• Stay, Shane (2019), The Women's World Cup 2019 Book: Everything You Need to Know About the Soccer World Cup, Books on Demand, ISBN 1782551921
• Theivam, Keiran and Jeff Kassouf (2019), The Making of the Women's World Cup: Defining stories from a sport's coming of age, Little, ISBN 1472143310

Wikimedia Commons has media related to England women's national association football team.

• Official website
• FIFA profile