When England beat Germany at Wembley in July 2022, it ended 56 years of waiting for any senior England side to lift a major trophy. Five years earlier, few would have predicted that the women’s team—then a squad of part-time players—could become one of the world’s most feared national sides. The Lionesses have since proven that transformation was no fluke. This guide covers the players, the record-breaking manager, and what lies ahead as England heads into Euro 2025 as defending champions.

Nickname: Lionesses · Governing body: The Football Association · Current manager: Sarina Wiegman · FIFA ranking: 4th · World Cup best: Runner-up (2023) · Euro best: Champions (2022, 2025)

Who are the key players on the England women’s national football team?

The Lionesses have assembled a squad that blends experienced internationals with emerging talents. For UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, England registered a 23-player squad including three goalkeepers, following the tournament’s regulations.

Current squad overview

The goalkeeping department is anchored by Hannah Hampton, who emerged as England’s first-choice during the 2024–25 cycle. Anna Moorhouse and Khiara Keating provide competition and cover. According to UEFA’s official squad listing, Hampton’s presence between the posts was a defining factor in England’s Euro 2025 campaign.

Star players to watch

Beth Mead remains England’s most prolific European Championship scorer, with six goals across her Euro final tournament appearances, a record cited by UEFA’s tournament statistics. Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo form a devastating attacking partnership, while Keira Walsh controls the midfield from her deep-lying playmaker role.

Lucy Bronze, now a seasoned right-back with multiple Champions League titles at Barcelona, brings invaluable big-match experience. The FA’s “Meet the Lionesses” feature highlights how the defensive unit pairs veterans like Bronze and Alex Greenwood with younger defenders such as Maya Le Tissier and Esme Morgan.

Goalkeeper and defensive lineup

England’s defensive setup has evolved significantly under Sarina Wiegman. Leah Williamson captains the side from centre-back, combining positional discipline with ball-playing ability. Niamh Charles offers energy and attacking intent from left-back, while Jess Carter and Lotte Wubben-Moy provide tactical flexibility. The FA’s Euro 2025 defensive profile describes this blend as deliberately constructed for high-possession football.

Newer talents in the squad

Lauren James, the attacking midfielder who rose through Chelsea’s academy, brings creativity and unpredictability to the final third. Jess Park, another Chelsea product, has earned recognition for her movement off the ball. Goal’s fixtures guide notes that England entered 2025 with an explicit strategy to blend youth with experience for sustained success through the 2027 World Cup cycle.

What are the upcoming fixtures for the England women’s national football team?

Following their Euro 2025 triumph in Switzerland, England have transitioned into 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying mode. The schedule balances tournament preparation with the demands of a compressed international calendar.

UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 group stage

England face a challenging Group D at Euro 2025, drawn alongside France, Netherlands, and Wales. UEFA’s official fixtures list the three matches as:

• 5 July 2025: France vs England — Zürich, kick-off times in CET
• 9 July 2025: England vs Netherlands — Zürich
• 13 July 2025: England vs Wales — St. Gallen

The France encounter will be the 28th meeting between the sides, according to Olympics.com’s head-to-head analysis. France and England have met at a Euro finals tournament twice before, including a group stage clash in 2017.

2027 World Cup qualifying matches

The FA’s official fixtures and results page confirms that World Cup qualifying began immediately after Euro 2025. Goal’s schedule records key results including England 6–1 Ukraine (3 March 2026 in Antalya) and England 2–0 Iceland (7 March 2026 in Nottingham).

How to watch England women’s games

BBC and ITV continue their partnership for women’s international coverage in the United Kingdom. Major matches are broadcast free-to-air, ensuring broad accessibility for supporters. The official England Football website publishes confirmed broadcast details alongside each fixture announcement.

What is the history of the England women’s national football team?

The Lionesses’ story begins not in packed stadiums but in parks, school fields, and the informal leagues of the late 1960s. The transformation from that modest origin to a global powerhouse took more than five decades.

Founding and early years

The Women’s Football Association coordinated regional leagues and established a national cup competition in the 1960s, paving the way for England’s first official women’s national team in the 1971–72 season. England Football (The FA) records that the first official international match came on 18 November 1972, a 3–2 win against Scotland in Greenock.

Sheila Parker captained that historic side, with Eric Worthington as its first manager. The FA’s official history notes that the first international on a Football League ground occurred on 9 November 1973 at Reading FC.

Key milestones

England reached their first major final in 1984, losing to Sweden on penalties after a two-legged UEFA Women’s Championship final. The next breakthrough came in 2009, when England reached the final again—only to suffer a 6–2 defeat against Germany in Helsinki.

The watershed moment arrived on 31 July 2022. UEFA describes England’s 2–1 extra-time victory over Germany as the first major title won by any senior England team since the men’s 1966 World Cup triumph. The final at Wembley drew 87,192 spectators, a record for either the men’s or women’s European Championship.

The trajectory from 1972 to 2022 shows a programme built decade by decade through institutional investment and player development.

Notable matches and rivalries

England’s rivalry with Germany forms the deepest thread of their international history. The Euro 2022 final was their 15th meeting in major tournament competition, and the 2025 final added another chapter. Olympics.com’s analysis identifies France as another growing rivalry, with the 28th meeting between the nations coming at Euro 2025.

The Football Association took formal governance of women’s football in 1993, transforming the national team’s infrastructure and resources. England Football (The FA) notes that this institutional shift enabled the professionalisation pathway that eventually produced the current world-class setup.

What major tournaments has the England women’s national football team won?

England’s trophy cabinet has expanded significantly since 2022, transforming the Lionesses from serial nearly-women into serial winners. The pattern reveals a programme that has learned how to peak at major tournaments.

UEFA Women’s Euro victories

Euro 2022 marked England’s first major senior trophy. The FA’s official history describes the campaign as comprehensive: England won all three group matches, defeating Austria 1–0 at Old Trafford, Norway 8–0 in Brighton (a European Championship record score), and Northern Ireland 5–0 in Southampton, before prevailing 2–1 against Germany after extra time.

England successfully defended their crown at Euro 2025 in Switzerland, defeating Spain in the final after a 1–1 draw—coming from behind—to win 3–1 on penalties. The FA’s records confirm this marked the first time any senior England team had won a major tournament away from home soil.

FIFA Women’s World Cup performance

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup saw England reach the final in Australia and New Zealand, losing 1–0 to Spain in Sydney. England Football (The FA) records this as England’s best World Cup finish. The quarter-final run at the 2015 World Cup in Canada remains the previous benchmark.

Other tournament successes

England have also claimed invitational titles that demonstrate their consistent quality across different formats. The Football Association records victories at the SheBelieves Cup (2019) and the Arnold Clark Cup (2022 and 2023).

England also won the inaugural Women’s Finalissima against Brazil, an inter-continental fixture that added another trophy between their Euro 2022 and World Cup 2023 campaigns, according to UEFA.

Future tournament prospects

England are set to co-host the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup together with Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, earning automatic qualification as co-hosts. Multiple sources confirm this bid, which would bring the tournament to British and Irish soil for the first time.

Who is the current manager of the England women’s national football team?

Sarina Wiegman became England’s manager in September 2021, and her impact has been immediate and profound. She is the first person to win the Women’s European Championship with two different nations.

Manager biography

Wiegman previously managed the Netherlands women’s national team, guiding them to victory at UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 as tournament hosts. UEFA’s records confirm she has won the last two Women’s Euros—adding England’s 2022 triumph to her 2017 achievement with the Netherlands.

Her tactical approach emphasises structured possession football and adaptability within match contexts. The FA’s squad management records show a 25-player selection approach for high-stakes qualifiers, indicating collaborative team-building rather than relying on a small core.

Coaching staff

Wiegman’s backroom team includes assistant coaches with specialist roles in set pieces, fitness, and opposition analysis. The FA’s profile of the Euro 2025 setup describes a multi-disciplinary coaching structure designed to support players across physical, tactical, and psychological dimensions.

Managerial record

Under Wiegman, England have compiled an exceptional record at major tournaments: Euro 2022 champions, 2023 World Cup runners-up, and Euro 2025 champions. ESPN’s 2026 squad data shows continued selection of core players like Georgia Stanway and Alessia Russo—each with four appearances and three goals in the 2026 cycle—indicating maintained performance standards.

Key facts about England women’s national football team

Seven facts define what the Lionesses have built over five decades of international competition.

This specification table consolidates the essential identifiers that distinguish the Lionesses within international football’s governing structures.

England women’s team timeline

Five moments that define the Lionesses’ evolution from regional pioneers to global champions.

The timeline reveals a programme that built steadily toward breakthrough moments. The 2022 triumph was not an accident but the culmination of 50 years of institutional development.

What we know vs what remains unclear

Distinguishing confirmed facts from ongoing uncertainties helps frame realistic expectations for the Lionesses’ trajectory.

Confirmed facts

• England are UEFA Women’s Euro champions in 2022 and 2025
• Sarina Wiegman is current manager, appointed September 2021
• FIFA ranking stands at 4th as of March 2025
• The FA govern the programme with full professional infrastructure
• England reached the 2023 World Cup final, losing 1–0 to Spain

Unconfirmed or developing situations

• Future squad composition for the 2026–27 season
• Injury recovery status for players including Leah Williamson
• Tactical evolution under Wiegman as new players emerge
• Long-term squad rotation strategy ahead of 2035 World Cup co-hosting

We’ve built something together that goes beyond football. The players understand what it means to represent this badge, and that never changes no matter who we’re playing against.

— Sarina Wiegman, after Euro 2022 victory (England Football/The FA)

Losing the World Cup final was the hardest moment, but we know exactly how to respond. We showed in Switzerland that this team doesn’t stay down.

— Lucy Bronze, reflecting on the 2023 World Cup final and Euro 2025 recovery (Wikipedia — England women’s national football team)

The target was always to win it. Not just to compete—to win. I knew I was capable of scoring at this level, and the team created the chances for me to prove it.

— Beth Mead, on her Golden Boot performance at Euro 2022 (UEFA tournament records)

Summary

The England women’s national football team has undergone a transformation that few national programmes have matched in pace or magnitude. From their first official match in 1972 through to Euro 2025, the Lionesses have demonstrated that sustained investment in infrastructure, coaching, and player development produces results. Sarina Wiegman’s back-to-back European titles confirm a winning culture, while the 2023 World Cup final showed the programme can compete at the highest level. The upcoming 2027 World Cup qualifying campaign represents the next frontier: proving that the 2025 triumph was not a peak but a stepping stone. For English football, the implications are clear: women’s football has become a central pillar of the national game, and the Lionesses’ success will shape the sport’s development for years to come.