England WU17s squad named for February fixtures

England women's under-17s are returning to action for the first time in 2025 and will play three fixtures in February at the MIMA Cup in Spain.

The Young Lionesses' head coach Natalie Henderson has selected a 24-player squad for the tournament, which will be important preparation for the group as they gear up for the final stage of qualification for the 2025 UEFA Women's U17 Championship, with the last qualifying round taking place in Finland in March.

Henderson’s side will first face Canada on Tuesday 11 February (6pm GMT), before taking on Czechia on Thursday 13 February (6pm GMT). The final fixture will be against Mexico on Saturday 15 February (6pm GMT), with the two teams' last meeting coming at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in October when England won 4-2 in a hard-fought and entertaining contest.

Speaking about the trip, Henderson said: “These are three very exciting fixtures to kick-off the year. Playing against international opponents from different parts of the world brings different challenges, including different styles of play and these are important parts of our young players' development. It’s the ideal preparation for us as we look to continue to make progress as a team and individuals, as well as try to qualify for the next EUROs.

“Last year was a hugely exciting one for our WU17 age group and we’re looking forward to having a new group of players and staff to take on the next challenge and write another chapter. We want to enjoy our 2025 campaign and we all feel ready to get started.”

All three games will be played at the Pinatar Arena in Murcia.

The Squad

Goalkeepers: Silvana Marshall Miranda (Brighton & Hove Albion), Hope McSheffrey (Arsenal)

Defenders: Zara Bailey (Tottenham Hotspur), Elise Christian (Chelsea), Isabella Cowley (Chelsea), Isla Law (Bristol City), Sacha Lewis (Manchester City), Niamh Peacock (Arsenal), Chloe Sarwie (Chelsea)

Midfielders: May Cruft (Rangers), Beau King (Leicester City)*, Jhanaie Pierre (Tottenham Hotspur), Eva Forster (North Carolina Courage), Issabella Gurling (Aston Villa), Isabel Hebard (Bristol City), Eva Hendle (Chelsea), Evie McCaffrey (Manchester City / Derby County), Jane Oboavwoduo (Manchester City), Isabelle Sullivan (Chelsea)

Forwards: Grace Collinson (Durham), Freya Hirons (Aston Villa), Vera Jones (Chelsea), Kyri Teer-Hutchins (Arsenal), Natasha Udebhulu (Southampton)

* Replaces Jessica Anderson (Manchester United)