England WU19s head to Spain to kick-off 2025

England women's under-19s head coach Lauren Smith has named a 24-strong squad for games against Spain, the USA and the Netherlands.

The Young Lionesses will compete in three exciting fixtures in the Albir Garden Tournament in Spain, as they return to action for the first time in 2025.

Smith’s side will first play the reigning UEFA Women’s U19 EURO champions Spain on Thursday 20 February (11am GMT), before an intriguing match-up with the USA on Sunday 23 February (3pm GMT), marking the first time the two sides have played one another in the WU19 age category since 2020. The final game will be against the Netherlands on Wednesday 26 February (11am GMT), who England last played in October in a 3-1 victory.

The tournament will be important preparation for Smith’s Young Lionesses as they look ahead to the final round of qualifying for this summer’s UEFA Women’s U19 EURO. Round two of qualification will take place in England in the first week of April. The WU19s have been drawn against Belgium, Austria and Ukraine in their group, with only the side that finishes top going through to the finals.

"This is an important camp to set us up for what we hope will be a big year ahead, as we aim to qualify for this summer’s EURO and next year’s World Cup," said Smith.

"We’ve lined up three exciting and challenging fixtures, each of which will present a different test. Having the opportunity to test ourselves against quality opponents, including the USA who we don’t have the chance to play against often, will be ideal preparation for our upcoming EURO qualifiers."

The Squad

Goalkeepers: Eve Annets (Manchester City), Katie Cox (Chelsea), Sophia Poor (London City Lionesses, on loan from Aston Villa)

Defenders: Araya Dennis (Southampton, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Sophie Harwood (Arsenal), Nelly Las (Leicester City), Rachel Maltby (Aston Villa), Lucy Newell (Blackburn Rovers, on loan from Manchester United), Zara Shaw (Liverpool), Mari Ward (Bristol City), Cecily Wellesley-Smith (Arsenal and Oxford United)

Midfielders: Lola Brown (Chelsea), Lily Dent (Portsmouth, on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion), Maddy Earl (Sheffield United, on loan from Arsenal), Laila Harbert (Southampton, on loan from Arsenal), Omotara Junaid (Arsenal), Vivienne Lia (Southampton, on loan from Arsenal), Erica Parkinson (Valadares Gaia), Lexi Potter (Crystal Palace, on loan from Chelsea), Lauryn Thompson (Indy Eleven)

Forwards: Princess Ademiluyi (West Ham), Ava Baker (Birmingham City), Jessie Gale (Arenal and Watford), Lily Murphy (Manchester City)