England WU23s head to Northampton to kick off 2025-26

England women's under-23s will play their first home game in their bid to be crowned winners of the WU23 European competition when they welcome Portugal to Sixfields Stadium, home of Northampton Town, on Monday 27 October (7pm GMT kick-off).

Tickets for the first home fixture of the season, which is during the half-term week, can be purchased via this link, priced at £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and £1 for under-14s.

The match will be Emma Coates’ side’s first outing in Northampton, but they will come up against familiar opposition in Portugal.

The WU23s also played their first home fixture of the 2024/25 season against Portugal, when a strike from Michelle Agyemang sealed all three points in the European competition.

Coates said: “We’re really looking forward to playing in Northampton. It’s important for us to start the season on a strong note and it always helps having a home crowd behind us.

“Following the incredible success of our seniors winning back-to-back EUROs, there’s a real sense of pride and purpose in everything we do.

“We have lots of exciting players coming through our pathway, so I’d encourage all Lionesses fans to get their tickets and come and see the future of English football in action.”

The European competition was created to help bridge the gap between the end of the youth development pathway and senior international football.

Ten nations take part, divided into two groups, with all teams travelling to Spain in April for a finals week. The top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals, while the remaining sides play for their highest possible final placement.

For the 2025-26 season, England have been drawn in Group A, alongside Portugal, France, Germany and Norway.