England WU20s squad chosen for trio of internationals

Interim England women's under-20s head coach John Salomon has named his 24-player squad for a trio of international matches.

The Young Lionesses will travel to Spain for a preparation camp as they build towards the final round of qualifying for the UEFA Women’s Under-19 European Championship, as well as the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup taking place in Poland in September.

The group, which will be made up of WU20s and WU19s players, will play three fixtures at the Albir Garden Resort on the Costa Blanca. Salomon’s side first face the hosts Spain on Saturday 28 February (11am GMT), before taking on the Netherlands on Tuesday 3 March (2pm GMT). The final match of the window will be against Mexico on Friday 6 March (11am GMT).

England have already booked their place at the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, earning qualification at last summer’s UEFA Women’s Under-19 EUROs, also held in Poland. The WU19s will be hoping to qualify for their third successive European finals when they play Switzerland, Wales and Latvia in the final round of qualifying in April. The finals will take place in Bosnia & Herzegovina in June.

England v Spain
Saturday 28 February
11am GMT, Albir Garden Resort, Spain

England v Netherlands
Tuesday 3 March
2pm GMT, Albir Garden Resort, Spain

England v Mexico
Friday 6 March
11am GMT, Albir Garden Resort, Spain

John Salomon said: “We hope 2026 will be a big year for this age group, with two major tournaments to compete in. There are so many talented players in our pathway, and playing in competition finals is crucial for their development. These are three challenging fixtures against tough opponents, and we want to ensure we start strongly and set the tone for a successful year ahead. On a personal note, I’m grateful for this opportunity to be the interim head coach and have the chance to work with this group of players at such an important stage of their development.”

The Squad

Goalkeepers: Eve Annets (Crystal Palace, on loan from Manchester City), Lily Clark (Aston Villa), Sophie Jackson (Tottenham Hotspur), Kaiya Jota (Stanford University)

Defenders: Ria Bose (West Ham), Nelly Las (Ipswich Town, on loan from Leicester City), Sacha Lewis (Manchester City), Rachel Maltby (Aston Villa), Lucy Newell (Crystal Palace, on loan from Manchester United), Niamh Peacock (Arsenal, Academy Development Registration with Portsmouth), Cecily Wellesley-Smith (FC Rosengård, on loan from Arsenal)

Midfielders: Lola Brown (Crystal Palace, on loan from Chelsea), May Cruft (Rangers), Laila Harbert (Everton, on loan from Arsenal), Chloe Hylton (Carolina Ascent), Vera Jones (Bristol City, on loan from Chelsea), Omotara Junaid (Florida State Seminoles), Eleanor Klinger (Stanford University), Vivienne Lia (Hammarby, on loan from Arsenal)

Forwards: Jessica Anderson (Manchester United), Ava Baker (Ipswich Town, on loan from Birmingham City), Layla Drury (Manchester United), Jessie Gale (Bristol City, on loan from Arsenal), Lois Shooter (Chelsea)