What to look out for in 2026 for England teams

The new year is upon us, with an exciting 12 months ahead for our England teams, including the senior, development, Para and Gaming sides.

Along with a World Cup, there are major tournaments on the horizon for the Young Lions and Lionesses and our Para teams.

We take a team-by-team look ahead for all of our sides and some of the key dates for each of them.

England men’s senior team

We’re now into the FIFA World Cup 2026 year for the Three Lions, with preparations for the tournament underway, with Tuchel’s team having already qualified.

The year begins with two internationals during the March window for Tuchel’s side, who take on Uruguay on Friday 27 March before facing Japan on Tuesday 31 March in a Wembley double header.

And England already know their group for this summer’s World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico, with the draw taking place last month.

The Three Lions begin their tournament against Croatia on Wednesday 17 June (9pm BST) in Dallas before coming up against Ghana on Tuesday 23 June (9pm BST) in Boston, before rounding out the group stage with a game against Panama in New Jersey on Saturday 27 June (10pm BST).

England women’s senior team

On the back of last year’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 triumph, the Lionesses turn their attention to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.

England’s qualifying campaign begins in March with games against Ukraine and Iceland before taking on Spain and playing the reverse fixture against Iceland the following month in April.

And Sarina Wiegman’s side play their final two qualifiers later in June against Spain and Ukraine.

England men’s under-21s

Having already made an impressive start to their UEFA U21 EURO 2027 qualifying campaign, the games continue into 2026, beginning with qualifiers against Andorra and Moldova when Lee Carsley’s Young Lions – the defending champions – report for duty in March, with fixtures against Kazakhstan, Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland to come later in the year.

England women’s under-23s

The Young Lionesses will be under new management this year, with head coach Emma Coates and assistant Gemma Davies departing to take up a new role with National Women’s Soccer League club Bay FC.

England men’s under-20s

Ben Futcher’s side played a handful of internationals last year to kick off 2025-26 in front of home crowds in Chesterfield and Doncaster, and the Young Lions’ fixtures for this year are yet to be confirmed.

England women’s under-20s

Lauren Smith will lead the Young Lionesses into battle at the FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup this year which will be staged in Poland between 5-27 September. England, who earned qualification at the 2025 UEFA Women’s U19 EUROs, played three internationals towards the end of 2025 as preparations for the tournament continue.

England men’s under-19s

Will Antwi’s team embark on the UEFA U19 EURO elite round qualifying in March, with England, who made it three wins from three in the first round of qualifying, drawn into a group with Portugal, Poland and Serbia, with the games taking place in Portugal. The team who tops the group will book their place at the U19 EURO Finals 2026 which are being hosted in Wales, running from 28 June to 11 July.

England women’s under-19s

The Young Lionesses are hoping to book their place at the UEFA Women’s U19 EURO Finals, with England facing Switzerland, Wales and Latvia in round two of qualifying, with the games taking place in Switzerland in April. The tournament itself will be hosted by Bosnia & Herzegovina between 27 June to 10 July.

England men’s under-18s

After making it to the last 16 at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar in November, Neil Ryan’s squad will be back in action this year, with fixtures still to be confirmed for the Young Lions.

England men’s under-17s

Liam Bramley’s side are set to go head-to-head with Israel, Faroe Islands and Estonia in round two of UEFA U17 EURO 2026 qualifying in March at St. George’s Park. However, England are unable to qualify for the U17 EURO Finals in Estonia or the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar.

England women’s under-17s

The WU17s will take on Italy, Croatia and Türkiye in round two of the UEFA Women’s U17 EURO, with Kerri Welsh’s team winning all three of their first-round games in October. The fixtures will take place in Croatia in March, with the tournament pencilled for 3-16 May in Northern Ireland, should England top their group and qualify.

England Para teams

There are a number of tournaments coming up this year for our Para teams, with the Deaf women’s team competing at the EUROs in March. In August, the Blind men’s team will be at the European Championships, with the Blind women’s tournament taking place in October, along with the Powerchair World Championship.

But first, the Para teams kick off the year with a multi-squad training camp in Tenerife for the first time since 2024, with the camp taking place between 26-30 January.