England women's national football team

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"Lionesses" redirects here. For other uses, see Lioness (disambiguation).

England
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Three Lionesses
The Lionesses
AssociationThe Football Association
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachSarina Wiegman
CaptainSteph Houghton
Most capsFara Williams (172)
Top scorerEllen White (48)
FIFA codeENG
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 8 Steady (10 December 2021)[1]
Highest2 (March 2018)
Lowest14 (June 2004)
First international
 Scotland 2–3 England England
(Greenock, Scotland; 18 November 1972)
Biggest win
England England 20–0 Latvia 
(Doncaster, England; 30 November 2021)
Biggest defeat
 Norway 8–0 England England
(Moss, Norway; 4 June 2000)
World Cup
Appearances5 (first in 1995)
Best resultThird place (2015)
European Championship
Appearances8 (first in 1984)
Best resultRunners-up (1984, 2009)
Medal record
Women's football
FIFA Women's World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Canada Team
UEFA Women's Championship
Silver medal – second place 1984 Pan-European Team
Silver medal – second place 2009 Finland Team
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Netherlands Team

The England women's national football team has been governed by the Football Association (FA) since 1993, having been previously administered by the Women's Football Association (WFA). England played its first international match in November 1972 against Scotland. Although most national football teams represent a sovereign state, as a member of the United Kingdom's Home Nations, England is permitted by FIFA statutes to maintain its own national side that competes in all major tournaments, with the exception of the Women's Olympic Football Tournament.

England have qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup five times, reaching the quarter-finals on three occasions; in 1995, 2007, and 2011, finishing third in 2015 and fourth in 2019. They reached the final of the UEFA Women's Championship in 1984 and 2009.

History[]

Early years[]

The success of the men's national football team at the 1966 FIFA World Cup led to an upsurge of interest in football from women within England. The Women's Football Association (WFA) was established in 1969 as an attempt to organise the women's game.[2] That same year, Harry Batt formed an independent English team that competed in the Fédération Internationale Européenne de Football Féminine (FIEFF) European Cup.[3]: 43  Batt's team also participated in two FIEFF World Cups held in Italy (1970) and Mexico (1971).[4][5]

Following an UEFA recommendation in 1972 for national associations to incorporate the women's game, the Football Association (FA) rescinded its 50-year ban on women playing on English Football League grounds.[6][7] Shortly after, Eric Worthington was tasked by the WFA to assemble an official women's national team. England competed in its first international match against Scotland in Greenock on 18 November 1972, 100 years to the month after the first men's international.[2][8] The team overturned a two-goal deficit to defeat their northern opponents 3–2, with Sylvia Gore scoring England's first international goal.[9] Tom Tranter replaced Worthington as long term manager of the women's national football team and remained in that position for the next six years.[3]: 94 

1979–1993: Progress under Reagan[]

Martin Reagan was appointed to replace Tranter in 1979.[3]: 100  England reached the final of the inaugural European Competition for Women's Football, after beating Denmark 3–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals. Despite resolute defending, including a spectacular goal line clearance from captain Carol Thomas, the England team lost the first away leg 1–0 against Sweden, after a header from Pia Sundhage, but won the second home leg by the same margin, with a goal from Linda Curl.[10] England lost the subsequent penalty shootout 4–3. Theresa Wiseman saved Helen Johansson's penalty but both Curl and Lorraine Hanson had their spot kicks saved by Elisabeth Leidinge.[11]

At the 1987 European Competition for Women's Football, England again reached the semi-finals but lost 3–2 after extra time against holders Sweden, in a repeat of the previous final. The team settled for fourth, after losing the third place play-off against Italy 2–1.[12] Reagan was sacked after England's 6–1 quarter-final loss against Germany at UEFA Women's Euro 1991, which left them unable to qualify for the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup. John Bilton was appointed as head coach in 1991 after Barrie Williams's brief tenure.[3]: 103–104 

1993–1998: FA involvement[]

In 1993, the FA took over the running of women's football in England from the WFA, replacing Bilton with Ted Copeland as national team manager.[3]: 105  England managed to qualify for UEFA Women's Euro 1995, having previously missed out on the last three editions, but were beaten 6–2 on aggregate over two legs against Germany.[13] Reaching the European semi-finals granted England a place at the World Cup for the first time. The team advanced from the group stage of the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden, but lost out again to Germany 3–0 in the quarter-finals.[14]

1998–2013: Development under Powell[]

Hope Powell became the team's first full-time head coach in June 1998, succeeding her former coach Copeland.[15] The European Championship expanded in 1997 to eight teams and moved from a biennial event to a quadrennial one. England qualified via the play-offs for the 2001 competition held in Germany, despite recording their biggest loss (away against Norway 8–0) during qualification, but did not advance past the group stage.[16] England automatically qualified as hosts in 2005, but again did not make it to the semi-finals.[17]

Qualification for the World Cup changed for the 1999 edition. European qualifiers were introduced, so that teams no longer needed to rely on advancing to the latter stages of the European Championship. England qualified unbeaten for the 2007 World Cup in China, winning Group 5 in the European qualifiers and recording their biggest win (away against Hungary, 13–0) in the process, ending a 12-year hiatus from the competition.[18][19] After coming second in their group, they advanced into the quarter-finals to face the United States but lost 3–0.[20]

In May 2009, central contracts were implemented to help players focus on full-time training without having to fit it around full-time employment.[21][22] Three months later, at the European Championships in Finland, England marked their return to the recently expanded 12-team competition by reaching the final for the first time in 25 years. They advanced from Group C to the quarter-finals by virtue of being the top third-placed team, beating both the hosts and the Netherlands in the knockout stage on the way to the final. There they lost 6–2 to reigning champions Germany.[23]

England reached their third World Cup in 2011, having won Group 5 and their play-off 5–2 over two legs against Switzerland.[24][25] In Germany, they topped Group B – ahead of eventual winners Japan.[26] England were paired with France in the quarter-finals, with the match ending in a 1–1 draw. England had taken the lead with Jill Scott's chip, only to have Élise Bussaglia equalise with two minutes remaining. After extra time ended in stalemate, they lost the ensuing penalty shootout 4–3. Karen Bardsley had saved Camille Abily's initial penalty but misses by Claire Rafferty and Faye White sent England out of the competition.[27]

Powell left the role in August 2013 after a poor showing at the UEFA Women's Euro 2013, with England bowing out after the group stage.[15]

2013–2017: Sampson era[]

Welshman Mark Sampson succeeded Powell as England manager. England qualified for their third successive World Cup in August 2014 with a game to spare, winning all ten matches and topping Group 6.[28] England played their first international match at the new Wembley Stadium, home to the men's national team, in a friendly against the reigning European champions Germany on 23 November 2014. England had not played Germany since their heavy defeat in the European Championship final five years earlier. They lost the match 3–0, marking the 20th attempt at which England had failed to record an official win over Germany.[29][30]

At the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, England lost their opening group game to France but won their remaining group games against Mexico and Colombia, easing through to the last 16 to play 1995 champions Norway. A 2–1 win set up a meeting with hosts Canada in the quarter-finals. Despite facing not only a strong Canadian team but a capacity partisan crowd at BC Place in Vancouver, England progressed to the semifinals of the Women's World Cup for the first time in their history with another 2–1 win, which also marked the first semifinal appearance by any England senior team since the men reached the last four of the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Playing reigning World Cup holders Japan in the semi-finals, England conceded a penalty kick, which Aya Miyama converted past Karen Bardsley. Japan then conceded a penalty as Yuki Ogimi clipped Steph Houghton and Fara Williams slotted it past Ayumi Kaihori to level the game. However, in the last minute of the game, Laura Bassett scored an own goal to send Japan through to the final.[31] England eventually finished in third place by beating Germany 1–0 after extra time after a Williams penalty, their first time beating their archrivals in the women's game. It marked the best finish for any England senior team since the men's team famously won the 1966 World Cup as hosts.[32]

England qualified for the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 in the Netherlands and won all three of their group games at the tournament. England beat France 1–0 in the quarter-finals before meeting hosts and eventual champions, the Netherlands. In the semi-finals, England conceded three goals without reply and were knocked out of the tournament.[33]

In September 2017, Sampson was sacked from his role as manager by the FA after evidence of "inappropriate and unacceptable" behaviour was uncovered during his tenure at Bristol Academy.[34] The FA in January 2019 agreed to pay a "significant" financial settlement to Sampson, on the week his claim for unfair dismissal was due to be heard in court.[35] He was replaced by Phil Neville, who had played at Manchester United – including in their 1999 treble winning season – and Everton and been capped by the England men but had never before held a high-profile managing job.

2018–2021: Neville era[]

National team during 2019 Women's World Cup.

After being appointed manager, Neville's first games in charge were at the 2018 SheBelieves Cup. In their first game, England defeated France 4–1, then drew 2–2 against Germany. They went into the final game against the United States with the opportunity to win the tournament, but lost 1–0. Second place was the highest England had finished at the SheBelieves Cup.[36]

England continued with World Cup qualification in 2018. On 6 April they drew 0–0 against Wales. After the qualifying games in June, England and Wales were guaranteed the first two spots in qualifying Group 1,[37] and England's 3–0 win against Wales in August 2018 saw them clinch the group and qualify for the World Cup finals.[38]

In the 2019 SheBelieves Cup, England won the tournament for the first time after winning their first match 2–1 against Brazil, drawing 2–2 with the United States and defeating Japan 3–0.[39]

In the 2019 Women's World Cup in France, England won group D, beating local rivals Scotland and archrival Argentina to qualify for the knockout phase, before beating Japan. England beat both Cameroon and then Norway 3–0 to advance to the semifinal against United States in Lyon – the team's third straight major tournament semifinal. However, similar to the previous two tournaments, England once again failed to make the final, losing 2–1. Alex Morgan scored the winner after Ellen White had equalised following Christen Press' opening goal, while White had an equaliser ruled out by VAR and Houghton had a penalty saved by Alyssa Naeher. The team finished in fourth after losing the third place play-off to Sweden 2–1.[40]

In March 2019 Winsford was chosen for the site of the £70m Cheshire FA Centre of Excellence, which will be the new home of the England Women's Football Team. It will also act as a training base for European teams playing in Liverpool and Manchester. The development was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020. In October 2020 the Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave his support for the development to go ahead; planning applications are expected to be submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council in spring 2021 with a possible opening date of 2023. The site is being designed to revolutionize women's football in England.[41]

In the wake of the World Cup exit, England's form dropped as the Lionesses struggled in a series of friendlies to end the year including a 2–1 defeat by Germany at Wembley Stadium on 9 November 2019. The game set a new record attendance for an England women's match at 77,768, becoming the second-biggest crowd for a women's game on English soil after the 2012 Olympic final which was watched by 80,203 at the same venue.[42] The poor run continued into 2020 as England failed to defend their title at the 2020 SheBelieves Cup in March. Losses to the United States and Spain made it seven defeats in 11 games, the team's worst stretch since 2003, mounting further pressure on Neville who admitted he was personally responsible for England's "unacceptable" form amid increased media scrutiny.[43][44][45][46] In April 2020, Neville announced he would step down as Lionesses manager when his contract expired in July 2021. Originally his tenure would have extended to England's hosting of UEFA Women's Euro 2021, but the tournament was postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[47] However, in January 2021, he elected to resign early in order to take up the managerial position at Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer club founded by previous England men's captain David Beckham.[48][49] Having already agreed to appoint incumbent Netherlands manager Sarina Wiegman starting September 2021, Hege Riise was named caretaker manager until then.[50] She oversaw a 6–0 friendly win over Northern Ireland in her first game in charge.[51]

From 2021: Wiegman era[]

On 14 August 2020, the FA announced it had reached a four-year deal with incumbent Netherlands manager Sarina Wiegman who agreed to take over the team from September 2021, becoming the first non-British permanent Lionesses manager.[52][53] On 30 November 2021, during qualification for the 2023 FIFA World Cup, Ellen White became England's all-time record goals scorer (overtaking Kelly Smith), during a 20–0 demolition of Latvia, in which she scored a hat-trick. The game was a multi-record breaking game as three other players scored a hat-trick (Mead, Hemp (scored 4), and Russo), marking the first time four players had scored a hat-trick in a senior England women's game. The game was also the largest victory for both men's and women's senior England sides, surpassing the women's team's 2005 13–0 win against Hungary and the men's 1882 13–0 win against Ireland.[54]

Team image[]

Nicknames[]

The England women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as "Three Lionesses" or "The Lionesses".

Media coverage[]

England matches at selected international tournaments, friendlies, Euro and World Cup finals are now currently broadcast by ITV Sport (exclude Euro and World Cup finals) and BBC respectively.[55][56] Previously, the Euro and World Cup finals were broadcast by Channel 4 (Euro 2017 only) and Eurosport.

Results and fixtures[]

Main article: England women's national football team results (2020–present)
Further information: 2020–21 in English football and 2021–22 in English football

This list includes match results from the past 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

All times are listed in GMT except where noted.
Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Void or Postponed   Fixture

2021[]

23 February 2021 Friendly England  6–0  Northern Ireland Burton upon Trent, England
  • White 18', 23', 49'
  • Bronze 29'
  • Daly 67'
  • Toone 75' (pen.)
 Report
Stadium: St George's Park
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: (Scotland)
9 April 2021 Friendly France  3–1  England Caen, France
21:10 CET (UTC+1)
  • Baltimore 32'
  • Palis Yellow card 58'
  • Asseyi 63' (pen.)
  • Torrent Yellow card 77'
  • Katoto 82'
 Report
Stadium: Stade Michel d'Ornano
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Sara Persson (Sweden)
13 April 2021 Friendly England  0–2  Canada Stoke-on-Trent, England
19:15 Report
Stadium: Stoke Ground
Attendance: Behind-closed-doors
Referee: Cheryl Foster (Wales)
17 September 2021 2023 World Cup qualifying England  8–0  North Macedonia Southampton, England
19:00
Report
Stadium: St Mary's Stadium
Attendance: 8,214
Referee: María Martínez (Spain)
21 September 2021 2023 World Cup qualifying Luxembourg  0–10  England Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
20:15 CEST (UTC+2)
  • De Bruyn Yellow card 83'
 Report
  • White 12', 17'
  • Parris 27'
  • Greenwood 37', 47'
  • Berscheid 61' (o.g.)
  • Mead Yellow card 66'
  • Bright 78', 90+1'
  • Daly 90+3'
  • England 90+4'
 Stadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Referee: Aleksandra Česen (Slovenia)
23 October 2021 2023 World Cup qualifying England  4–0  Northern Ireland London, England
17:00
Report
  • Burrows Yellow card 60'
 Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 23,225
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (Croatia)
26 October 2021 2023 World Cup qualifying Latvia  0–10  England Riga, Latvia
20:30 EEST (UTC+3) Report
Stadium: Daugava Stadium
Referee: Katarzyna Lisiecka-Sęk (Poland)
27 November 2021 2023 World Cup qualifying England  1–0  Austria Sunderland, England
12:30
  • White 40'
 Report
Stadium: Stadium of Light
Attendance: 9,159
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine)
30 November 2021 2023 World Cup qualifying England  20–0  Latvia Doncaster, England
19:00
Report
Stadium: Keepmoat Stadium
Attendance: 10,402
Referee: (Czech Republic)

2022[]

17 February 2022 Arnold Clark Cup England  v  Canada Middlesbrough, England
19:30 Report Stadium: Riverside Stadium
20 February 2022 Arnold Clark Cup England  v  Spain Norwich, England
15:15 Report Stadium: Carrow Road
23 February 2022 Arnold Clark Cup England  v  Germany Wolverhampton, England
19:30 Report Stadium: Molineux Stadium
8 April 2022 2023 World Cup qualifying North Macedonia  v  England
Report
12 April 2022 2023 World Cup qualifying Northern Ireland  v  England
Report
6 July 2022 UEFA Euro 2022 GS England  v  Austria Manchester, England
Report Stadium: Old Trafford
11 July 2022 UEFA Euro 2022 GS England  v  Norway Brighton and Hove, England
Report Stadium: Brighton Community Stadium
15 July 2022 UEFA Euro 2022 GS Northern Ireland  v  England Southampton, England
Report Stadium: St Mary's Stadium
3 September 2022 2023 World Cup qualifying Austria  v  England
Report
6 September 2022 2023 World Cup qualifying England  v  Luxembourg
Report

Coaching staff[]

Current information[]

As of 10 August 2021
Position Staff Ref.
Manager Sarina Wiegman [57]
Assistant manager Arjan Veurink [58]

Managerial history[]

See also: Category:England women's national football team managers

Statistics correct as of 30 November 2021

Image Manager Tenure P W D L Win % Competitions
England Eric Worthington 1972
England Tom Tranter 1973–1979
England Mike Rawding 1979
England Martin Reagan 1979–1990 UEFA Euro 1984 – Runners Up
UEFA Euro 1987 – Fourth Place
Wales Barrie Williams 1991
England John Bilton 1991–1993
England Ted Copeland 1993–1998 UEFA Euro 1995 – Semi Finalists
1995 FIFA World Cup – Quarter Finalists
England Dick Bate 1998
(Caretaker)
London Bees v Brighton & Hove Albion WFC, 18 April 2018 (11).jpg England Hope Powell 1998–2013 169 85 33 51 050.3 UEFA Euro 2001 – Group Stages
UEFA Euro 2005 – Group Stages
2007 FIFA World Cup – Quarter Finalists
UEFA Euro 2009 – Runners Up
2011 FIFA World Cup – Quarter Finalists
UEFA Euro 2013 – Group Stages
England Brent Hills 2006, 2013
(Caretaker) 		5 4 0 1 080.0
Mark Sampson, England Ladies v Montenegro 5 4 2014 1058 (cropped).jpg Wales Mark Sampson 2013–2017 60 39 8 13 065.0 2015 FIFA World Cup – Third Place
UEFA Euro 2017 – Semi Finalists
England Mo Marley 2017–2018
(Caretaker) 		3 2 0 1 066.7
England Women 0 New Zealand Women 1 01 06 2019-1360 (47986481842) (cropped).jpg England Phil Neville 2018–2021 35 19 5 11 054.3 2019 FIFA World Cup – Fourth Place
Hege Riise (2017).jpg Norway Hege Riise 2021
(Caretaker) 		3 1 0 2 033.3
Sarina Wiegman trains the Dutch national team.jpg Netherlands Sarina Wiegman 2021– 6 6 0 0 100.0

Players[]

For all past and present players who have appeared for the national team, see List of England women's international footballers.

Caps, goals, and recent players may be outdated or incorrect, as the FA does not maintain a database of historical statistics.

Current squad[]

The following 22 players were named to the squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifier against  Latvia on 30 November 2021.[59][60]

Caps and goals are correct as of match played 30 November 2021 against  Latvia.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Mary Earps (1993-03-07) 7 March 1993 (age 28) 14 0 England Manchester United
1GK Sandy MacIver (1998-06-18) 18 June 1998 (age 23) 1 0 England Everton
1GK Hannah Hampton (2000-11-16) 16 November 2000 (age 21) 0 0 England Aston Villa
2DF Demi Stokes (1991-12-12) 12 December 1991 (age 30) 64 1 England Manchester City
2DF Alex Greenwood (1993-09-07) 7 September 1993 (age 28) 55 5 England Manchester City
2DF Millie Bright (1993-08-21) 21 August 1993 (age 28) 45 3 England Chelsea
2DF Rachel Daly (1991-12-06) 6 December 1991 (age 30) 43 7 United States Houston Dash
2DF Lotte Wubben-Moy (1999-01-11) 11 January 1999 (age 23) 7 0 England Arsenal
2DF Jess Carter (1997-10-17) 17 October 1997 (age 24) 3 1 England Chelsea
2DF Niamh Charles (1999-06-21) 21 June 1999 (age 22) 2 0 England Chelsea
3MF Jill Scott (1987-02-02) 2 February 1987 (age 34) 154 26 England Manchester City
3MF Jordan Nobbs (vice-captain) (1992-12-08) 8 December 1992 (age 29) 67 8 England Arsenal
3MF Keira Walsh (1997-04-08) 8 April 1997 (age 24) 34 0 England Manchester City
3MF Georgia Stanway (1999-01-03) 3 January 1999 (age 23) 26 4 England Manchester City
3MF Katie Zelem (1996-01-20) 20 January 1996 (age 25) 1 0 England Manchester United
4FW Ellen White (1989-05-09) 9 May 1989 (age 32) 101 48 England Manchester City
4FW Fran Kirby (1993-06-29) 29 June 1993 (age 28) 51 14 England Chelsea
4FW Beth Mead (1995-05-09) 9 May 1995 (age 26) 32 16 England Arsenal
4FW Bethany England (1994-06-03) 3 June 1994 (age 27) 15 8 England Chelsea
4FW Lauren Hemp (2000-08-07) 7 August 2000 (age 21) 14 4 England Manchester City
4FW Ella Toone (1999-09-02) 2 September 1999 (age 22) 8 6 England Manchester United
4FW Alessia Russo (1999-02-08) 8 February 1999 (age 22) 2 3 England Manchester United

Recent call-ups[]

The following players have also been called up to the England squad within the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Carly Telford (1987-07-07) 7 July 1987 (age 34) 27 0 England Chelsea v.  Luxembourg, 21 September 2021
GK Ellie Roebuck (1999-09-23) 23 September 1999 (age 22) 7 0 England Manchester City Training camp, June 2021
GK Emily Ramsey (2000-11-16) 16 November 2000 (age 21) 0 0 England Birmingham City Training camp, June 2021
GK Karen Bardsley (1984-10-14) 14 October 1984 (age 37) 82 0 England Manchester City Training camp, June 2021 INJ
DF Steph Houghton (captain) (1988-04-23) 23 April 1988 (age 33) 121 13 England Manchester City v.  North Macedonia, 17 September 2021 INJ
DF Esme Morgan (2000-10-18) 18 October 2000 (age 21) 0 0 England Manchester City v.  North Macedonia, 17 September 2021 INJ
DF Lucy Bronze (1991-10-28) 28 October 1991 (age 30) 83 9 England Manchester City Training camp, June 2021
DF Millie Turner (1996-07-07) 7 July 1996 (age 25) 0 0 England Manchester United v.  Canada, 13 April 2021
MF Leah Williamson (1997-03-29) 29 March 1997 (age 24) 24 2 England Arsenal v.  Latvia, 26 October 2021
MF Lucy Staniforth (1992-10-02) 2 October 1992 (age 29) 17 2 England Manchester United v.  Latvia, 26 October 2021
FW Nikita Parris (1994-03-10) 10 March 1994 (age 27) 57 15 England Arsenal v.  Austria, 27 November 2021
FW Ebony Salmon (2001-01-27) 27 January 2001 (age 20) 1 0 United States Racing Louisville v.  Luxembourg, 21 September 2021
FW Chloe Kelly (1998-01-15) 15 January 1998 (age 24) 7 0 England Manchester City v.  Canada, 13 April 2021
  • INJ = Withdrew due to injury

Team captains[]

Player England career
Sheila Parker 1972–1976
Carol Thomas (née McCune) 1976–1985
Debbie Bampton 1985–1991
Gillian Coultard 1991–1995
Debbie Bampton 1995–1997
Gillian Coultard 1997–2000
Mo Marley 2000–2001
Tara Proctor 2001
Karen Walker 2002
Faye White 2002–2012
Casey Stoney 2012–2014
Steph Houghton 2014–present

Records[]

As of 30 November 2021
Main article: List of England women's international footballers
See also: Category:England women's international footballers

Most capped players[]

Fara Williams is England's most capped player and third highest goalscorer with 40 goals in 172 appearances since 2001.
# Name England career Caps Goals Ref
1 Fara Williams 2001–2019 172 40 [61]
2 Jill Scott 2006– 154 26 [62]
3 Karen Carney 2005–2019 144 32 [63]
4 Alex Scott 2004–2017 140 12 [64]
5 Casey Stoney 2000–2018 130 6 [65]
6 Rachel Yankey 1997–2013 129 19
7 Steph Houghton 2007– 121 13
8 Gillian Coultard 1981–2000 119 30
9 Kelly Smith 1995–2014 117 46
10 Eniola Aluko 2004–2017 102 33
Rachel Unitt 2000–2013 8

Bold names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

Top goalscorers[]

# Name England career Goals Caps Average Ref
1 Ellen White 2010– 48 101 0.48 [66]
2 Kelly Smith 1995–2015 46 117 0.39 [67]
3 Kerry Davis 1982–1998 44 82 0.54 [68]
4 Karen Walker 1988–2003 40 83 0.48 [69]
Fara Williams 2001–2019 172 0.23 [61]
6 Hope Powell 1983–1988 35 66 0.53
7 Eniola Aluko 2004–2017 33 102 0.32
8 Karen Carney 2005–2019 32 144 0.22
9 Gillian Coultard 1981–2000 30 119 0.25
10 Marieanne Spacey 1984–2001 28 91 0.31

Bold names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

Carol Thomas was the first player to reach 50 caps in 1985, before retiring from representative football later that year, having amassed 56 caps. Fara Williams holds the record for England appearances, having played 172 times since 2001. She overtook previous record holder Rachel Yankey in August 2014, in a friendly against Sweden.[70] Yankey had passed Gillian Coultard's 119 record England women caps in September 2012, in a European qualifying match against Croatia, and Peter Shilton's 125 record England international caps in June 2013, in a friendly against Japan.[71]

Ellen White has scored the most goals for England, with 48. She surpassed Kelly Smith's record on 30 November 2021, scoring a hat-trick against Latvia during a UEFA qualifier for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup where England won 20–0, the biggest ever win for an England football team.

Competitive record[]

England women's team in February 2015

FIFA World Cup[]

Main article: England at the FIFA Women's World Cup

England have qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup five times (1995, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019) and failed to qualify for three competitions (1991, 1999, 2003). The England team reached the quarter-finals on three occasions, losing out to Germany in 1995, the United States in 2007 and France on penalties in 2011. In 2015, however, England earned the bronze medal for the first time, under Mark Sampson, by beating Germany in the third place play-off.

FIFA World Cup finals record Qualification record
Year Result GP W D* L GF GA GD GP W D* L GF GA GD
China 1991 Did not qualify 6 2 3 1 4 2 +2
Sweden 1995 Quarter-finals 4 2 0 2 6 9 −3 6 4 2 0 29 0 +29
United States 1999 Did not qualify 8 3 0 5 9 12 –3
United States 2003 10 3 3 4 12 10 +2
China 2007 Quarter-finals 4 1 2 1 8 6 +2 8 6 2 0 29 2 +27
Germany 2011 Quarter-finals 4 2 2 0 6 3 +3 10 9 1 0 35 4 +31
Canada 2015 Third place 7 5 0 2 10 7 +3 10 10 0 0 52 1 +51
France 2019 Fourth place 7 5 0 2 13 5 +8 8 7 1 0 29 1 +28
Australia New Zealand 2023 To be determined To be determined
Total 5/9 26 15 4 7 43 30 +13 66 44 12 10 199 32 +167
*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shoot-outs.

Olympic Games[]

Main article: Great Britain women's Olympic football team

England does not participate in the Women's Olympic Football Tournament, as the country does not have its own National Olympic Committee (NOC). Since England falls under the jurisdiction of the British Olympic Association, remit for an Olympic football team requires support from all four Home Nation associations. The Scottish Football Association (SFA), the Football Association of Wales (FAW) and the Irish Football Association (IFA) have all previously objected to the premise over fears that the team would erode the independence of their individual football associations. However, members of its team have played for the Great Britain women's Olympic football team at London 2012 having been granted automatic qualification as the host nation.[72] The Home Nations once again agreed to a GB Women's team in time for Tokyo 2020 with England's result at the 2019 World Cup counting as the team's attempt to qualify. They qualified as one of the last three remaining European nations.[73]

UEFA European Championship[]

Main article: England at the UEFA Women's Championship

England first entered the UEFA Women's Championship in 1984, reaching the final that year and in 2009. The team have reached the semi-finals on three other occasions (1987, 1995, 2017), but failed to make it out of the group stage in three other editions (2001, 2005, 2013). England did not qualify in 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1997.

UEFA European Championship record Qualifying record
Year Result GP W D* L GF GA GP W D* L GF GA
England Italy Norway Sweden 1984 Runners-up 4 3 0 1 4 2 6 6 0 0 24 1
Norway 1987 Fourth place 2 0 0 2 3 5 6 6 0 0 34 2
West Germany 1989 Did not qualify 6 2 1 3 6 10
Denmark 1991 8 2 3 3 5 8
Italy 1993 6 4 0 2 11 7
England Germany Norway Sweden 1995 Semi-finals 2 0 0 2 2 6 8 6 2 0 33 2
Norway Sweden 1997 Did not qualify 8 4 2 2 19 6
Germany 2001 Group stage 3 0 1 2 1 8 8 5 1 2 12 14
England 2005 Group stage 3 1 0 2 4 5 Qualified as host
Finland 2009 Runners-up 6 3 1 2 12 14 8 6 2 0 24 4
Sweden 2013 Group stage 3 0 1 2 3 7 8 6 2 0 22 2
Netherlands 2017 Semi-finals 5 4 0 1 11 4 8 7 1 0 23 1
England 2022 To be determined Qualified as host
Total 8/13 28 11 3 14 40 51 80 54 14 12 213 57
*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shoot-outs.
**Red border colour denotes tournament was held on home soil.

Minor tournaments[]

Year Round Position GP W D* L GF GA
England 1976 Pony Home Championship Winners, group stage 1st 2 2 0 0 9 1
Italy 1969 Unofficial European Championship Third place 3rd 2 1 0 1 5 4
Italy 1979 Unofficial European Championship Semi-finals 4th 4 2 1 1 6 4
Japan 1981 Mundialito Group stage 3rd 2 1 0 1 4 1
Italy 1984 Mundialito Semi-finals 3rd 4 0 2 2 3 6
Italy 1985 Mundialito Winners 1st 2 3 1 1 13 5
Italy 1988 Mundialito Winners 1st 4 3 1 0 8 2
United States 1990 North America Cup Group stage 3rd 4 1 1 2 3 7
Portugal 2002 Algarve Cup Group stage 9th 4 1 0 3 8 12
Portugal 2005 Algarve Cup Group stage 8th 4 3 1 0 13 0
China 2007 Four Nations Tournament Group stage 4th 3 0 2 1 3 0
Cyprus 2009 Cyprus Cup Winners 1st 4 3 1 0 14 3
Cyprus 2010 Cyprus Cup Group stage 5th 4 2 1 1 6 5
South Korea 2010 Peace Queen Cup Group stage 2nd 2 0 2 0 0 0
Cyprus 2011 Cyprus Cup Group stage 5th 4 2 0 2 4 4
Cyprus 2012 Cyprus Cup Group stage 4th 4 2 0 2 5 7
Cyprus 2013 Cyprus Cup Winners 1st 4 3 1 0 12 7
Cyprus 2014 Cyprus Cup Runners-up 2nd 4 3 0 1 7 2
Cyprus 2015 Cyprus Cup Winners 1st 4 3 1 0 8 2
China 2015 Yongchuan International Tournament Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 2 2
United States 2016 SheBelieves Cup Group stage 3rd 3 0 1 2 1 3
United States 2017 SheBelieves Cup Group stage 3rd 3 1 0 2 2 3
United States 2018 SheBelieves Cup Runners-up 2nd 3 1 1 1 6 4
United States 2019 SheBelieves Cup Winners 1st 3 2 1 0 7 3
United States 2020 SheBelieves Cup Group stage 3rd 3 1 0 2 1 3
England 2022 Arnold Clark Cup TBD TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 7 titles 80 40 18 25 145 86

See also[]

References[]

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External links[]

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