England women's national under-20 football team

This article is about the women's team. For the men's team, see England national under-20 football team.

England Women's U-20s

Nickname(s)	The Young Lionesses
Association	The Football Association
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
FIFA code	ENG
First colours Second colours
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
Appearances	5 (first in 2002 )
Best result	Third place, 2018

The England women's national under-20 football team was an association football team that represented England women at under-20 level until 2018. It was governed by the Football Association (FA) since 1993, having been previously administered by the Women's Football Association (WFA). 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. The team operated as England Under-21s from 2018 to 2021, followed by England Under-23s, after cancellations of the Under-19 Championship and U-20 World Cup.

2018 Under-20 World Cup

In 2018 they finished third at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, their best ever finish at the tournament. They won the play-off for third 4–2 on penalties against the host nation France. ^[1] In the knockout rounds, they overcame tournament debutants the Netherlands 2–1 in the quarter-finals before losing 2–0 to Japan, which was the first time England they had reached the semi-final stage. ^{[2] [3]}

Move to U-21 system (2018–2021)

In a bid to better aid the transition between the youth pathway and senior football, the WFA announced in September 2018 that they were scrapping the U23s and U20s format in order to form an Under-21s age group, which would become the top tier of the nation's professional development phase. The move would align England's structure to that used in other European countries, allowing for more age-appropriate games and better manage individual player development post-U20 World Cup for those who have genuine senior team potential. The then U20s manager Mo Marley was announced as head coach.

Move to U-23 team (2021–present)

This section is an excerpt from England women's national under-23 football team § Return of U-23 level (2021–present).[ edit ]

In October 2021, the FA announced the return of an under-23 team as newly appointed senior manager Sarina Wiegman looked to increase international playing opportunities for promising players in the senior pathway, particularly those who had aged out of the under-21 squad. Mo Marley was appointed head coach and tasked with also mentoring Emma Coates and Fara Williams as coaches. ^[4] The move came off the back of the cancellation of two editions of the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship and one FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, further limiting opportunities for youth international experience. ^[5]

Competitive record

FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup

FIFA U-19 Women's World Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2002	Quarter-finals	6th	4	1	1	2	7	11
2004	Did not qualify
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2006	Did not qualify
2008	Quarter-finals	8th	4	1	2	1	4	5
2010	Group stage	13th	3	0	1	2	2	5
2012	Did not qualify
2014	Group stage	11th	3	0	2	1	3	4
2016	Did not qualify
2018	Third place	3rd	6	3	2	1	13	7
2022	Did not qualify
2024	Did not qualify
2026	To be determined
Total	5/12	3rd	20	5	8	7	29	32

Head-to-head record

The following table shows England's head-to-head record in the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Australia	1	0	1	0	0	0	+0	000.00
Brazil	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Canada	1	0	0	1	2	6	−4	000.00
Chinese Taipei	1	1	0	0	4	0	+4	100.00
Chile	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100.00
France	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Japan	2	0	0	2	1	5	−4	000.00
Mexico	3	1	1	1	7	3	+4	033.33
Netherlands	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	100.00
New Zealand	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Nigeria	3	0	2	1	3	4	−1	000.00
North Korea	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2	100.00
South Korea	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
United States	2	0	0	2	1	8	−7	000.00
Total	20	5	8	7	29	32	−3	025.00

Current squad

Head coach Mo Marley named a 21-player squad to participate in the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Brittany, France. ^[6]

Players born between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2002 were eligible to compete in the tournament.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Club
1	1 GK	Sandy MacIver	(1998-06-18)18 June 1998 (aged 21)	Clemson Tigers
13	1 GK	Ellie Roebuck	(1999-09-23)23 September 1999 (aged 19)	Manchester City W.F.C.
21	1 GK	Emily Ramsey	(2000-11-16)16 November 2000 (aged 18)	Manchester United W.F.C.
2	2 DF	Anna Patten	(1999-04-20)20 April 1999 (aged 20)	Florida State Seminoles
3	2 DF	Maz Pacheco	(1998-08-25)25 August 1998 (aged 20)	Reading F.C.
5	2 DF	Grace Fisk	(1998-01-05)5 January 1998 (aged 21)	South Carolina Gamecocks
6	2 DF	Megan Finnigan	(1998-04-02)2 April 1998 (aged 21)	Everton L.F.C.
15	2 DF	Esme Morgan	(2000-10-18)18 October 2000 (aged 18)	Manchester City W.F.C.
18	2 DF	Taylor Hinds	(1999-04-25)25 April 1999 (aged 20)	Everton L.F.C.
4	3 MF	Mollie Rouse	(1998-11-27)27 November 1998 (aged 20)	Louisville Cardinals
8	3 MF	Georgia Allen	(1998-06-16)16 June 1998 (aged 21)	Syracuse Orange
12	3 MF	Ali Johnson	(1998-12-24)24 December 1998 (aged 20)	Bristol City
14	3 MF	Chloe Peplow	(1998-12-03)3 December 1998 (aged 20)	Brighton & Hove Albion W.F.C.
20	3 MF	Zoe Cross	(1998-02-06)6 February 1998 (aged 21)	Missouri Tigers
7	4 FW	Alessia Russo	(1999-02-08)8 February 1999 (aged 20)	North Carolina Tar Heels
9	4 FW	Lauren Hemp	(2000-08-07)7 August 2000 (aged 18)	Manchester City W.F.C.
10	4 FW	Georgia Stanway	(1999-01-03)3 January 1999 (aged 20)	Manchester City W.F.C.
11	4 FW	Niamh Charles	(1999-06-21)21 June 1999 (aged 20)	Liverpool L.F.C.
16	4 FW	Chloe Kelly	(1998-01-15)15 January 1998 (aged 21)	Everton L.F.C.
17	4 FW	Rinsola Babajide	(1998-06-17)17 June 1998 (aged 21)	Liverpool L.F.C.
19	4 FW	Charlie Wellings	(1998-05-18)18 May 1998 (aged 21)	Birmingham City W.F.C.

References

1. "England claim third place on penalties". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
2. "England women beat Netherlands to reach semi-finals in France". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
3. "U20 World Cup: England women suffer semi-final defeat to superior Japan". 20 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018– via www.bbc.co.uk.
4. Association, The Football. "England Women's U23s squad named for Belgium trip in October 2021". englandfootball.com.
5. Frith, Wilf (18 November 2020). "FIFA U-20 and U-17 Women's World Cups cancelled". SheKicks. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
6. "England Squad Named for FIFA Women's U20 World Cup". FA. Retrieved 20 August 2018.