| Nickname | The Young Lionesses | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | The Football Association | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| FIFA code | ENG | ||
| |||
| FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 5 (first in2002) | ||
| Best result | Third place,2018 | ||
TheEngland women's national under-20 football team was anassociation football team that representedEngland women at under-20 level until 2018. It was governed bythe Football Association (FA) since 1993, having been previously administered by theWomen's Football Association (WFA). Although most national football teams represent asovereign state, as a member of theUnited Kingdom'sHome Nations, England is permitted byFIFA statutes to maintain its own national side that competes in all major tournaments. The team operated asEngland Under-21s from 2018 to 2021, followed byEngland Under-23s, after cancellations of theUnder-19 Championship andU-20 World Cup.
In 2018 they finished third at the2018 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 nationFrance.[1] In the knockout rounds, they overcame tournament debutantsthe Netherlands 2–1 in the quarter-finals before losing 2–0 toJapan, which was the first time England they had reached the semi-final stage.[2][3]
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 anUnder-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 managerMo Marley was announced as head coach.
England Women's Under-19s confirmed England's qualification for the2026 Under-20 World Cup in June 2025[6], despite finishing 3rd in their group at the2025 Under-19 European Championship[7].
A group of Under-19 and Under-20 players were announced for the first Under-20 training camp in over 7 years on 19 November 2025, with games against China PR, USA and Mexico to be played inMurcia,Spain.
| 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 |
The following table shows England's head-to-head record in theFIFA 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 |
Head coach Lauren Smith named a 24-player squad to take part in a training camp, including three international fixtures to be played at the Pinatar Arena inMurcia,Spain.[8]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GK | Eve Annets | (2006-03-19)19 March 2006 (age 19) |  Crystal Palace (loan) | |||
| 1GK | Sophie Jackson | (2008-10-18)18 October 2008 (age 17) | Tottenham Hotspur | |||
| 1GK | Kaiya Jota | (2006-02-05)5 February 2006 (age 19) | Stanford Cardinal | |||
| 1GK | Sophia Poor | (2006-06-25)25 June 2006 (age 19) | London City Lionesses | |||
| 2DF | Ria Bose | (2006-02-07)7 February 2006 (age 19) |  Sporting CP | |||
| 2DF | Sophie Harwood | (2007-06-25)25 June 2007 (age 18) | Arsenal | |||
| 2DF | Nelly Las | (2007-12-17)17 December 2007 (age 17) | Leicester City | |||
| 2DF | Rachel Maltby | (2007-03-25)25 March 2007 (age 18) | Aston Villa | |||
| 2DF | Lucy Newell | (2006-10-02)2 October 2006 (age 19) | Birmingham City (loan) | |||
| 2DF | Jessica Pegram | (2007-04-14)14 April 2007 (age 18) |  Rangers (loan) | |||
| 2DF | Chloe Sarwie | (2008-12-19)19 December 2008 (age 16) | Chelsea | |||
| 2DF | Cecily Wellesley-Smith | (2007-01-04)4 January 2007 (age 18) | Leicester City (loan) | |||
| 3MF | May Cruft | (2009-09-06)6 September 2009 (age 16) | Rangers | |||
| 3MF | Laila Harbert | (2007-01-03)3 January 2007 (age 18) | Arsenal | |||
| 3MF | Eva Hendle | (2008-04-30)30 April 2008 (age 17) | Chelsea | |||
| 3MF | Chloe Hylton | (2007-04-25)25 April 2007 (age 18) | Carolina Ascent | |||
| 3MF | Vera Jones | (2008-02-18)18 February 2008 (age 17) | Bristol City (loan) | |||
| 3MF | Omotara Junaid | (2007-10-04)4 October 2007 (age 18) | Florida State Seminoles | |||
| 4FW | Princess Ademiluyi | (2006-07-14)14 July 2006 (age 19) | Fort Lauderdale United FC (loan) | |||
| 4FW | Jessica Anderson | (2008-03-20)20 March 2008 (age 17) | Manchester United | |||
| 4FW | Ava Baker | (2006-01-09)9 January 2006 (age 19) | Birmingham City | |||
| 4FW | Jessie Gale | (2006-08-23)23 August 2006 (age 19) | Portsmouth (loan) | |||
| 4FW | Jane Oboavwoduo | (2009-12-29)29 December 2009 (age 15) | Manchester City | |||
| 4FW | Lois Shooter | (2008-01-06)6 January 2008 (age 17) | Chelsea | |||
Head coachMo Marley named a 21-player squad to participate in the2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup inBrittany,France.[9]
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 | 1GK | Sandy MacIver | (1998-06-18)18 June 1998 (aged 21) | Clemson Tigers | ||
| 13 | 1GK | Ellie Roebuck | (1999-09-23)23 September 1999 (aged 19) | Manchester City W.F.C. | ||
| 21 | 1GK | Emily Ramsey | (2000-11-16)16 November 2000 (aged 18) | Manchester United W.F.C. | ||
| 2 | 2DF | Anna Patten | (1999-04-20)20 April 1999 (aged 20) | Florida State Seminoles | ||
| 3 | 2DF | Maz Pacheco | (1998-08-25)25 August 1998 (aged 20) | Reading F.C. | ||
| 5 | 2DF | Grace Fisk | (1998-01-05)5 January 1998 (aged 21) | South Carolina Gamecocks | ||
| 6 | 2DF | Megan Finnigan | (1998-04-02)2 April 1998 (aged 21) | Everton L.F.C. | ||
| 15 | 2DF | Esme Morgan | (2000-10-18)18 October 2000 (aged 18) | Manchester City W.F.C. | ||
| 18 | 2DF | Taylor Hinds | (1999-04-25)25 April 1999 (aged 20) | Everton L.F.C. | ||
| 4 | 3MF | Mollie Rouse | (1998-11-27)27 November 1998 (aged 20) | Louisville Cardinals | ||
| 8 | 3MF | Georgia Allen | (1998-06-16)16 June 1998 (aged 21) | Syracuse Orange | ||
| 12 | 3MF | Ali Johnson | (1998-12-24)24 December 1998 (aged 20) | Bristol City | ||
| 14 | 3MF | Chloe Peplow | (1998-12-03)3 December 1998 (aged 20) | Brighton & Hove Albion W.F.C. | ||
| 20 | 3MF | Zoe Cross | (1998-02-06)6 February 1998 (aged 21) | Missouri Tigers | ||
| 7 | 4FW | Alessia Russo | (1999-02-08)8 February 1999 (aged 20) | North Carolina Tar Heels | ||
| 9 | 4FW | Lauren Hemp | (2000-08-07)7 August 2000 (aged 18) | Manchester City W.F.C. | ||
| 10 | 4FW | Georgia Stanway | (1999-01-03)3 January 1999 (aged 20) | Manchester City W.F.C. | ||
| 11 | 4FW | Niamh Charles | (1999-06-21)21 June 1999 (aged 20) | Liverpool L.F.C. | ||
| 16 | 4FW | Chloe Kelly | (1998-01-15)15 January 1998 (aged 21) | Everton L.F.C. | ||
| 17 | 4FW | Rinsola Babajide | (1998-06-17)17 June 1998 (aged 21) | Liverpool L.F.C. | ||
| 19 | 4FW | Charlie Wellings | (1998-05-18)18 May 1998 (aged 21) | Birmingham City W.F.C. | ||
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