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.
| Nickname(s) | The Young Lionesses | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | The Football Association | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| FIFA code | ENG | ||
| |||
| UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 6 (first in 2002) | ||
| Best result | Champions, 2009 | ||
| FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 5 (first in 2002) | ||
| Best result | Third place, 2018 | ||
2018 Under-20 World Cup edit
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 edit
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) edit
Competitive record edit
FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup edit
| 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 |
Current squad edit
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.
References edit
- ^ "England claim third place on penalties". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ^ "England women beat Netherlands to reach semi-finals in France". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- ^ "U20 World Cup: England women suffer semi-final defeat to superior Japan". 20 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Association, The Football. "England Women's U23s squad named for Belgium trip in October 2021". englandfootball.com.
- ^ Frith, Wilf (18 November 2020). "FIFA U-20 and U-17 Women's World Cups cancelled". SheKicks.
- ^ "England Squad Named for FIFA Women's U20 World Cup". FA. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
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