England head coach Lydia Bedford has named her 21-player squad for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, which takes place in Poland from 5 to 27 September.
England’s Full U20 Women’s World Cup squad
“There were some very difficult decisions to make when naming the final squad, which reflects the strength and depth we have across the pathway,” Bedford said.
However, Bedford’s decision-making process has narrowed the squad down to the following:
Goalkeepers: Eve Annets (Manchester City), Katie Cox (Chelsea, on loan to Nottingham Forest), Kaiya Jota (Stanford University)
Defenders: Ria Bose (West Ham), Sacha Lewis (Manchester City), Rachel Maltby (Aston Villa), Lucy Newell (Manchester United), Chloe Sarwie (Chelsea), Zara Shaw (Liverpool), Cecily Wellesley-Smith (Arsenal, on loan to FC Rosengård)
Midfielders: Lola Brown (Chelsea), May Cruft (Rangers), Chloe B. Hylton (Carolina Ascent), Vera Jones (Chelsea, on loan to Watford), Erica Meg Parkinson (North Carolina Courage)
Forwards: Princess Ademiluyi (Gotham FC, on loan to Ipswich Town), Lily Dent (Brighton & Hove Albion, on loan to Sunderland), Jessie Gale (Arsenal, on loan to Newcastle), Eva Hendle (Chelsea, on loan to Rangers), Eleanor Klinger (Stanford University), Lauryn Thompson (North Carolina Courage)
The Announcement Follows a Strong Summer of Preparation
England have built towards the U20 Women’s World Cup with a series of camps and warm-up fixtures, recording wins over Canada, Colombia and Portugal, a draw with the USA, and a narrow defeat to Japan.
The squad will come together for a final preparation camp at St George’s Park, finishing with a warm-up match against New Caledonia on Saturday, 29 August.
England’s U20 Women’s World Cup Group
England have been drawn in Group B alongside Brazil, Tanzania and Canada.
They’ll open their campaign against Canada on Saturday, 5 September, before facing Tanzania on 8 September and Brazil on 11 September.
A Boycott Threat Still Hangs Over the Tournament
The U20 Women’s World Cup is the first FIFA tournament to fall under threat of a UEFA-led boycott, following widespread criticism of the now-aborted FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.
Speaking after their victory over Portugal, Bedford said the message from leadership had been to “continue as usual,” adding: “It’s not something we’ve really even spoken to the players about because ultimately every opportunity we have to get on the grass and prepare this team we want to be in the best position possible.”
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