England dropped its 2025 Euro roster on Thursday morning, with manager Sarina Wiegman's title-defending squad facing major shakeups after three longtime staples recently withdrew from consideration.
Forward Fran Kirby and goalkeeper Mary Earps officially announced their international retirements mere days before the drop, with Wiegman previously informing 31-year-old Kirby of her omission from this summer's lineup.
Defender Millie Bright followed suit, stepping back from the team in a Wednesday social media post that stated she's "not able to give 100% mentally or physically."
While these shifts don't necessarily spell defeat, England now faces an uphill climb in their hunt for a second straight European title.
The Lionesses will start their campaign in Group D, a tricky division featuring perennial powerhouses France and the Netherlands plus regional rival Wales.
To further complicate things, England is also coming off a rocky Nations League run, failing to qualify for this year's Finals after finishing second behind Group A3 winner — and 2023 World Cup champs — Spain.
Though their 2025 Euro roster is missing some homegrown talent, the England lineup does feature a handful of NWSL stars stepping into the spotlight.
Washington defender Esme Morgan will make her Euro debut after helping lead the Lionesses to the 2023 World Cup final, while Gotham defender Jess Carter and Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse return to the competition to defend their 2022 success.
All in all, with a refreshed roster and increased parity across the women's game, the Lionesses' path to 2025 Euro victory is now more uncertain than ever.
England's 2025 Euro roster
- Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Khiara Keating (Manchester City), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride)
- Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Jess Carter (Gotham FC), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Maya le Tissier (Manchester United)
- Midfielders: Ella Toone (Manchester United), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Keira Walsh (Chelsea), Grace Clinton (Manchester United), Jess Park (Manchester City)
- Forwards: Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Arsenal, on loan from Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Michelle Agyemang (Brighton, on loan from Arsenal), Alessia Russo (Arsenal), Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea)
With the 16-team UEFA Euro 2025 set to kick off in Switzerland in less than five weeks, UEFA is seizing the opportunity to expand its global footprint following a breakout 2022 tournament.
The continental governing body is starting stateside, with Fox Sports announcing Wednesday that its platforms will air 20 matches from the upcoming 31-game European Championship live — marking the women's side's largest US media deal on record.
With no major events scheduled for the USWNT, international women's soccer will take center stage this summer, as the Euro, Copa América, and Africa Cup of Nations all return in July.
Fox Sports will also bring Copa América action to US viewers for the first time ever this summer, with broadcast details still to come.
England raises prize money for Lionesses
England is also upping its investment, with the FA agreeing to pay the Lionesses a record £1.7 million bonus package — nearly $2.3 million — should they successfully defend their 2022 title.
This year's total more than doubles the amount England players received for reaching the 2023 World Cup final.
While exact sums will vary, player payouts would average £73,000 each (over $98,000) — up some £18,000 ($24,000) from the Lionesses' 2022 earnings.
The move follows UEFA's earlier decision to double its own prize pool in 2025, raising the total purse to £34 million (almost $46 million), including an extra £4.3 million ($5.8 million) for the winner.
How to watch the 2025 Euros this summer
The 2025 European Championship kicks off on July 2nd when Iceland faces Finland at 12 PM ET before Switzerland takes on Norway at 3 PM ET, live on Fox.
Longtime England goalkeeper Mary Earps announced her retirement from international play on Tuesday, immediately ending her run just five weeks before the Lionesses begin their 2022 Euro title defense.
"My journey has never been the simplest, so in true Mary fashion, this isn't a simple goodbye — right before a major tournament," Earps said in a retirement post on Instagram. "Nonetheless, I know this is the right decision."
Despite the seemingly snap choice, Earps later clarified that she "spent a long time making this decision and it's not one I've made lightly. For me, ultimately this is the right time for me to step aside and give the younger generation an opportunity to thrive."
Earps led England to their first-ever European Championship plus the 2023 World Cup final in her 53 international caps.
However, Lioness manager Sarina Wiegman told media earlier this year that the 32-year-old Earps would likely take a backseat to Chelsea keeper Hannah Hampton at July's 2025 Euro.
"I had hoped that Mary would play an important role within the squad this summer, so of course I am disappointed," Wiegman said after Earps's retirement news broke.
Hampton to lead new-look England goalkeeping core
Hampton, who shared the 2024/25 WSL Golden Glove with Manchester United's Phallon Tullis-Joyce — a top USWNT keeper prospect — will now take over as England's No. 1 net-minder, though the 24-year-old still lacks experience in a major tournament.
Playing behind Hampton will be 20-year-old Manchester City goalie Khiara Keating and 30-year-old Orlando Pride keeper Anna Moorhouse — who owns the NWSL's single-season shutouts record. Both have been club standouts, though neither has logged a cap for England.
As for Earps, her football journey will continue at the club level with PSG, with the now-former Lioness promising that "There's so much to still look forward to, and I have so much energy to continue to strive for greatness, to continue to learn and push myself to maximise every last ounce of potential I have."
The world No. 1 USWNT will take on familiar foe No. 17 China PR in a pair of late spring friendlies, with US Soccer announcing matchups scheduled for May 31st in St. Paul, Minnesota, and June 3rd in St. Louis, Missouri, on Monday.
The games follow two California-hosted friendlies against No. 7 Brazil, set to be played during FIFA’s early-April international break.
The USWNT has a deep competition history against China, having faced the Steel Roses 60 times —more than any country other than No. 6 Canada. China also boasts the second-most US defeats with nine, though they haven't upended the USWNT since 2015.
In total, the US boasts a 38-9-13 all-time record against their longtime rival, including arguably the team's most famous victory: the history-making penalty-kick win in the 1999 World Cup final at the Rose Bowl.
"I love these games because they combine some rich women’s soccer history with the present, with both countries going through transitions in preparation for '27 World Cup qualifying," said USWNT head coach Emma Hayes about the upcoming friendlies in the federation's announcement.
Friendlies to test young USWNT players
The new calendar additions will provide Hayes yet another chance to try out less experienced players — a strategy that saw a particularly youthful USWNT take second place at February’s SheBelieves Cup.
"Our process continues and it’s a patient and comprehensive one," Hayes explained. "It’s up to our coaching staff to give players opportunities — opportunities they have earned — and it's up to the players to show us they can perform at the highest levels."
The US will also honor a recent history-maker at the June 3rd match, as the team officially celebrates St. Louis product and former USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn, who hung up her boots in December.
Across her 16-year professional career, the star center back helped the US win back-to-back World Cups in 2015 and 2019, a 2012 Olympic gold, and eight straight Concacaf championships.
The two China friendlies will also continue the USWNT's 2025 trend of facing non-European teams, due in large part to Europe's long 2025 UEFA Nations League schedule, which spans multiple international breaks and takes priority over overseas friendlies.
While Europe ramps up for a continental battle at this summer's Euro, the USWNT will continue down the long road to 2027 — a road that provides plenty of time to develop budding superstars while paying homage to the success of prior generations.
How to buy tickets to see the USWNT vs. China PR friendlies this summer
Tickets for both upcoming friendlies against China are available now via presale, with general sales opening at 11 AM ET on Friday.
The May 31st St. Paul match will kick off at 5:30 PM ET, with live coverage on TBS. St. Louis's game is set for 8 PM ET on June 3rd, and will air on TNT.
In a clash between the world's best, the No. 1 USWNT will face No. 2 England for the first time in two years on Saturday, kicking off in front of more than 80,000 fans at London's iconic Wembley Stadium.
The first of the USWNT's final two games of 2024, Saturday's US lineup will be without "Triple Espresso" forwards Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith, and Trinity Rodman.
The team will also will begin the process of replacing legendary goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who announced earlier this week that this international window will be her last in at US kit.
The USWNT and England's transatlantic rivalry
The history between the two standout international squads has fostered a fierce and friendly rivalry.
Saturday's match will be the 20th meeting between the pair, with the US holding the all-time with a 12-5-2 record. Their last showdown — a 2022 tilt at Wembley — ended in a 2-1 Lioness victory. However, the US won the pair's most recent world tournament battle by ousting England 2-1 from the 2019 World Cup.
"We’ve somehow created a rivalry across the ocean," England defender Lucy Bronze commented when the match was announced earlier this year. "We’re always excited when the US come over, the fans are as well.... I’m sure Wembley will be rocking."
Two of the best bosses in the business
While the top-ranked rosters will star on Saturday's pitch, the sideline will feature two women who are arguably the best head coaches in the women's game — England's Sarina Weigman and the USWNT's Emma Hayes. Even more, both have ties to each of the contending countries.
Former Dutch national team player Weigman, who later coached the Netherlands to the 2017 European Championship and the 2019 World Cup final, spent a season playing in the US for the University of North Carolina. Alongside USWNT legends Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly, she helped lead the Tar Heels to their 1989 NCAA Championship trophy.
England lured Weigman away from the Netherlands in 2021, making her the first non-British manager of the national team. She repeated the same success she had with the Dutch, with the Lionesses becoming 2022 Euros champs before advancing to the 2023 World Cup final.
USWNT boss Emma Hayes's triumphant return
As for Hayes, who grew up in London, her USWNT tenure is still only a few months old, but she cut her teeth stateside. Hayes coached in the US at the college and pro level, first with the USL and later in the folded WPS. After returning to England, she helmed Chelsea FC, building the club into the championship-winning behemoth it is today.
The return to her old stomping grounds is especially poignant for the 2024 Ballon d'Or Coach of the Year.
"Wembley’s like a second home to me, not just as a kid going there but as a manager [at Chelsea] I had a lot of success there," Hayes told reporters after the friendly was announced. "It’ll be amazing to go back, play 20 minutes from my house and play against some amazing players in England — I’m looking forward to it."
US, England eyeing future titles
Though the stakes in any friendly are always relatively low, a win on Saturday offers the victor a significant momentum boost as each look toward upcoming continental and world competitions.
Gearing up to defend their title in Switzerland next summer, the reigning European champs are aiming to bounce back after a 4-3 loss to Germany last month. Meanwhile, the US is already staring down the 2027 World Cup after earning Olympic gold in Paris last August.
"We're coming to win at the weekend," Hayes said ahead of Saturday's match. "But that’s not my overarching goal. I want to qualify for the World Cup and I want to win the World Cup."
How to watch the USWNT vs. England international friendly
The USWNT kicks off against England's Lionesses at 12:20 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage on TNT.
England is on a tear, with the Women’s Euro hosts charging to a 5-0 win over Northern Ireland to finish off the tournament’s group stage on a high.
Friday’s shutout comes after England thumped Norway 8-0 and shut out Australia 1-0. The team’s 14 goals set a Euros record for the most scored in the competition’s group stage.
With its clean sheet, England is just the second team in Euros history to exit the group stage having conceded no goals.
A sublime finish from Fran Kirby gives England the lead over Norther Ireland 💫 pic.twitter.com/iMEoPXSQoL
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 15, 2022
Fran Kirby opened up scoring for England with a long-range banger in the 40th minute, energizing her side. Four minutes later, Beth Meade followed up Kirby’s rocket to double England’s lead. Alessia Russo added a pair of goals to England’s tally, with an own goal bringing the scoresheet to 5-0.
England played without manager Sarina Wiegman, who tested positive for Covid-19, with assistant Arjan Veurink leading from the bench for Friday’s matchup.
“At the end the team performance showed that whatever is going on, we have lots of quality,” Veurink said. “They were calm and they were relaxed and, although Sarina isn’t here, they reacted really well and I’m really happy with the team performance.”
England will look to continue its hot streak in Wednesday’s Euros quarterfinal.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto is the latest women’s footballer to injure her knee, with the star striker tore her ACL during France’s group-stage win over Belgium on Thursday.
Benjamin Quarez of Le Parisien reported the news Friday. Katoto will miss the remainder of the Women’s Euro due to a ruptured anterior ligament and cracked meniscus, according to Quarez. The French soccer federation confirmed the injury.
🚨 Marie-Antoinette #Katoto est forfait pour le reste de l’Euro féminin.
— Benjamin Quarez (@B_Quarez) July 15, 2022
Les examens ont révélé une rupture du ligament antérieur; ménisque fissuré. #FRA #PSG @leparisiensport
Katoto exited France’s second group-stage match of the Euros in the 15th minute after clutching her knee. The 23-year-old emerged for the second half on crutches on the sidelines.
With 26 goals in 32 appearances for her country, Katoto is one of France’s most dangerous offensive weapons.
Katoto’s injury comes after a series of high-profile ACL tears, including Spain’s Alexia Putellas and United States’ Catarina Macario.
France will take the pitch without Katoto in the team’s last Group D matchup against Iceland on Monday.
Vivianne Miedema will not play in the Netherlands’ match against Portugal on Wednesday after testing positive for COVID-19.
The Dutch national team said in a statement that she “will therefore be in isolation for the next few days.”
“When she no longer has any symptoms and tests negative she can rejoin the selection,” the statement continued.
Following Portugal, the Netherlands next will play Switzerland on July 17.
Miedema is the all-time leading goalscorer for the team, with 94 goals through 112 caps. She’s the second player from the team to test positive for COVID-19 in the tournament after Jackie Groenen.
Players from other countries have also tested positive during the tournament, including England’s Lotte Wubben-Moy.
The Netherlands is third in Group C standings, sitting behind Portugal and Switzerland due to goal differential. No team in Group C has won a game yet this tournament, with the Netherlands drawing 1-1 with Sweden in their opening match.
Also out for the team is goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal, who suffered a shoulder injury during the team’s opening match. The Dutch have yet to qualify for next year’s World Cup, with just Denmark and France qualifying so far from UEFA.
The England women’s national team sailed to an 8-0 win in Monday’s Euros group stage match against Norway after rocketing to a six-goal lead in the first half.
Georgia Stanway got the scoring started in the 12th minute, then Lauren Hemp added another in the 15th.
Both Ellen White and Beth Mead secured braces before the half to make it 6-0. Their four goals came in a span of 12 minutes. White’s two goals sandwiched Mead’s tallies, which came just four minutes apart in the 34th and 38th minutes.
Beth Mead carving up Norway's defense ⚡ pic.twitter.com/OFVa32RrZ6
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 11, 2022
Mead completed her hat trick in the 81st minute, tapping the ball into the net after Norwegian goalkeeper Guro Pettersen deflected a Keira Walsh shot.
🏴 Beth Mead = hat-trick hero ⚽️⚽️⚽️#WEURO2022 | #ENG pic.twitter.com/nVZVZ6aWwZ
— UEFA Women's EURO 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 11, 2022
England got 16 shots on target, while Norway failed to get one. The hosts of UEFA Women’s European Championship held possession for 61 percent of the match, and their pass accuracy sat at 89 percent.
The Lionesses became the first team to score eight goals in a Women’s Euros match, and also the first team in this year’s tournament to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals.
This victory provided a much different look from the team that beat Austria just 1-0 last Wednesday in the opener. Mead also proved the difference-maker in that game, scoring the team’s one goal.
Austria later rebounded Monday with a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland.
The 2022 UEFA Women’s Euro is currently underway in England, providing the country an opportunity to put the women’s game on center stage.
Thanks to the burgeoning popularity of the country’s domestic league, the Women’s Super League, the sport is experiencing a surge in status and enjoying increased investment. The WSL’s expansion was highlighted when the league, Sky Sports and the BBC announced a landmark three-year agreement beginning with the 2021-2022 season.
Lucy Bronze, a veteran English defender, has seen firsthand how far the women’s game has come. Speaking with The New York Times, Bronze recalled working a side job at Domino’s Pizza while balancing her role as a star on Everton.
Now, players are relishing bigger deals and a growing fan base.
“Here we are, in 2022, and players get like helicopters to do appearances,” Bronze told the New York Times. “Do you know what I mean? It’s gone so far, so quickly, and I don’t think anyone could have forecast how huge it was going to be.”
England’s Euro matches will air on the BCC, with record crowds expected throughout the tournament.
The sport, however, is working against substantial obstacles, with a slice of the English public harboring troubling feelings about women’s sports. The New York Times cites a Durham University study from early 2022 that shows two-thirds of 2,000 male soccer fans polled hold “openly misogynistic attitudes toward women’s sports” across age groups.
The Euro tournament has also come under fire for hosting some matches at the Manchester City Academy Stadium, a venue that has a capacity of just 4,700.
Players, though, hope that a home tournament featuring some of the best soccer stars in the world will help the game’s growing popularity.
“We’ve seen, over the years, how much the women’s game has grown,” England’s Lauren Hemp said. “I think having this home tournament is only going to help it grow even more.”
England will continue on its Euro quest when it faces Norway at 3 p.m. ET Monday at Falmer Stadium, a venue with a capacity of 31,800.