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Champions England to face USA, Spain and Japan at SheBelieves Cup

Monday 13 Jan 2020
Englland head coach Phil Neville takes a dressing room selfie with the players after last year's victory

Holders England will join USA, Japan and Spain for the fifth annual SheBelieves Cup in March. 

The Lionesses will touch down in America hoping to defend the title they won last year as they dethroned USA in their own backyard. 

An opening 2-1 victory over Brazil was followed up by a dramatic 2-2 draw against the hosts in Nashville before the title was sealed with an emphatic 3-0 win over Japan. 

Lucy Bronze on the ball against USA


England, currently ranked sixth in the world, will face some European competition this time around in the form of Spain, who made the round of 16 in last summer's FIFA Women's World Cup while USA and Japan both return, Brazil drops out.  

 

SheBelieves Cup Factfile
  • The Lionesses have appeared at every competition so far
  • In 2019 England won the competition for the first time
  • England first game will be against USA in Florida on March 5
  • USA beat England 1-0 in their 2018 meeting at the Exploria Stadium in 2018

All eyes are sure to be on the Lioness's rematch against the Americans as the SheBelieves Cup holders face the World Cup winners for the first time since their semi-final defeat in France.

 

England head coach Phil Neville said: “We are excited to take part in our fifth consecutive SheBelieves Cup as it is always such an exceptional competition hosting some of the best teams in the world.

“It is a tournament we always look forward to in the fixture calendar, the high tempo and intensity of the competition provides a great test for our squad with matches taking place every few days, as well as offering our players the opportunity to play in front of large crowds in excellent stadiums.

“We were delighted to lift the trophy for the first-time last year, and it is an achievement w e hope to replicate this time around.”

The format for the competition will be the same as the previous four years with the teams participating in three double-header events at three different venues over a seven-day period.

Beth Mead celebrates her goal against Japan

The winner of the tournament is to be determined by total points, with the first tiebreaker being overall goal difference, followed by most total goals scored, then head-to-head result and, lastly, Fair Play Ranking, if necessary.

The full match schedule (all kick off times are GMT): 

9.15pm (UK), Thursday 5 March: Spain vs Japan (Exploria Stadium, Orlando, Florida)
12am (UK), Friday 6 March: USA vs England (Exploria Stadium, Orlando, Florida)

7.15pm (UK), Sunday 8 March: Japan vs England (Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey)
10pm (UK), Sunday 8 March: USA vs Spain (Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey)

10.15pm (UK), Wednesday 11 March: England vs Spain (Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas)
1am (UK), Thursday 12 March: USA vs Japan (Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas)

By Tom Dean