Football News: England To Host A New Annual Women’s International Football Tournament

A New Competition Presentation

Since 2016, the England women's national team has competed in the SheBelieves Cup every spring for the past five years. The new tournament, however, is destined to replace that event on England's international schedule, with Germany and Spain and another nation yet to be announced are confirmed as competitors in the four-nation competition.

The yearly event would dramatically boost England's international calendar and ensure that new manager Sarina Wiegman's squad can be tested against world-class opposition on a regular basis, beginning with the buildup to next summer's home Euros and the World Cup in 2023.

England national women team

Baroness Sue Campbell, Director of women’s football at the Football Association said: “This exciting new addition to the international calendar promises to further accelerate the rapid growth we are already seeing in women’s football.” 

She also shared that the new tournament would give England fans the opportunity to see their team take on some of the best opposition on an annual basis. It would create substantial interest, lead to a broader fanbase, and strengthen grassroots participation. Adding that, it would provide the England team with the best preparation heading into the major tournaments over the next four years.

Baroness Sue Campbell

Pitch International, a sports marketing agency, created this new competition. Cat Watson, the agency's director of women's sport exposed that they had seen first-hand the increased appetite for top quality women’s football through their distribution of the Barclays FA Women’s Super League. They were excited to be building on the commitment to women’s football, by investing in and delivering a new tournament featuring the best teams and players from around the world.

How will the new women’s football tournament work?

According to the FA’s reveal, the competition will be conducted in a round-robin format, with matches held in double-headers, with dates scheduled to occur between February 14 and February 23.

The tournament's locations in the UK are yet to be determined, but it will provide fans with another opportunity to see the England national team in action as the women's game continues to grow in popularity.

England fans will get a taste of what to expect when the Lionesses get their World Cup qualifying campaign underway on Friday against North Macedonia. This is also the first game under new head coach Sarina Wiegman since being appointed as the permanent successor to Phil Neville at the start of the 2021 season. 

New England Women Head Coach Sarina Wiegman

Please visit Betimate frequently to support us to make more interesting and updated football content!

Reference Sources

• Eurosport.com
• Theguardian.com