A comprehensive schedule for the Lionesses’ season, including games at the Arnold Clark Cup, the 2023 World Cup, and the 2022 UEFA Women’s Euro. It returned home. As the Lionesses won the Euros on home soil in 2022, defeating Germany in the championship match, it will always be regarded as a watershed year for England.
Three different head coaches led the Lionesses during their turbulent 2021 season. Still, they finished the year in good form under new manager Sarina Wiegman, scoring 53 goals and allowing none in her first six games. With Wiegman and England’s victory in the Euros, this strong performance carried over directly to the competition.
With Spain, Germany, and Canada all traveling to England for the Arnold Clark Cup in February, the Lionesses got the year started. On February 17, all four competed in a round-robin event; the victor was announced on February 23. In fact, England prevailed after drawing with Canada and Spain and winning against Germany, their second triumph ever against a major European adversary. Spain finished the competition with two draws and a victory, but the Lionesses took first place in the standings due to goal differential.
Beth Mead scored four goals and Ella Toone scored three goals in Wiegman’s team’s convincing 10-0 victory against North Macedonia in April as they resumed their World Cup qualifying campaign. A few days later, the team defeated Northern Ireland 5-0 in another significant victory.
The Lionesses also triumphed in all three of their pre-tournament friendlies against Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in the run-up to the Euros, with the second outcome being the most noteworthy given that the Dutch are the current European champions. They continued to advance till the Euro 2022 championship game, where they defeated Germany 2-1 in extra time.
34 days after that victory, England went on to beat Austria 2-0 to clinch a position in the 2023 Women’s World Cup with one game remaining. They defeated Luxembourg in their last match to keep their perfect qualifying record intact. In an international friendly against the USWNT in October, they further demonstrated their talents by defeating them 2-1 at Wembley. However, a few days later, a goalless draw with the Czech Republic did not impress.
The Lionesses will then play two further friendlies in Murcia, Spain, to finish the year, both against past World Cup champions. On that journey, they will face Japan, who they beat in 2011, before taking on a Norway team that won the world championship in 1995 but lost to England 8-0 at the Euros this past summer.
England’s 2023 Women’s World Cup qualifying group
| Position | Team | MP | W | D | L | GD | Points |
| 1 | England | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | +80 | 30 |
| 2 | Austria | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | +43 | 22 |
| 3 | Northern Ireland | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | +20 | 19 |
| 4 | Luxembourg | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | -36 | 9 |
| 5 | North Macedonia | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | -52 | 6 |
| 6 | Latvia | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | -55 | 3 |
England Women’s fixtures & results in 2022
| Date | Match | Competition | Venue |
| Feb 17 | England 1-1 Canada | Arnold Clark Cup | Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough |
| Feb 20 | England 0-0 Spain | Arnold Clark Cup | Carrow Road, Norwich |
| Feb 23 | England 3-1 Germany | Arnold Clark Cup | Molineux, Wolverhampton |
| Apr 8 | North Macedonia 0-10 England | World Cup 2023 Qualifying | Toshe Proeski Arena, Skopje |
| Apr 12 | Northern Ireland 0-5 England | World Cup 2023 Qualifying | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| Jun 16 | England 3-0 Belgium | Friendly | Molineux, Wolverhampton |
| Jun 24 | England 5-1 Netherlands | Friendly | Elland Road, Leeds |
| Jun 30 | Switzerland 4-0 England | Friendly | Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich |
| Jul 6 | England 1-0 Austria | Women’s Euro 2022 | Old Trafford, Manchester |
| Jul 11 | England 8-0 Norway | Women’s Euro 2022 | The Amex, Brighton |
| Jul 15 | England 5-0 Northern Ireland | Women’s Euro 2022 | St Mary’s, Southampton |
| Jul 20 | England 2-1 Spain (AET) | Women’s Euro 2022 | The Amex, Brighton |
| Jul 26 | England 4-0 Sweden | Women’s Euro 2022 | Bramall Lane, Sheffield |
| Jul 31 | England 2-1 Germany (AET) | Women’s Euro 2022 | Wembley, London |
| Sep 3 | Austria 0-2 England | World Cup 2023 Qualifying | Stadion Wiener Neustadt, Wiener Neustadt |
| Sep 6 | England 10-0 Luxembourg | World Cup 2023 Qualifying | bet365 Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent |
| Oct 7 | England 2-1 USWNT | Friendly | Wembley, London |
| Oct 11 | England 0-0 Czech Republic | Friendly | The Amex, Brighton |
| Nov 11 | England vs Japan | Friendly | Pinatar Arena, Spain |
| Nov 15 | England vs Norway | Friendly | Pinatar Arena, Spain |
For more information on England Women’s 2022, keep watching this space.
