England hosts the 2022 Women’s Euros, as the Lionesses compete on home soil for the second time, having done so in 2005.
The tournament is set to take place from Wednesday 6 to Sunday 31 July with 15 other nations joining Sarina Wiegman’s side in what is set to be a record-breaking competition.
With tickets for the Final snapped up within an hour of going on sale, women’s football could welcome some of its biggest crowds over the coming weeks.
Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament from a City perspective...
Format
Sixteen teams have been drawn into four groups of four with the top two in each group securing progression to the knock-out stages. Matches will be played in nine different venues in Manchester, Brighton & Hove, London, Milton Keynes, Rotherham, Sheffield, Southampton, Trafford and Wigan & Leigh.
The quarter-finals will begin from Wednesday 20 July: four, one-off matches between the group winners and runners-up.
The winners of the quarter-finals will then lock horns on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 July for a place in the Final at Wembley on Sunday 31 July.
The Netherlands are the current holders of the trophy.
City contingent
City will have 11 representatives at the tournament, in English, Norwegian, Swedish and Spanish colours.
Seven of our Blues have been selected in Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses squad: Ellie Roebuck, Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, Demi Stokes, Keira Walsh and Ellen White.
Julie Blakstad will feature for Norway, as will Filippa Angeldahl for Sweden, while new recruits Leila Ouahabi and Laia Aleixandri have been chosen by Spain.
There are also three games scheduled to take place at the Academy Stadium.
Groups
Group A: England, Austria, Norway, Northern Ireland
Group B: Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland
Group C: Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Switzerland
Group D: France, Italy, Belgium, Iceland
City-centric Fixtures
England v Austria
Wednesday 6 July, 20:00
Old Trafford, Manchester
BBC One
Norway v Northern Ireland
Thursday 7 July, 20:00
St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
BBC One
Spain v Finland
Friday 8 July, 17:00
Stadium MK, Milton Keynes
BBC Two
Netherlands v Sweden
Saturday 9 July, 20:00
Bramall Lane, Sheffield
BBC One
England v Norway
Monday 11 July, 20:00
American Express Community Stadium, Brighton
BBC
Denmark v Spain
Tuesday 12 July, 20:00
Brentford Community Stadium
(BBC Two)
Sweden v Switzerland
Wednesday 13 July, 17:00
Bramall Lane, Sheffield
BBC Two
Northern Ireland v England
Friday 15 July, 20:00
St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
BBC
Austria v Norway
Friday 15 July, 20:00
Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton
BBC Three
Denmark v Spain
Saturday 16 July, 20:00
Brentford Community Stadium
BBC iPlayer
Sweden v Portugal
Sunday 17 July, 17:00
Leigh Sports Village
BBC iPlayer
Games at the Academy Stadium
Belgium v Iceland
Sunday 10 July, 17:00
BBC Two
Italy v Iceland
Thursday 14 July, 17:00
BBC Two
Italy v Belgium
Monday 18 July, 20:00
BBC iPlayer
Knock-out dates
Quarter-finals:
Wednesday 20 July: Winners Group A v Runners-up Group B (20:00, Brighton & Hove)
Thursday 21 July: Winners Group B v Runners-up Group A (20:00, Brentford)
Friday 22 July: Winners Group C v Runners-up Group D (20:00, Wigan & Leigh)
Saturday 23 July: Winners Group D v Runners-up Group C (20:00, Rotherham)
Semi-finals:
Tuesday 26 July: Winners QF1 v Winners QF3 (20:00, Sheffield)
Wednesday 27 July: Winners QF2 v Winners QF4 (20:00, Milton Keynes)
Final:
Sunday 31 July: Winners SF1 v Winners SF2 (17:00, Wembley)
Five things to look out for
Lionesses pride
Under Sarina Wiegman’s stewardship, England are looking to make home advantage count. The Lionesses finished as runners-up twice and reached the semi-finals last time out. Of the 11 editions of the tournament, the hosts have lifted the trophy on four occasions.
White hot
Ellen White is four goals shy of becoming England’s all-time record goalscorer. Currently standing on a half-Century of strikes for her country alongside Harry Kane, she would surpass Wayne Rooney’s feat of 53 goals to take top spot.
New Blues
For many City fans, this will be the first chance to see our new players Leila Ouahabi and Laia Aleixandri in action, as they compete for Spain. Both players made Jorge Vilda’s provisional squad, which will be confirmed on Monday 27 June.
Norwegian Blue
Julie Blakstad‘s Norway have won the trophy twice - in 1987 and 1993 - as well as the 2000 Olympics and 1995 World Cup. A January signing for City, she has had ample time to spy on her England teammates with the two sides going head-to-head in Group A!
Swede dreams
1984 Champions Sweden have two Olympic medals to their name from the last two Games and will be looking to turn silver to gold with the help of our midfield maestro Filippa Angeldahl and former Blue Kosovare Asllani.
How to get tickets
Tickets are available to purchase on general sale via the link below. Don’t miss out!
