When are England Women's fixtures in 2021? Lionesses' match schedule

England’s women’s national team had a tumultuous 2021, with preparation for a huge summer next year, when they host the 2022 UEFA Women’s European Championship, certainly eventful.

Following the departure of head coach Phil Neville in January, former World Cup winner Hege Riise took interim charge of the team for the first half of the year, before Sarina Wiegman assumed the role she was announced as taking in August 2020, following the Netherlands' participation at the Olympic Games.

With Wiegman having won the Euros with her home country in 2017, led them to a Women's World Cup final two years later and been within a penalty shootout of beating the U.S. women's national team at the Olympics, there has been understandable excitement among England fans.

How did England perform under Riise?

After having no fixtures for 11 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Lionesses finally returned to action in February with a 6-0 win over Northern Ireland.

Games against Germany and Norway were due to take place in October and December respectively at the end of 2020, but were both postponed. A positive Covid-19 test among England’s backroom staff caused the trip to Germany to be called off, while the Norwegian Football Association chose not to travel for the latter fixture.

England then faced France and Canada in the April international break, losing both games, their form then reading nine defeats in their last 14 fixtures.

It was a difficult spell under Riise, with her having little time to implement change. However, the Football Association and the players were clearly impressed with her, as she would be given the opportunity to lead Great Britain's Olympic football team in the summer, a team mostly made up of England players.

Under Riise, Team GB reached the quarter-finals, but were eliminated by a brilliant Australia team in a seven-goal thriller that went to extra time.

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What results did the Lionesses have under Wiegman?

England have got off to a flying start under new head coach Wiegman, whose first games in charge were a handful of 2023 Women's World Cup qualifiers.

Luxembourg and North Macedonia were her first opponents, with the Lionesses comfortable victors in both - scoring 18 goals across the two games in September, conceding none.

They welcomed Northern Ireland to Wembley in October, the visitors giving them a tough game until Beth Mead's goal just past the hour mark set her team on their way to win, with the Arsenal winger completing a 14-minute hat-trick off the bench. A commanding result in Latvia followed three days later.

England's final games of the calendar year came in November. Austria, their toughest opponent in the World Cup qualifying group, were narrowly beaten, before a record-breaking 20-0 result at home to Latvia a few days later raised plenty of eyebrows.

After a comfortable start to life in charge, Wiegman's style and the application of her team will be more thoroughly tested in 2022, with Spain, Germany and Olympic gold medallists Canada coming to England for the new Arnold Clark Cup in February.

Tickets to watch England, Germany, Spain and Canada play in the Arnold Clark Cup are available now. England matches are being broadcast live in the UK on ITV.

England Women's results in 2021

Further reading

• How England are building the next generation of Lionesses
• Lachante Paul: Ex-Arsenal wonderkid ready to take WSL by storm
• Lucy Watson: England's 'outstanding' talent that Man Utd & Man City wanted