Soccer-England women to play Austria and Italy in February

England will play Austria and Italy in a pair of February friendlies in Spain in preparation for Women's Euro 2025 qualifying.

England will play Austria and Italy in a pair of February friendlies in Spain in preparation for Women's Euro 2025 qualifying. The Lionesses will travel to southern Spain for a warm-weather training camp before the international games at Estadio Nuevo Mirador in Algeciras against Austria on Feb. 23 and Italy on Feb 27.

Qualifying for the Euros kicks off in April. "So there's no time to waste in February," England manager Sarina Wiegman said. "Heading to Spain with hopefully warmer weather and great facilities will allow us to maximise every minute together.

"Playing two games against good opposition in Austria and Italy, should be excellent preparation for another big year ahead." England are the defending European champions and finished runners-up to Spain at last year's Women's World Cup. They narrowly missed out on qualifying for this year's Paris Olympics.