Emma Hayes' return! Lionesses announce exciting USWNT meeting as one of four friendlies to round out England's 2024

It's one of four matches that England announced on Tuesday, after automatic qualification for next summer's European Championships left the October and November international breaks open for friendlies. The match-up with the U.S. is the third of those games, to be played on November 30, and it is one that will see Hayes return to London, where she enjoyed an incredibly successful 12-year stint in charge of Chelsea before taking over the USWNT.

Before that, the Lionesses will take on Germany on October 25, also at Wembley, and follow it with a clash against South Africa just four days later. That game will be held at Coventry City's stadium. Sarina Wiegman's side will close out 2024 with a match against Switzerland on December 3, at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane.

"Our preparations for the Euros start now," head coach Wiegman said. "Securing our place at the tournament next summer, without the need to participate in the play-offs, gives us the maximum time to prepare for the challenge that awaits us in Switzerland. With the current UEFA Women’s Nations League format, the opportunities to play friendlies are limited. Therefore I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to carefully select our opponents and give ourselves four very different and difficult challenges to aid our preparation. Each nation has a different style of play, a variety of strengths and that will test us in different ways."

England will be the defending champions at next summer's Euros, having won the tournament at Wembley in 2022. The Lionesses' meeting with Germany in October will be a rematch of the competition's final, at the same venue.

The Lionesses' scouting team will be keeping an eye on the Olympics in preparation for these friendlies, as both Germany and the USWNT are involved in the women's football tournament in France. The next round of matches there, the final ones of the group stage, take place on Wednesday.