England’s women’s team will be taking part in the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup, with a new competition for 2022 set to see the Lionesses compete for silverware alongside Canada, Germany and Spain.
Sarina Wiegman’s side are well into their preparations for another shot at European Championship glory, at a delayed event due to be held next summer, and there are obvious benefits to be found in adding more competitive fixtures to their schedule.
England will be playing the role of hosts at the Arnold Clark Cup in February, with Olympic gold medallists, arch-rivals and a team boasting the 2021 Ballon d’Or Feminin winner in their ranks set to pay a visit to British shores.
When will England be in action at the Arnold Clark Cup?
February 17, 2022: England vs Canada
February 20, 2022: England vs Spain
February 23, 2022: England vs Germany
Tickets to watch England, Germany, Spain and Canada play in the Arnold Clark Cup are available now. Matches are being broadcast live in the UK on ITV.
Where will the matches take place?
Wiegman’s troops will open their tournament against Olympic champions Canada at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough.
Three days later they will entertain a star-studded Spain side, which could include Barcelona superstar Alexia Putellas, at Norwich City’s Carrow Road base.
A final outing will be taken in against a Germany team ranked number three in the world at Molineux - the home of Wolves.
What has been said?
England forward and 2021 Ballon d’Or nominee Fran Kirby has said of a competition that promises to be keenly contested: “As a team, you want to test yourself against the best in the world and win trophies. That’s our clear goal for the tournament.
“We’re buzzing to take on three of the world’s best sides at home. Canada are reigning Olympic champions, Spain have some outstanding players in their squad, and obviously it doesn’t get much bigger an occasion than England v Germany.
“It’s a special opportunity to play world-class opposition in front of our supporters, so we’ll be determined to be firing on all cylinders.”
Spain coach Jorge Vilda added: “For Spain it is a great honour to participate in the first edition of the Arnold Clark Cup alongside world-class teams such as England, Germany and Canada.
“In addition, visiting England in the year of the Euro will give us the opportunity to better prepare our participation in the tournament. We are very much looking forward to playing in England in February and hope to see a great show in all of the matches.”
All of England’s games at the Arnold Clark Cup are set to be broadcast in the UK on ITV, while over half of all tickets for the event are priced at £10 or less.
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