England will host the first iteration of a new international football tournament, the Football Association have confirmed.
The England women’s national team competed in the SheBelieves Cup every spring for five straight years from 2016.
But the new tournament looks set to replace that event in England’s international calendar, with Germany and Spain also confirmed as participants in the four-nation competition.
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The fourth team involved has yet to be confirmed.
“This exciting new addition to the international calendar promises to further accelerate the rapid growth we are already seeing in women’s football,” Baroness Sue Campbell, director of women’s football at the Football Association, said.
“Giving England fans the opportunity to see their team take on some of the best opposition in the world on an annual basis will create substantial interest, leading to a broader fanbase and strengthening grassroots participation.
“It will also provide the England team with the best preparation heading into the major tournaments over the next four years.”
The competition will be played in a round-robin format, with matches hosted in double-headers, with dates expected to fall in the international window between February 14-23.
Venues across the UK are yet to be confirmed, but the tournament will give fans a further opportunity to see the England national team in action as the popularity of the women’s game continues to gather pace.
Supporters will get a taste of what to expect when England get their World Cup qualifying campaign underway on Friday against North Macedonia.
The match is manager Sarina Wiegman’s first in charge since being announced as the permanent successor to Phil Neville, who was due to step down this summer, but left his post early to join Inter Miami at the start of 2021.
Sarina Wiegman, Head Coach of Team Netherlands looks on prior to the Women’s First Round Group F match between Netherlands and Brazil on day one of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Miyagi Stadium on July 24, 2021 in Rifu, Miyagi, Japan.
Image credit: Getty Images
The new tournament is the brainchild of a sports marketing agency Pitch International.
“We have seen first-hand the increased appetite for top quality women’s football through our distribution of the Barclays FA Women’s Super League,” the agency’s director of women’s sport, Cat Watson, said.
“We’re excited to be building on our commitment to women’s football, by investing in and delivering a new tournament featuring the best teams and players from around the world, that will be broadcast to a global audience.”
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