England will begin their bid to be crowned the first winners of the WU23 European competition when they welcome Portugal to The Croud Meadow Stadium, home of Shrewsbury Town, on Tuesday 29 October.

Tickets for the first home fixture of the season, which is in the half-term week, can be purchased via this link, priced at £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and £1 for under-14s.

Shrewsbury is a familiar home for the Young Lionesses who also kicked-off the 2023/24 season at The Croud Meadow, with a record crowd for the age group turning out to witness a 3-0 victory against Belgium. Grace Clinton, Jess Naz and Aggie Beever-Jones all started in that match and went on to make their senior England debuts later in the season.

The European competition was introduced to bridge the gap between the end of the development pathway and senior international football, with Emma Coates’ side going unbeaten last season.

The format of the competition has been enhanced for the 2024/25 campaign, with a group stage, semi-finals and final, as well as a third and fourth placed play-off. England are in Group B alongside the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Portugal, whilst France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Germany make up Group A.

England Football Accredited Club Offer: England v Portugal WU23 League - England Football Accredited Clubs Offer