STANFORD, Calif. - Freshman goalkeeper Kaiya Jota has been selected to play for England's U19 squad as the team begins the 2024/25 season with two matches in the Algarve Cup in Portugal. Head Coach Lauren Smith’s first match in charge of the WU19s will be against the Netherlands on Friday 25 October (13:00 BST) before her side then take on Norway on Monday 28 October (12:00 BST).
The fixtures will be important preparation for the Young Lionesses as they gear up for round one of qualification for next summer’s 2025 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship, which is taking place in Poland in June. The first qualification phase will also be staged in Poland in November, with the WU19s set to face the hosts Poland, Italy and Turkey.
Lauren Smith said: “I’m really looking forward to my first international window as head coach of the England WU19s. There are so many talented players in the squad and I’m relishing the opportunity to get to work with them at this important stage of their development. We want to start the season strongly, knowing our end goal is to be amongst Europe’s best in next summer’s EURO finals. Playing two quality opponents in the shape of the Netherlands and Norway is the exact preparation we need as we look ahead to the qualifiers next month.”