The growing rivalry between the United States women’s national team and England takes its next step in November when the gold-medal winners from the 2024 Paris Olympics visit the reigning EURO winners at Wembley Stadium.
The anticipation was already palpable in August when ProSoccerTalk caught up with several members of the England team prior to a preseason friendly between Arsenal and Chelsea in the United States.
[ MORE: Arsenal’s Fox, Chelsea’s Bright on Emma Hayes’ USWNT turnaround ]
There are subplots beyond the match-up of FIFA’s current No. 1 and No. 2 teams, with the U.S. reclaiming the top spot after their Olympic triumph.
And the Lionesses know well the USWNT’s new leader — England native and longtime Chelsea mastermind Emma Hayes.
[ MORE USWNT: Results, upcoming fixtures | Records — most goals, caps, wins]
England, USWNT have ‘created a rivalry across the ocean’
This is the first match-up between the USWNT and England since 2022 — a 2-1 England win at Wembley — and the 20th all-time meeting.
The U.S. won the previous meeting at the 2020 SheBelieves Cup, and more notably the 2019 World Cup semifinal in France.
“The Wembley game is gonna be good,” said Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze, who went 90 minutes in the England win at Wembley Stadium in 2022. “There’s the attention of the boss ladies on the side — Emma Hayes and Sarina [Wiegman] are the two big names in terms of women’s coaches. There are not two you’d put in the same conversation in terms of women. And then you’ve got the European champions and the Olympic gold medalists going head to head where both teams have a huge amount of respect.
England captain Leah Williamson admires USWNT, aims to defend Wembley
There’s a really healthy respect between the two sides, especially after the Lionesses won EURO 2022 and reached the final of the 2023 World Cup.
ProSoccerTalk asked Williamson what defines the strength of the American team.
“The competitive nature and the athleticism have always been the thing,” she said. “Fortunately for the U.S., the women’s game has been so loud [in the States] for so long. They’ve had the resources maybe when other people didn’t so they’ve always stood out, but the competitive edge and the mindset is a thing that America has in general. That kind of dreamer-into-winning mindset is an interesting one.
“I think it’s great because in England we tear lumps out of ourselves before we say anything nice and I think American culture is different because it’s ‘I’ve decided I’m going to do this and this is how I’m gonna do it’ so that competitive edge is what I notice most as the biggest difference.”
There’s no question England plays with an edge, too, and it should be a feisty affair in November.
“We’re at Wembley — it’s our home stadium so to speak,” Williamson added. “We invite the Olympic champions, No. 1 ranked team in the world. It’s a nice healthy competition because we rarely play each other but it’s one of the most competitive fixtures we’ll play.”
Bright agreed.
“It’s always a rivalry,” she said. “In the past there’s been rivalry for different reasons but [now] it’s just pure competition. It’s wanting to play against the best team, the best players. It’s wanting to beat those players and have the bragging rights ultimately. To play in an iconic stadium, a stadium everyone wants to play in, at Wembley and it’s two opponents who are extremely competitive and have some of the best players. It’s a fiery game. Two teams that never give in and have really developed over the years. ... The way they are now playing under Emma is going to be a different U.S. team to what we’re used to as well. It’s completely different for the fans and they should be excited about it.”
Bright acknowledged pride in Hayes leading the USWNT to gold but thinks she might have a thing or two to help the Lionesses claim a famous victory at Wembley.
“I have a great relationship with Emma and I knew her very well,” Bright said. “I probably know all of her tricks of the trade inside and out.”
How to watch England vs USWNT live stream link, start time, stadium, more
Kickoff: 12:20pm ET — Saturday November 30
Location: Wembley Stadium in London, England
TV Channel: NBC Universo
Stream: Online via Peacock Premium (en Espanol)
England vs USWNT head-to-head history
USWNT wins: 12
Draws: 2
England wins: 5