England Women will head to USA to face best in the world

England Women will travel to America in March to take part in the new SheBelieves Cup.

The Lionesses will play the top three FIFA ranked teams – World Cup winners USA, European champions Germany and France – in their first matches of 2016.

The tournament runs from 4-10 March (UK time) and England will face hosts USA in their opening game on Friday 4 March (12.45am GMT) at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. They will then travel to Nashville where they take on Germany on Sunday 6 March (10.45pm GMT) at the Nissan Stadium.

England’s final game is against France on Thursday 10 March (12.45am GMT) at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida.

It means that England will not take part in the annual Cyprus Cup competition, which they won last year by beating Canada 1-0 in the final, which takes place at the same time.

Head coach Mark Sampson said: “We have been working hard now for a number of months to add more matches against top-tier nations so I am very pleased we are taking part in this tournament.

“The opportunity to compete against the three best teams in the world is a crucial step in providing more opportunities for the team to develop.

“Women’s soccer in the USA is on a real high since their World Cup success and we are excited to feel that sense of enthusiasm for the game in some wonderful football stadiums.

“We are thankful to the USA for their work in setting up the event which I am sure in years to come will grow into a stand-out tournament in the women’s football calendar.”

England will continue their UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 qualifying campaign in April when they play Belgium at home (8 April) and Bosnia & Herzegovina away (12 April). Venues and ticketing details will be confirmed in the coming weeks.