England WU23s head coach Lydia Bedford has named a 23-player squad as the Young Lionesses begin the defence of their U23 European title.
England will welcome Norway to the LNER Community Stadium in York on Monday, October 12 at 19:30 BST for their opening match of the 2026-27 season.
England were crowned U23 European champions in April after beating Sweden 3-0 in the final. Bedford’s side will face Norway, Belgium, Portugal and Italy in Group B.
Liverpool FC Women forward Mia Enderby has been included in the squad. Enderby, who joined the Reds in July 2023 after leaving Sheffield United, racked up 20 appearances in her first season at Liverpool, scoring five goals and winning the club’s Goal of the Season award for her solo effort against Manchester City.
Enderby signed a new contract with Liverpool in the 2024-25 and made 30 appearances under head coach Gareth Taylor in the following campaign, recording nine goal involvements.
Lydia Bedford said: “We’re really looking forward to working with this group and seeing what they can achieve over the course of the season.
“The WU23s programme plays a key role in preparing players for senior international football and, with a World Cup coming up next summer, every opportunity they have to perform in an England environment is really valuable.
“We’re seeing more and more players transition from the pathway into the senior squad, and I was really pleased for Erica Meg Parkinson and Lexi Potter receiving their call ups. The question I’ll be asking the group is: who’s going to be next?
“Last season was a brilliant one for the WU23s with winning the competition and we want to build on that success while continuing to give players the experiences they need to progress and develop. I’m excited to start the campaign in York and we hope to see a good crowd turn out to support the next generation.”
Below is the full squad:
Goalkeepers: Eve Annets (Manchester City, on loan to Hibernian), Kaiya Jota (Stanford University), Sophia Poor (London City Lionesses).
Defenders: Brooke Aspin (Bristol City), Cerys Brown (Nottingham Forest), Megan Collett (Southampton), Teyah Goldie (London City Lionesses, on loan to Crystal Palace), Nelly Las (Chelsea), Naomi Layzell (Manchester City, on loan to Everton), Gracie Prior (Manchester City), Hannah Silcock (Everton), Jessica Simpson (Manchester United).
Midfielders: Sarah Brasero (West Ham United, on loan to Deportivo Alaves), Keira Flannery (Charlton), Laila Harbert (San Diego Wave), Sophie Harwood (Arsenal, on loan to Sheffield United), Lexi Lloyd-Smith (Crystal Palace).
Forwards: Keira Barry (Bay FC), Mia Enderby (Liverpool), Lenna Gunning-Williams (Tottenham Hotspur), Georgia Mullett (Aston Villa), Lily Murphy (Manchester City, on loan to Aston Villa), Poppy Pritchard (Leicester City).
Lydia Bedford has named a 23-player #YoungLionesses squad to begin defending our U23 European competition title! 🤝 🏴
Read more 👉 https://t.co/srQpQGRngy pic.twitter.com/ZTHADKRaAV
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) September 30, 2026
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