What to look out for in 2024 with England and FA competitions

We are set for another busy 12 months for our England teams and FA competitions.

Following on from a 2023 which included a first-ever Women’s World Cup final for the Lionesses, seven major tournaments for our Para sides and a host of youth tournaments, 2024 shows no signs of slowing down.

With a busy year ahead of us, we have highlighted some of our key events in 2024.

January

2023-24 Emirates FA Cup third round proper – 4 January to 8 January 2023

The world’s oldest club cup competition has seen plenty of drama and excitement already this season and the third round proper is when Premier League and Championship sides enter the mix. There will be 32 ties across Thursday and Monday, including the top two going head-to-head when Arsenal welcome Liverpool, plus the huge Tyne-Wear derby between Sunderland and Newcastle. You can see all the third round fixtures here.[BM1][FS2]

2023, what a year 🤯

What’s your favourite #AdobeWomensFACup snap from this year? 👀 pic.twitter.com/KBMLwt2QTe

— Adobe Women's FA Cup (@AdobeWFACup) December 29, 2023

2023-24 Adobe Women’s FA Cup fourth round proper – Sunday 14 January 2024

Barclays Women’s Super League clubs enter the Adobe Women’s FA Cup at this stage of the competition and there are some exciting ties to look forward to. Things get underway with an all-Barclays WSL tie between Aston Villa and Everton on Saturday 13 August at 12.30pm, whilst reigning champions Chelsea welcome West Ham the following day at 1pm in another clash between top-flight sides. The two fixtures are among eight ties being shown across FA Player, with BBC iPlayer, and BBC Sport also broadcasting Durham versus Manchester City at 12.30pm on Sunday.

February

UEFA Nations League draw – Thursday 8 February 2024

The draw for the fourth edition of the men’s UEFA Nations League will see England enter in League B following relegation last time out. Should England secure top spot in their group of four teams, they will return to League A automatically. Should Gareth Southgate’s men come second in their group, they will enter a home-and-away promotion-relegation play-off with a team who finished third in League A.

March

UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 qualifying draw – Tuesday 5 March 2024

Sarina Wiegman’s England side do not have to wait long to find out who they will face in EURO qualifying this year. The new-look qualification process will see teams split into Leagues A, B and C, based on how they performed during the 2023-24 UEFA Women's Nations League. The 15 teams who will join EURO 2025 hosts Switzerland at the finals will consist of the top two in each of the League A mini-groups and the remaining seven spots will be decided by two rounds of play-offs in late-2024.

Let Girls Play Biggest Ever Football Session – Friday 8 March 2024

Our Biggest Ever Football Session returns for 2024, with over 180,000 girls registered to take part on what will be International Women's Day. Primary and secondary schools up and down the country will participate in the sessions throughout the day, highlighting the importance of unlocking equal opportunities for girls to participate in football in schools and raise awareness for the Barclays Girls’ Football School Partnerships programme.

MU21s continue EURO qualifying campaign – March, September and October 2024

England MU21s will be back in action as they look to secure their place – and retain their title – at UEFA Under-21 Championship 2025. The Young Lions are currently second in their group at the halfway stage and face another five matches before the year is out, starting with a trip to Azerbaijan on 22 March and a home match against Luxembourg four days later. The nine group winners and three best runners-up qualify for the 16-team tournament directly, with the other six second-placed sides entering two-leg play-off matches.

England men’s senior team matches against Brazil and Belgium – Saturday 23 March and Tuesday 26 March 2024

Gareth Southgate’s men will be back in action with exciting clashes against two of the world’s top-five sides. England will take on the team they replaced in third place in the world rankings, Brazil, in front of a sold-out Wembley Stadium connected by EE before welcoming the country currently sitting between them in fourth, Belgium. Both matches will give Southgate and his players the chance to step up their preparations against top-level opposition ahead of this summer’s UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany.

2023-24 Continental Tyres League Cup Final – Sunday 31 March 2024

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Molineux will host this season’s final and with a capacity of 32,050, we could see another record attendance for the Continental Tyres League Cup Final. More than 19,000 fans watched Arsenal beat Chelsea 3-1 in last season’s finale and with ticket prices at £15 for adults, £7 for concessions and £5 for kids, the Continental Tyres League Cup Final is a great chance for supporters to see some of the best players in the world go head-to-head for the first silverware of the season. You can buy tickets here.

MU17s, WU17s and WU19s EURO qualifying – March and April 2024

Three of our youth sides will be hoping to secure their place in European Championships next summer. The England men’s under-17s will be hosting France, Hungary and Northern Ireland in Group 1 of elite round qualifying, with the eight group winners and seven best runners-up booking a place in the finals. For the WU17s and WU19s, only the seven group winners reach the finals, unless the host tops a group and then the best runner-up also progresses. The WU17s will take on Italy, Greece and Serbia in Group A6 in March, whilst for the WU19s in April, they have been joined in Group A3 by Italy, Switzerland and Portugal.

April

UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 qualifying starts – 1 April to 9 April 2024

England will begin their defence of the UEFA Women’s EURO trophy they won in 2022 when qualifying begins. The 16 League A teams will be split into four groups of four when the draw is made in March (see above) and each country in the mini group will then play each other home and away over six matchdays between April and July.

May

2023-24 UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship Finals – 5 May to 18 May 2024

Qualification for the Women’s Under-17 EURO is decided via a Nations League-style format with promotion and relegation. If the Young Lionesses can top their League A qualification group (see above), they will be one of eight teams heading to Sweden for the Finals, where they will hope to follow France in becoming U17 Women’s EURO champions.

The Isuzu FA Trophy and FA Vase Finals – Saturday 11 May 2024

Almost 30,000 fans attended last season’s Non-League Finals Day at Wembley Stadium, as Ascot United lifted the Izuzu FA Vase trophy before FC Halifax Town claimed the FA Trophy later in the day. And one of the highlights of the footballing calendar will be returning to the home of English football on Saturday 11 May 2024.

2023-24 Adobe Women’s FA Cup Final – Sunday 12 May 2023

Last season’s final resulted in a world record for a women's domestic club match with 77,390 fans packing into Wembley Stadium. Now under the banner of new lead sponsor Adobe, the 54th Women’s FA Cup final could be even bigger. But can anyone loosen Chelsea’s grip on the crown after three consecutive victories? Or will Emma Hayes bow out of the Blues in style?

2023-24 UEFA European Men’s Under-17 Championship Finals – 20 May to 5 June 2024

Greg Lincoln’s side will be hoping to carry their impressive form from 2023 all the way to Cyprus next summer. If they get through the elite round of qualifying (see above), they will reach a record 16^th final tournament and be one of 16 teams hoping to replace Germany as U17 EURO champions.

2023-24 Emirates FA Cup Final – Saturday 25 May 2024

The world’s oldest cup competition will come to its conclusion once again at Wembley Stadium. The 2023 edition saw a first Manchester derby final, as City edged out their local rivals. Who will lift the famous old cup this time around?

2024 FA Disability Cup – June 2024

Some of the best para-athletes in the country will descend on St. George’s Park once again when the annual FA Disability Cup returns. Held over two days, with this year’s dates still to be confirmed, the 2023 FA Disability Cup included six impairment-specific cup finals and you can guarantee a host of England internationals will be on show once again.

10^th European Deaf Football Championships – June 2024

England Deaf Men will be heading to Turkiye this summer in search of a medal as they compete in the latest edition of the European Deaf Football Championships. The Para Lions had high hopes heading to the fourth World Deaf Football Championships in Malaysia in 2023 but suffered heartbreak in the round of 16 as they endured a narrow 1-0 loss to the USA. But the Para Lions will be full of confidence once again out in Turkiye.

UEFA European Championship 2024 – 14 June to 14 July 2024

England will be looking to win a first men’s senior team European Championship in Germany this summer. The Three Lions will kick off their EURO 2024 campaign against Serbia on Sunday 16 June in Gelsenkirchen (9pm local/8pm UK) before taking on Denmark on Thursday 20 June in Frankfurt (6pm local/5pm UK). They then conclude their group in Cologne on Tuesday 25 June against Slovenia (9pm local/8pm UK). Having finished as runners-up in 2021, Southgate’s men will be hoping to go one step further at the Olympiastadion Berlin on 14 July 2024.

July

2023-24 UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship Finals – 14 July to 27 July 2024

Like the U17s, qualification for the Women’s Under-19 EURO is decided via a Nations League-style format with promotion and relegation. If the Young Lionesses do top Group A3 (see above), they will be heading to Lithuania, where they hope to replace Spain as the champions.

November

2024 IFCPF World Cup (cerebral palsy) – date to be confirmed

The IFCPF World Cup will see the top 16 countries in cerebral palsy football descend on Madrid. The dates are still to be confirmed but it is looking likely to be November 2024, having originally been slated for July 2024. England Cerebral Palsy head into the tournament off the back of a 2023 when they played in a first major final, as they finished runners-up to serial-winners Ukraine at the IFCPF European Championships.