Meet England's U20 Women’s World Cup squad

England women’s under-20s are competing at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup 2026, with Lydia Bedford’s team set to get their campaign underway this weekend.

Ria Bose, Vera Jones and Zara Shaw – members of the squad – introduce the Young Lionesses ahead of the tournament in Poland.

Eve Annets

RB & VJ: She's really funny. She’s the life of the changing room. She makes everyone laugh. If you need calming down, she’s your person – she’s really good at advice and really good at conversations. She talks to everyone.

ZS: Where do I start with Eve? She’s a character, that girl. We all love her. She's definitely the funniest person in the group, by a mile.

Katie Cox

RB & VJ: Loud. Confident. She'd be the main voice on the pitch and the first to answer questions in every meeting. She’s a leader.

ZS: Katie's also a character. She's probably one of the leaders of the group. She’s solid.

Kaiya Jota

RB & VJ: Kaiya’s calm and content. She’s always smiling, talking to people and just at one with herself. She gets on with everyone.

ZS: One of the Americans – we've got a few of them these days. She's lovely to be around and friendly. On the pitch, she’s very reliable.

Ria Bose

VJ: Ria is funny. She’s always smiling – most of the time! Just good vibes, always up for a laugh and she works hard on the pitch, putting in in big challenges. She has her moments where she runs through three players. Good energy.

ZS: Lives in her own little bubble, 24/7! On the pitch, her football does the talking. We all love Ria.

Sacha Lewis

RB & VJ: She's always dancing or singing. She’s very bubbly. Big challenges on the pitch. She’s very complimentary of other people – she'll always be saying nice things.

ZS: She’s one of the youngest. She's quite new to the group, but she's settled in so fast and again, on the pitch, very reliable.

Rachel Maltby

RB & VJ: Very wise. She’s chill and caring. She thinks about others. She's really composed and will give everything. Her work rate is unmatched.

ZS: I've played with Rach for a while now through the pathway. She's just the best. So lovely to be around. She sets the standard within the group. One of the role models.

Lucy Newell

RB & VJ: Big game player. She’ll literally throw her body on the line which is great. That is the best way to describe her.

ZS: Another one that sets the standards. I’ve played with her for a while. One of the ones people look to in the group. She does everything right.

Chloe Sarwie

RB & VJ: Always dancing. She’s good vibes. She’s a very technical player.

ZS: She’s an exciting one to watch on the pitch. Off the pitch, she's also equally as crazy. She loves a little TikTok! She’s in her own little bubble, similar to Ria. Very talented.

Zara Shaw

RB & VJ: Leader and a brick wall. She likes to push others and drives herself and the team very well. And she’s very kind.

Cecily Wellesley-Smith

RB & VJ: Cute! Very friendly and she's also bubbly. She’s quiet on the pitch unless it’s information-based, then she’ll be talking.

ZS: She's just an angel. It's the only way I can describe Cec. She's just so cute. She does everything right. On the pitch, she's a really reliable player. I love Cec.

Lola Brown

RB & VJ: Hard worker – one of the hardest working. Driven, as well. She’s a left-foot and set pieces specialist. Always smiling again and so kind.

ZS: She’s the biggest sweetheart ever. So talented on the pitch. She can run for days!

May Cruft

RB & VJ: She’s quiet but she loves taking in information. She's always listening. She'll kind of sit back, watch everyone else, see the problem, but then she'll ask questions. She’s driven and she'll work really hard, too.

ZS: She's another little cute one. She's quite quiet at first – quite reserved when you first meet her - but lately she's been coming out of her shell, and I think everyone really gets on with her in the group. She's a very tidy player.

Chloe B. Hylton

RB & VJ: She’s a very good teammate. She'll put the team first and do what she has to do to make sure the team succeeds. Position wise on the pitch, she'll play anywhere – probably besides goalkeeper – without a complaint and she'll work so hard in that position.

ZS: She’s quite quiet at first, similar to May, but everyone loves her in the group. She's so friendly and gets on with everyone. Does everything right on the pitch.

Vera Jones

RB: Tekky! Set piece final boss. On a day to day, quieter but then when it comes to games, she’s a big game player. She gives everything, works really hard, and gets loud on the pitch and she is one to give a push if the team needs it.

ZS: V is a character in the group. I've played with her for a while, so I know her well. On the pitch, she’s special – she does some special things.

Erica Meg Parkinson

RB & VJ: Tekky again. She’s so nice, bubbly – she’s one to be with everyone. She’s a good leader. She likes to push herself to the max and also push everyone around her to the max. She makes an effort with everyone, for sure.

ZS: Very, very special player. We know how talented she is – everyone’s seen that. I think off the pitch, she's equally as crazy but we all love her.

Princess Ademiluyi

RB & VJ: Outgoing. Always there for vibes. Dancing all the time. She's clinical on the pitch and works hard for the team.

ZS: A real extrovert. You can see what she's like straight away at face value. A proper character. I think she's really good for the group. Everyone loves her. On the pitch, solid as well.

Lily Dent

RB & VJ: I’ll say it again – big team player. Always puts the team first. She won’t complain. She’ll always give everything in training and give everything for the team.

ZS: Lily's also another really sweet one – really cute. I think she's quite chill and quiet but once you get to know her, does everything right. She really gets her head down and works hard.

Jessie Gale

RB & VJ: Huge character – enormous! If you can't see her, you'll hear her. She works her socks off.

ZS: Again, a big, big character. Off the pitch, she's probably one of the funnier ones again – same category as Eve. We all love her to bits. On a pitch, she can produce some special moments, as well.

Eva Hendle

RB & VJ: She's funny. Left foot; works hard. She’s tekky, to be fair, and very aggressive.

ZS: Eva is quite new to the group, but as soon as I met Eva, we got on straight away. I love that girl. Gets on with everyone really well and she's absolutely rapid, so on the pitch, she can make things happen.

Eleanor Klinger

RB & VJ: She works so hard, she’s so driven and you may not always hear her because she’s on her own wavelength but as soon as you step on that pitch, she is the biggest team player. She's so loud and complimentary when she's on her pitch. She’s a one-v-one bandit – she loves it and she's aggressive with that.

ZS: This is actually my first time meeting Eleanor, this camp. She's still quite new to me but from what I've seen and heard, she's a big character. Another one that lives in her own little world and just does her. From what I've seen, she's really exciting player, so I'm excited to play more with her.

Layla Drury

PA & VJ: She’s just a free spirit. On the field, she’s unpredictable and exciting. Her as a person, she’s a dark horse. She’s really funny in certain moments.

ZS: She’s absolutely rapid. Off the pitch, she’s quite chill and quite quiet. She’s really friendly.