England's Lionesses welcome Australia to Brentford on Tuesday 11th April at 7:45pm for an Alzheimer’s Society International game before the Socceroos travel to take on the men’s side at Wembley Stadium on Friday 13 October.
The high-profile women’s fixture against the Matildas will raise vital funds and awareness. It follows on from the men’s game which was dedicated to the same good cause last year after the Football Association announced a two-year charity partnership with Alzheimer’s Society back in August 2021.
Last year's event saw Luke Shaw and Harry Kane help the men to a 2-1 win over Switzerland at Wembley for the first Alzheimer’s Society International fixture. Markedly in the second half, the Three Lions re-entered the pitch without names on the back of their shirts, highlighting how people with dementia often experience memory loss.
Five days before taking on Australia, the Lionesses host Brazil in the first Women's Finalissima at a sold-out Wembley on Thursday 6 April. Both Spring fixtures offer manager Sarina Wiegman a chance to get one more look at players against tough opposition before naming her World Cup squad after vast experimentation at the Arnold Clark Cup in February.
Wiegman said: “We are always looking for different challenges and we are really happy to play two more strong non-European teams in Brazil and Australia in April. They will both be competitive at the World Cup, and Australia will give everything to impress because they are going into a home tournament with big expectations. They will want to show they are in good shape for the finals.
“We know Australia have players at the highest level, so for us, it is another opportunity to see where we stand in our preparation for the World Cup. It will also be very special to play them at Brentford as it was a great EURO stadium. We want to create more excitement for our fans as we prepare for what we hope will be another memorable summer.”
England women have not played against Australia since October 2018, when Fran Kirby scored in a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage in Fulham. The last meeting for the men was a 2-1 victory at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light in May 2016, when 18-year-old Marcus Rashford made history by becoming the youngest male player to score on his England debut.
Tickets for England Women versus Australia at the Gtech Community Stadium will go on sale from 12pm on Tuesday 21 February exclusively for My England Football members, with a general sale from 3pm on Wednesday 22 February. Visit TheFA.com/tickets for more.
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