England women to face France in pre-Euro 2017 friendly

Captain Steph Houghton is hoping her side can improve on their third place finish at last year's World Cup

England women will play France in a friendly as part of their preparations for next summer's European Championships in the Netherlands.

The match will be played at Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium on 21 October.

"We're pleased that France have agreed to come over. We've not beaten them for a long time so we're looking to change that," said England boss Mark Sampson.

England and France's last meeting ended in a goalless draw at the SheBelieves Cup in March.

France, third in the Fifa world rankings, were among the first to qualify for Euro 2017. England sealed qualification with a 7-0 win over Serbia in June.

They finish their qualification campaign against Belgium in Leuven on Tuesday (18:00 BST), where a draw will be enough to see them top Group Seven.

The draw for the final of Euro 2017 will take place in Rotterdam on 8 November.

Coverage of England's final Euro 2017 qualifier is available on the BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website from 18:00 BST on Tuesday.