England: Australia named as friendly opponents for men's and women's teams

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England players celebrate Georgia Stanway's goalImage source, Getty Images
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England's women have beaten South Korea and Italy in the Arnold Clark Cup this month and will win the invitational tournament with a draw against Belgium on Wednesday

England's women and men will both play friendly matches against Australia in London this year.

The women's team will take on the Matildas at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium on Tuesday, 11 April.

The Socceroos will then face England's men at Wembley Stadium on Friday, 13 October.

The Lionesses game is part of the team's preparation for the Fifa Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which starts in July.

Five days before facing Australia, the European champions will take on South American counterparts Brazil at Wembley in the first Finalissima - a game that has sold out.

"We are always looking for different challenges and we are really happy to play two more strong non-European teams," said England women's head coach Sarina Wiegman.

"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."

The match at Brentford is named as an Alzheimer's Society International as part of the Football Association's link with the charity.

In March 2022, when England beat Switzerland 2-1 at Wembley, the Three Lions players came on to the pitch for the second half with no names on the back of their shirts to highlight how people with dementia often experience memory loss.

Wiegman's side are currently playing in the Arnold Cup, and face Belgium in their final game on Wednesday.

The Lionesses last faced Australia on October 2018, when Fran Kirby scored in a 1-1 draw at Fulham's Craven Cottage.

The last meeting between the men's teams was a 2-1 win for the Three Lions at Sunderland's Stadium of Light in May 2016, when an 18-year-old Marcus Rashford became the youngest male player to score on his England debut.

Gareth Southgate's side begin their 2023 season with Euro 2024 qualifiers in Italy on Thursday, 23 March and at home to Ukraine on Sunday, 26 March.

They have six more qualifiers in 2023, a friendly against Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday, 12 September to mark the 150th anniversary of the nations' first meeting and the Australia friendly.