England vs USA: Top things to know as Rapinoe's world champions face the Euro winners in front of a record Wembley crowd

After an incredible few months of football for England's women, the Lionesses return to London's Wembley Stadium to take on USA, the current World Champions.

The match on Friday (7 October) sees the English return to the venue where they won the Euro 2022 title, while the United States Women's national soccer team (USWNT)

General admission tickets for the 90,000 seater stadium sold out less than 15 minutes after sales were opened, making this the fastest sellout for a women’s football match in history.

It was back in 2019 when the two sides last met, with the U.S. knocking the Lionesses out of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The Americans beat England 2-1 in the semi-final and went onto claim World Champion status for a fourth time.

But things are a little different this time round.

It was Jill Ellis that led the United States to victory in 2019, whilst Phil Neville was in charge of the Lionesses. Now it’s Vlatko Andonovski who leads the way for the Americans and Sarina Wiegman for England.

As these two football giants come head to head, here are the top things you need to know.

Eyes on next year

This fixture may be listed as an international friendly, but it feels like there’s more at stake.

And with the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on the horizon, there’s no time for either side to stay satisfied with their achievements from this year.

“The challenge of facing the world champions is one we look forward to and it is another tough fixture to measure our progress as we look to continue to make the next step forward” England manager Sarina Wiegman told the media ahead of the game. “We are working hard towards next summer and this will help us understand where we are in our preparation”

England will be hungry to cement their status as favourites for next year’s tournament, as well as seeking revenge for their 2019 world cup heartbreak.

But the Americans are also fresh from a summer victory as they clinched the CONCACAF Championship, and will use that for momentum when playing on English soil.

It’s worth noting that neither side have lost a game this calendar year, indicating that this fixture really will feature the best of the best.

Ones to watch - England v USA

Two of the home side's stars from this English summer, Fran Kirby and Chloe Kelly, are back in the squad after missing September’s World Cup qualifying matches through injury.

Starting every single one of England’s games during the European Championships, Kirby’s talent shone through this summer as she proved her importance within Wiegman’s setup. Her creativity and link up play with Arsenal’s Beth Mead was indispensable to England’s success - and is something fans will be looking forward to when the Lionesses line-up against the USA.

‘Super-sub’ Chloe Kelly who scored that historic goal in England’s 2-1 EURO final win against Germany will be looking to cement her place in the side ahead of next summer.

Sarina Wiegman also handed a first senior call-up to Manchester City youngster Jess Park. The forward is currently on loan at Everton and has impressed the Lionesses manager with recent performances. Whether we’ll see Park make her debut is another question, but the 20-year-old will be keen to show Wiegman exactly what she’s capable of on the world stage.

Lotte Wubben-Moy and Nikita Parris have also been added to the Lionesses squad after captain Leah Williamson and newcomer Lucy Parker were forced to withdraw with injury.

As for the US, Crystal Dunn returns to the team for the first time since giving birth in May 2022. Dunn has already returned to the NWSL and also trained with the US Women’s National Team during their international window in September.

“She’s as ready and as intense as she’s always been, and as enthusiastic as she’s always been,” USWNT manager Andonovski told the press.

With 21 goals for Portland Thorns in just two seasons, Sophia Smith will be looking to impress even further against England.

The 22 year-old has already broken her club side's regular season scoring record and was one goal away from winning this season’s NWSL Golden Boot. That award inevitably went to Alex Morgan, who is ruled out of this match with a knee injury.

Smith has cemented herself as a star for both club and country this year, proving herself indispensable to whichever side she’s playing for. With eyes on next year, she’ll want to make headlines against the European Champions.

Olympic gold medallist and two-time world cup winner Megan Rapinoe is the biggest name in the USWNT squad for the games against England and Spain, while Trinity Rodman of Washington Spirit is another to watch out for.

How to watch England v USA

This game is a meeting between the best of the best, and isn’t one to be missed.

With Wembley selling out so quickly, the chances of getting your hands on a ticket are slim. So how can you watch if you can’t be there in person?

In the UK, the game will be broadcast live and free-to-air on ITV 1. It will also be live streamed on the ITV Hub.

American soccer fans can watch live on Fox Sports or live stream via the Fox Sports website.

England v USA kicks off at 20:00 BST (19:00 GMT/UTC) on Friday 7 October 2022.