The England women's national football team, commonly known as the Lionesses, played their first match officially recognised by The Football Association (FA), England's football governing body, in 1972. Previous teams are often known as the Lost Lionesses. Still, the women's national team was not organised by the FA for the first two decades of its existence. The Women's Football Association (WFA) was the former association that acted as the governing body for women's football in England. It initially operated independently, between 1969 and 1983, then was a county-level affiliate of the FA until 1993, at which point the FA assumed responsibility for women's football in England and the women's game became formally regulated.
During their time under the WFA, England reached the final of Euro 1984, which they lost on penalties. They won Euro 2022 on home soil and Euro 2025 in Switzerland.
This list encompasses honours won by the England national team, and records set by both players and managers including appearance and goal records. It also records England's record victories.
Carol Thomas was the first women's international footballer ever to reach 50 caps, which she achieved in 1985 before retiring from representative football later that year (having amassed 56 caps). Fara Williams holds the record for England appearances, having played 172 times between 2001 and 2019.
Ellen White has scored the most goals for England, with 52. She surpassed Kelly Smith's record on 30 November 2021, scoring a hat-trick against Latvia during a UEFA qualifier for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup where England won 20âÂÂ0, the Lionesses' biggest-ever competitive win. The record for most England appearances without scoring is 82: goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis retired in 2015 on 82 caps, while midfielder Keira Walsh scored her first goal during her 83rd cap in 2025.
Terms
- Competitive matches or competitive internationals refer to any matches that are not friendlies, training games, or invitational tournaments, i.e. all of: World Cup qualifiers and finals, European Championship qualifiers and finals, Finalissima, and Nations League group stage and finals.
- Major competitions refers to the same competitions as above, though results only from the final tournaments; major tournaments refers to these such finals.
- Due to poor records and a lack of oversight, there may still be limited recognition of matches played under the WFA; records and statistics prior to 1993 are marked as (WFA era).
Honours and achievements
Trophies
Sources:
Major
Regional
Minor
Awards
Player appearances
Most appearances
Centurions
First player to reach 100 appearances
Gillian Coultard
Fastest to reach 100 appearances
As of 5 July 2025. Source as of 27 February 2019:
Firsts
First player to reach 50 appearances
Carol Thomas
First substitute
Wendy Owen, 18 November 1972 (WFA era)
Players to debut at the World Cup finals
Becky Easton, 8 June 1995 vs. Norway
Players to debut at the European Championship finals
None as of 27 July 2025
Consecutive records
Most consecutive appearances
Known confirmed appearances:
Most consecutive starts at the World Cup and European Championship finals
Most consecutive years of appearances
Gillian Coultard, 20 (1981âÂÂ2000, inclusive)
Most tournaments appeared in consecutively
Only includes tournaments in which the player did play.
Most consecutive appearances by an unchanged team
On three occasions the England women's football team has fielded an unchanged starting XI for more than two consecutive games:
Mosts
Most appearances without ever playing at the World Cup finals
Theresa Wiseman, 68
Most appearances at the European Championship finals
Lucy Bronze, 16
Karen Carney, 15
Most appearances total at the World Cup and European Championship finals
Source as of 22 July 2025:
Lucy Bronze, 36
Jill Scott, 35
Karen Carney, 32
Ellen White, 27
Fara Williams, 27
Time spans
Longest England career
Gillian Coultard, 19 years and 10 days, 3 May 1981 â 13 May 2000 (including WFA era)
Shortest England career
Anouk Denton, 2 minutes, 2 December 2025
Appearances at three World Cup final tournaments
The following players have appeared in (at least) three World Cup final tournaments:
Appearances in three separate decades
The following players have made appearances in three separate decades:
Youngests
Youngest players
Morag Pearce, 15 years, 18 November 1972 (WFA era)
Linda Curl, 15 years, 28 April 1977 (WFA era)
Youngest player to feature at the World Cup finals
Lianne Sanderson, 19 years and 231 days, 22 September 2007
Youngest player to feature at the European Championship finals
Hope Powell, 17 years and 171 days, 27 May 1984 (WFA era)
Karen Carney, 17 years and 308 days, 5 June 2005 (FA era)
Oldests
Oldest debutante
Anna Moorhouse, 30 years 244 days, 29 November 2025
Players capped by another country
Players who have made senior international appearances for England and another country
- Rinsola Babajide played two uncapped behind-closed-doors matches with England in 2020, but has not received an official cap. She began representing Nigeria in 2023.
Goalscoring
Top goalscorers
Firsts
First goal
Sylvia Gore, 18 November 1972 vs. Scotland (WFA era)
Clare Taylor, 25 September 1993 vs. Slovenia (FA era)
First goal in a World Cup finals match
Gillian Coultard, 6 June 1995 vs. Canada
First goal in a World Cup qualifying campaign
Hope Powell, 17 March 1990 vs. Belgium
First goal in a European Championship finals match
Kerry Davis, 8 April 1984 vs. Denmark (unofficial)
Karen Farley, 11 December 1994 vs. Germany (official)
First goal in a European Championship qualifying campaign
? possibly Kerry Davis, 19 September 1982 vs. Northern Ireland (unofficial)
Hope Powell, 17 March 1990 vs. Belgium (official)
First goal by a substitute
Eileen Foreman, 23 June 1973 vs. Scotland (WFA era)
Kerry Davis, 25 September 1993 vs. Slovenia (FA era)
Mosts
Highest goals to games average
Danielle Carter, 6 goals in 4 games, average 1.5 goals per game
Most goals on debut
Pat Firth, 3, 23 June 1973 (WFA era)
Danielle Carter, 3, 21 September 2015 (FA era)
Most goals in a European Championship tournament
Beth Mead, 6, Euro 2022
Most goals in total at European Championship tournaments
Beth Mead, 7, as of 27 July 2025
Most goals scored from penalties
Georgia Stanway, 14, as of 3 March 2026
Most goals scored by a defender
Lucy Bronze, 22, as of 7 March 2026
Most goalscorers in a match
10 vs. Latvia, 30 November 2021: Beth Mead, Ellen White, Lauren Hemp, Ella Toone, Georgia Stanway, Jess Carter, Bethany England, Jill Scott, Alessia Russo, Jordan Nobbs
Oldests
Oldest goalscorer
Kerry Davis, 35 years 197 days, 15 February 1998
Oldest goalscorer on debut
Sylvia Gore, 27 years 359 days, 18 November 1972 (WFA era)
Oldest first-time goalscorer
Mo Marley, 30 years 37 days, 9 March 1997
Youngests
Youngest goalscorer
Jeannie Allott, 16 years 1 day, 18 November 1972 (WFA era)
Marie-Anne Catterall, 16 years 74 days, 11 February 1996 (FA era)
Youngest goalscorer on debut
Jeannie Allott, 16 years 1 day, 18 November 1972 (WFA era)
Speed and time spans
Fastest goal from kick-off
Rachel Yankey, 52 seconds, 22 September 2011 vs. Slovenia
Fastest goal by a substitute
Michelle Agyemang, 41 seconds, 8 April 2025
Hat-tricks
First player to score a hat-trick
Pat Firth, 23 June 1973 (WFA era)
Marieanne Spacey, 72nd minute, 25 September 1993 (FA era)
Karen Walker, 82nd minute, 25 September 1993 (FA era)
Oldest player to score a hat-trick
Ellen White, 32 years 205 days, 30 November 2021
Youngest player to score a hat-trick
Pat Firth, 16 years 11 days, 23 June 1973 (WFA era)
Lauren Hemp, 21 years 115 days, 30 November 2021 (FA era)
Four goals or more in a match on the greatest number of occasions
Kerry Davis, twice
Three goals or more in a match on the greatest number of occasions
Beth Mead, four times
Players to score exclusively with hat-tricks
Danielle Carter scored in two matches for six England goals.
Gemma Davison only scored in one match. Sources generally report that Davison scored a hat-trick, though the third of these was officially recorded as a Serbia own goal.
Non-scoring records
For one game in 2025, the England women's team was in the unusual position of its highest-capped non-scoring player ever being not only an outfield player, but a midfielder.
Most appearances for an outfield player without ever scoring
Mary Phillip, 65
Highest cap reached without scoring
.
Longest gap between goals
Longest gap from debut to debut goal
Most penalty misses
Goalkeeping
Penalty saves refer to penalty shots on target saved by the goalkeeper; the relevant records do not include the opposition missing penalty shots. A goalkeeper has to have played at least 45 minutes of a match to be credited with its clean sheet.
As of 7 March 2026
Most clean sheets
Sixteen goalkeepers have kept at least one clean sheet:
Most penalty saves in shoot outs
Five goalkeepers have faced at least one penalty shoot-out:
Captains
Records and statistics relate to known named captains, i.e. listed on the teamsheet and started the match as captain.
Appearances
First captain
Sheila Parker, 18 November 1972 (WFA era)
Gillian Coultard, 25 September 1993 (FA era)
Most appearances as captain
Steph Houghton, 72, 17 January 2014 â 8 March 2020
Fewest appearances prior to captaincy
Not including the captain of the first match (i.e. 0)
Carol Thomas, 6 (WFA era)
Keira Walsh, 6 (FA era)
Longest-serving captain
Faye White, 9 years 124 days, 7 March 2002 â 9 July 2011
Age
Youngest captain
Carol Thomas, 20 years 352 days, 22 May 1976 (WFA era)
Keira Walsh, 21 years 149 days, 4 September 2018 (FA era)
Oldest captain
Gillian Coultard, 36 years 296 days, 13 May 2000
Discipline
Red cards
No player has received more than one red card. As one red card was rescinded on appeal, the England women's team is in the unusual situation of having had more different players sent off than the team has red cards total in its history.
Most red cards
List of all England players sent off
Manager records
England players who later became England manager/head coach
Team records
All scorelines show England's score first
Scorelines
Biggest victory
20âÂÂ0 vs. Latvia, 30 November 2021
Heaviest defeat
0âÂÂ8 vs. Norway, 4 June 2000
Biggest home victory
20âÂÂ0 vs. Latvia, 30 November 2021
Heaviest home defeat
0âÂÂ5 vs. Sweden, 25 January 2002
Biggest victory at the World Cup finals
6âÂÂ1 vs. Argentina, 17 September 2007
6âÂÂ1 vs. China, 1 August 2023
Heaviest defeat at the World Cup finals
0âÂÂ3 vs. Germany, 13 June 1995
0âÂÂ3 vs. United States, 22 September 2007
Biggest victory at the European Championship finals
8âÂÂ0 vs. Norway, 11 July 2022
Heaviest defeat at the European Championship finals
0âÂÂ4 vs. Sweden, 27 June 2001
2âÂÂ6 vs. Germany, 10 September 2009
Biggest victory in a competitive international
20âÂÂ0 vs. Latvia, 30 November 2021
Heaviest defeat in a competitive international
0âÂÂ8 vs. Norway, 4 June 2000
Consecutive streaks
Source:
Most consecutive victories in competitive internationals
16, 17 September 2021 vs. North Macedonia â 6 September 2022 vs. Luxembourg
Most consecutive matches without defeat in competitive internationals
23, 17 September 2021 vs. North Macedonia â 16 August 2023 vs. Australia
Most consecutive draws
2, which has happened on fourteen occasions
Club records
Players per club
Clubs providing the most players in a major tournament squad
Arsenal, 9, 2007 World Cup
Manchester City, 9, Euro 2022
Clubs per player
England appearances per club
England goalscorers per club
See also
References
Notes
General references