Football rarely grants symmetry like this — the two continental champions meeting again, this time not for silverware, but for something rawer: pride.
Going to the game?! Check out our stadium guide for the Etihad!
On 25 October 2025, under the cold blue glare of the Etihad Stadium, England and Brazil will walk out to a sold-out crowd in what promises to be far more than a friendly. The date marks the Lionesses’ first match since conquering Europe again in Switzerland, sealing back-to-back UEFA Women’s Euro titles — a first in English football history.
For those asking when are the Lionesses playing next, the answer carries weight. This is the opener of England’s “Homecoming Series”, a victory lap wrapped in competition, pitting Europe’s tactical steel against South America’s creative soul. And across the halfway line waits another champion: Brazil, fresh from their own Copa América Femenina triumph.
Together, they represent the best of two continents. The rhythm of samba versus the roar of steel.
🏆 The Stakes Behind the Smile
On paper, it’s a friendly. In spirit, it’s a continuation of a rivalry born in sweat and heartbreak.
This fixture is the rematch of the 2023 Women’s Finalissima, when England edged Brazil on penalties after a tense 1-1 draw at Wembley. The scars of that night still linger — England’s composure under Sarina Wiegman meeting Brazil’s emotional defiance under Arthur Elias.
The scoreboard reads two wins, one draw, one loss in England’s favour, but that barely tells the story. These sides have tested each other in the deepest ways possible: mentally, tactically, spiritually.
Now, with the 2027 World Cup qualifiers looming, this encounter is more than ceremonial. It’s a checkpoint of power — one champion measuring another.
⚙️ Sarina Wiegman’s New Blueprint
This England camp arrives under subtle transformation. The victory parades are over; the work begins again.
Wiegman faces her first international break since Millie Bright’s retirement, a symbolic closing of the previous era — the generation that built the Lionesses into a global force.
Adding to the challenge, several pillars are missing: Leah Williamson, Lauren Hemp, and Lauren James all sidelined through injury. This reshapes everything from defensive command to attacking rhythm.
Expect Wiegman to lean on her tried-and-trusted core: Keira Walsh orchestrating midfield tempo, Georgia Stanway pressing with iron lungs, and Ella Toone floating between lines as the creative needle.
England’s tactical base — a hybrid 4-2-3-1 or fluid back-three — will prioritise control and adaptability. The manager’s mantra remains the same: quiet intensity, precision pressing, and never blinking under pressure.
As Wiegman said before the series:
“In Brazil and Australia we’ll be facing two top opponents who test us in different ways — exactly the challenge we need before World Cup qualification.”
For the Lionesses, evolution begins here.
🇧🇷 Arthur Elias and the Art of Renewal
Across the dugout stands Arthur Elias, the sharp-minded architect behind Brazil’s tactical renaissance. Formerly a serial winner in São Paulo’s domestic leagues, Elias now orchestrates a national rebuild — welding together experience and youth into a system of speed, flair, and ferocious energy.
“Estamos em um momento importante de consolidação da equipe e de amadurecimento tático,”
he said recently — we are at an important moment of consolidation and tactical maturation.
Elias’ Brazil can change their skin mid-match: defensive back-five when under siege, high-pressing 4-4-2 when chasing. That flexibility carried them to the 2025 Copa América title and an Olympic silver before it.
The loss of Gio Garbelini, Brazil’s dazzling young forward, has disrupted their balance — her fibula fracture leaves a creative hole. Even Debinha, initially recalled to fill the void, fell to injury days later. Into the breach steps Isa Caroline, an uncapped forward summoned on her birthday. A storyline straight from football folklore — and a symbol of Brazil’s generational shift.
Elias frames this moment as part trial, part prophecy. “Experience matters,” he noted of his veterans. “Debinha is a player of great dedication and quality. She knows the group and has experience in great competitions.”
🌪️ England’s Emotional Core
Every era of dominance needs heart. And this England team’s pulse beats through its women of defiance.
Chloe Kelly — The Clutch Queen Returns to her Northern Home
Few players live for chaos like Chloe Kellyv .
Her calm penalty in the Euro 2025 shootout against Spain crowned England champions once again — two tournaments, two defining moments. “I was cool and composed,” she said. “I knew I was going to hit the back of the net. I don’t miss penalties twice.”
It was more than swagger. It was redemption. After fighting for game time at Manchester City, she forced a bold loan move to Arsenal, rebuilt her confidence, and ended the year as a two-time European champion.
Now she’s back on Manchester soil, her home city. Whether she starts or storms off the bench, Kelly’s pace and delivery down the flank are England’s most direct weapon.
Her duel with Brazil’s full-backs — Yasmim or Bruninha — could define the night.
Ella Toone — The Heir of Courage
For all her flair, Toone carries a deeper story.
Euro 2025 was more than medals; it was memory. She played in honour of her late father, Nick, who passed away in 2024 after a battle with cancer. After lifting the trophy, her words echoed through social media:
“Spare seat next to my mum tonight… I know you were there, Dad.”
Alongside Beth Mead, who also lost her mother, she spoke of “our angels in the sky.”
That raw honesty fuels her football. Toone plays as though every pass carries purpose. Two goals, two assists in the Euros proved her class; her record-breaking 200 appearances for Manchester United prove her durability.
She’ll drift behind Alessia Russo again, threading danger into discipline.
Hannah Hampton — Calm in the Storm
Post-Euros 2022, the goalkeeping hierarchy shifted decisively. With Mary Earps retired from international duty, Hannah Hampton now guards the Lionesses’ net.
Chelsea’s keeper earned the No. 1 shirt through sheer nerve — saving penalties in both the quarterfinal and final shootouts, then winning the Yashin Trophy for her performances.
Composed, agile, fearless, Hampton represents the next chapter. Against Brazil’s technical finishing, her reflexes will face their truest test yet.
Amanda Gutierres — The Finisher
The Palmeiras striker’s six-goal haul made her joint top scorer at the Copa América. Fast, clinical, and ruthless in the air, she’s the kind of forward who transforms half-chances into headlines.
She’ll likely square up against Alex Greenwood and Jess Carter — a test of experience versus hunger.
Tarciane — The Wall of Lyon
At just 22, Tarciane already looks like the future of Brazilian defending. Tall, poised, and commanding, she’s coming off a Champions League campaign with Lyon that turned heads across Europe.
Her duel with Alessia Russo — Arsenal’s clever, combative forward — will be brutal and beautiful in equal measure.
⚔️ Key Matchups
Kelly vs. Bruninha: The speed vs. structure duel that could tilt the flanks.
Russo vs. Tarciane: Strength, timing, and pure willpower in the box.
Walsh & Toone vs. Angelina & Ary Borges: The cerebral war in midfield, England’s balance against Brazil’s bite.
Every blade of grass will be contested. England’s precision versus Brazil’s chaos — the eternal dialectic of football.
🧮 Form and Flow
Both teams arrive carrying the smell of success.
England’s last five results: W-W-W-D(W on pens)-D(W on pens). They clawed through France, thrashed Wales, and twice survived shootouts to lift the Euro 2025 crown. They led for less than five minutes across three knockout games — a team that lives on the brink and thrives there.
Brazil’s recent record: W-W-D-W-D(W on pens). A storm of goals (19 scored, six conceded) in the Copa América, capped by a chaotic 4-4 final with Colombia. Their matches are never quiet, never dull.
If patterns hold, expect late drama. England’s substitutes have contributed 10 goals or assists in major tournaments — more than any other European nation — while Brazil’s tempo in second halves can rewrite any script.
🏟️ The Theatre: Etihad Stadium
The Etihad Stadium, Manchester — a temple of blue steel and glass — now belongs to the Lionesses. Once built for the Commonwealth Games, now home to Europe’s most dominant club side, it offers the perfect symbolism: power reborn, legacy renewed.
For England, returning here completes a circle. The city that birthed Chloe Kelly, the region where Ella Toone became a star, now hosts the champions’ first match since their historic repeat.
The FA’s “Homecoming Series” deliberately spreads matches nationwide, making the sport reachable and affordable. Tickets start from just £5 for under-16s, ensuring families fill stands that once belonged only to Premier League giants.
It’s more than marketing — it’s a movement.
And as over 50,000 voices rise in Manchester, this won’t sound like a friendly. It’ll sound like a coronation.
💫 The Emotional Undercurrent
This is a match dripping in narrative.
England, forging a future without Bright and Earps, redefining what dominance looks like.
Manchester, the city that saw women’s football reborn in 2022, now witnessing the continuation of its myth.
The game’s cultural meaning stretches beyond tactics. For England, it’s validation — that their success wasn’t cyclical but systemic. For Brazil, it’s rebellion — proof that flair still belongs on the throne.
England’s rhythm under Wiegman is too controlled to crumble, but Brazil’s unpredictability guarantees turbulence. A moment of magic, a penalty, or a mistake will decide it.
Under the Manchester lights, the champions of Europe and South America will meet again — not as strangers, but as equals who recognise greatness in the mirror.
Chloe Kelly will charge the wing, her breath crystallising in the cold night air. Ella Toone will find space where none exists, playing for angels unseen. Marta will glide one last time, the Queen of Brazil refusing to fade.
When the whistle blows, it will sound less like a start and more like a heartbeat.
This is women’s football at its zenith — fierce, fearless, and free.
So get your England Lionesses tickets 2025, because history doesn’t repeat; it performs an encore.
England vs Brazil — 25 October 2025, Etihad Stadium.
Two champions. One night. The world watching.
📺 How to Watch England vs Brazil in the UK — Free, Live & On Demand
If you’re in the UK and wondering how to watch the Lionesses next match, good news — it’s completely free.
The England vs Brazil friendly on Saturday, 25 October 2025 (kick-off 17:30 BST) will be broadcast live on ITV1, bringing the Homecoming Series straight into living rooms across the nation. No subscription, no hidden costs — just prime-time international football on free-to-air television.
For those preferring to stream, fans can watch live online via ITVX — ITV’s digital platform, available on desktop, mobile, tablets, and smart TVs. Simply sign in and you can follow every minute of England vs Brazil wherever you are.
Missed the live action? Don’t worry. Full match replays and highlights will be available on demand via ITVX, meaning supporters can relive every Chloe Kelly cross, every Ella Toone pass, and every Marta moment of magic at their own pace.
So whether you’re tuning in on TV, catching it online, or rewatching later — the Lionesses’ return is free, nationwide, and unmissable.
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