England National Football Team: Three Lions Squad, Next Match and African Kick-Off Times

The England national football team, nicknamed the Three Lions, is the senior men's side that represents England, and it played the first official international match on 30 November 1872, a 0 to 0 draw with Scotland in Glasgow. Wembley is England's principal home ground, and the men's team won the World Cup in 1966, beating West Germany 4 to 2 after extra time. For South African readers using England soccer team as their search term, the Three Lions name identifies the same side followed in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda.

Use the fixture details to identify the competition and venue, then compare the selected players through the squad and lineup displays. What follows explains how to read them, who England are, what they have won and where the African connection runs. So, the next time a viewing centre in Surulere argues about the Three Lions, you will have the record book to hand as well as the opinion. In my opinion, that matters more in our part of the world than most, because many of us met these players on a Saturday afternoon in the Premier League long before we saw them in white.

Who Plays for England, and Where Is the Current Squad?

England's squad is picked by the manager for each international window, and the squad box at the top lists every name with his club and position, updated whenever a new group is announced. England selections can change between international windows, with players coming in for a friendly, dropping out for a qualifier and returning for a tournament. So, the squad box carries the names, and the words here carry the context that stays true from one call up to the next. Goalkeepers are listed first, then defenders, midfielders and forwards, with first call ups and late replacements marked beside the name.

The squad view is also grouped by Premier League club, which is how most readers in Accra, Lagos, Nairobi, Kampala and Johannesburg already think about these players. A Chelsea supporter in Kumasi can see at a glance which Blues are wearing white, and an Arsenal fan in Yaba can count his own. To follow players from a particular club, start with that club's group and then check each player's position. Players based outside England appear under their own club and league as well, so nobody drops out of the picture.

When Is England's Next Match, and What Time Is Kick-Off in Africa?

For an England fixture, compare all four clock labels together: Nigeria uses WAT, Ghana uses GMT, South Africa uses SAST, while Kenya and Uganda share EAT. Wembley is England's principal home ground, and evening games there tend to start in the London evening, which lands at night across most of the continent. Accra shares London's clock in the British winter, while Lagos runs an hour ahead, Johannesburg two and Nairobi and Kampala three. When London moves its clocks forward for the British summer, Accra falls an hour behind London, while Lagos shares London's time, Johannesburg is one hour ahead and Nairobi and Kampala are two hours ahead.

The table below works for any kick-off in London, so you can plan the evening before the fixture is even confirmed. For England fixtures abroad, use the displayed African time zones rather than applying the London conversion. So, if you are in Nairobi or Kampala, check whether a winter evening kick-off will finish after midnight before promising anyone at home that you will be back early. Read the calendar date alongside the local hour when arranging your viewing.

How Do You Read the England Fixtures and Results List?

The England fixtures and results list shows every match in date order, each one labelled with its competition, so you can tell a friendly from a qualifier at a glance. The labels you will see most often are World Cup, World Cup qualifier, European Championship (the Euros), Euros qualifier, UEFA Nations League and friendly. A friendly sits outside tournament qualification and gives the manager an opportunity to assess players; qualifiers contribute towards entry to a tournament. Results show the full time score, with a note wherever a match went to extra time or penalties.

International football arrives in windows rather than every weekend, because the club seasons run alongside it. Those windows are the international breaks that Premier League fans know well, when club fixtures pause and the national sides gather. In my opinion, the fixtures list is easiest to read window by window, with a short run of matches close together and then a long gap while the clubs play on. The Nations League has its own label too, and England finished third at the first Nations League Finals in 2019, so it is a competition worth following closely.

How Do You Find the England Lineup Before Kick-Off?

The confirmed England lineup appears in the lineup box as soon as the team sheet is released before kick-off, and until then the box shows a predicted starting XI that is clearly marked as a prediction. That prediction draws on recent selections and on who has been playing regularly for his club, so treat it as an informed call rather than a certainty. When the official starting XI is published, the box switches over and marks any change from the prediction. So, if you search for the England lineup today on a match day, you will see the confirmed side if it is out and the labelled prediction if it is not, with the substitutes listed underneath.

Where Can You Watch England in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda?

Select Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa or Uganda in the viewing information, then check whether the listed service carries the specific England fixture. Broadcast rights change between competitions and seasons, which is why the box carries them as data checked before each match, rather than a name written into the copy. A Euros qualifier and a friendly can sit with different broadcasters in the same country, so look at the box for the match you want instead of assuming it will be on the usual channel.

For an England broadcast, match your country to its clock: Ghana to GMT, Nigeria to WAT, South Africa to SAST, and both Kenya and Uganda to EAT. Before travelling to a viewing venue, ask whether it will show the England fixture and remain open through the expected finish, allowing for extra time where applicable. If radio commentary is listed, check the station and programme time for your country. For a Wembley game, compare the kick-off table with the viewing information before making arrangements.

How Are England's Manager and Formation Shown?

Thomas Tuchel was announced as England manager on 16 October 2024 and took charge on 1 January 2025, becoming the third foreign manager in the team's history. The manager picks the squad, sets the shape and chooses the captain, whose name appears in the lineup box with the armband beside it. Use the manager information alongside the selected XI to identify who is responsible for England's selection.

England's usual formation is shown on the lineup graphic before each match, and the quickest way to read it is to count the defenders first. The formation graphic shows the starting arrangement; player movement determines how that shape changes during the match. The shape can change between matches depending on the opponent, so the graphic is more reliable than any label carried over from an earlier game. Watch the full backs' positions when England have possession and when they defend to see how their roles change.

Why Are England Called the Three Lions?

England are called the Three Lions after the badge on the shirt, and the nickname is now used almost as often as the name of the country itself. Supporters sing it, headline writers lean on it, and readers across Africa search for the Three Lions as readily as they search for the England national team. Their home is Wembley Stadium in London, the ground where England won the 1966 World Cup final and where the Euro 2020 final was played in 2021. It is a little like the way Lagos says Super Eagles before it says Nigeria, because the nickname carries the history along with it.

What Have England Won, and Which Records Still Stand?

England men's only World Cup title came in 1966, when they beat West Germany 4 to 2 after extra time at Wembley, with Geoff Hurst scoring three goals in the final. They first played at the World Cup finals in 1950 and have finished fourth twice since, in 1990 and 2018. At the European Championship, England reached consecutive finals, losing to Italy on penalties after a 1 to 1 draw at Wembley in 2021 (the Euro 2020 final) and losing 2 to 1 to Spain in 2024. England also finished third at the inaugural Nations League Finals in 2019.

The oldest records are still the most striking. England's biggest win is 13 to 0 against Ireland in Belfast on 18 February 1882, and the heaviest defeat is 7 to 1 against Hungary in Budapest on 23 May 1954, a result that Hungarian football rightly treasures. Individual records such as most caps and most goals keep moving as careers go on, so they live in the records box, which updates after every match. If you are settling an argument in a viewing centre, let the box be the referee, with the dates above as the history behind it.

Which Premier League Stars Play for England, and Why Does Africa Care?

Most England squads are built largely from Premier League players, so the squad box grouped by club is the quickest way to link your club heroes to the Three Lions. Bukayo Saka, who made his senior England debut in 2020, was born in London to Nigerian parents and was eligible to represent Nigeria before choosing England. Callum Hudson Odoi, who made his senior England debut in 2019, has Ghanaian heritage through his father, former Ghana international Bismark Odoi, and was also eligible to represent Ghana. These examples distinguish family heritage from the separate question of international eligibility, giving readers in Lagos and Accra specific connections to explore.

The defining match for African readers, it could be argued, is the 1990 World Cup quarter final in Naples on 1 July 1990, when England beat Cameroon 3 to 2 after extra time. Cameroon had carried an African side to within one win of the semi finals, and that run is still spoken of with pride across West Africa. England met Senegal in the 2022 round of 16 and won 3 to 0, before losing 2 to 1 to France in the quarter final. If you follow other national teams, those two matches are the clearest line between England's record book and Africa's own.

Is It the England Football Team, the Three Lions or the Lionesses?

Each of these names is correct, but they point to different teams, and the difference matters when you search. The Three Lions nickname refers to England's senior men's side. The Lionesses are England's women's team, who won the European Championship in 2022 by beating Germany 2 to 1 after extra time at Wembley and retained it in 2025, beating Spain on penalties in Basel. Check the team designation before using any fixture time or lineup: men's and women's internationals have separate schedules and selections.