How to watch England vs Austria in 2022 UEFA Women's EURO opener

Topics: TV Schedules, TV Listings, 2022 UEFA Women's EURO

England will kick off their hosting duties at this summer's UEFA Women's EURO competition with a clash against Austria at Old Trafford on Wednesday, July 6th.

Preview: England vs Austria

Currently under the tutelage of Sarina Wiegman, who spearheaded the Netherlands' triumph at the last UEFA EURO Women's tournament, England will have high hopes that the combination of experience and a home pitch advantage will help them what would be their first ever title. To date, the Three Lionesses have featured at eight prior editions of this competition, finishing as runners up on two occasions (in 1984 and 2009). Ironically, it was Wiegman's former team - the Netherlands - who ended England's dreams at the 2017 edition after beating them 3-0 in the semi-finals, and should the two sides meet again, the hosts will be eager to get some modicum of revenge.

They did achieve that somewhat during a recent pre-tournament warm-up match last month, during which they thrashed them 5-1 in Leeds, so fans will naturally hope they can replicate those same kind of performances during this competition. All in all, England come into this competition in brilliant form. Save for two draws at the start of 2022, they are presently on a six game winning streak, and are unbeaten in their last 14 games since Wiegman took over.

However, Austria, while not boasting the presence at this tournament of their upcoming hosts, could potentially cause some problems at Old Trafford. Although this is just their second appearance, Austria impressed during their debut five years ago, during which they made a surprise run to the semi-finals and ultimately finished in third spot. The two teams met recently during a qualifying match for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, and while Austria were the losing team, England had to work very hard to grind out a gritty 1-0 win courtesy of a solitary goal from Ellen White.