England to start defence of SheBelieves Cup campaign against World Cup champions USA

Phil Neville's England side will open the defence of their SheBelieves Cup against USA this spring.

The Lionesses will face the World Cup champions at Exploria Stadium in Orlando on March 5 for the first time since their heartbreaking semi-final 2-1 loss to the US last summer.

America are now coached by Macedonian-born Vlatko Andonovski following Jill Ellis' decision to retire after the World Cup last summer. 

Spain will take on Japan in the opening match of the SheBelieves Cup before England's revenge mission with the US.

This year will mark the fifth appearance of the tournament, a four-team invitational tournament hosted in America.

Each team plays each other once across a series of venues in three different cities.

This year's Cup will serve as a major test for Neville's side as they gear up for the 2020 Olympics following their fourth-place finish at the World Cup.

England struggled for form following their exit in France, winning just two of their six friendlies, which included a 2-1 defeat to Germany in front of 77,768 fans at Wembley in November.

England won the SheBelieves Cup for the first time last year after thrashing Japan 3-0 in their final match in Tampa.

They also beat Brazil and drew with hosts USA to ensure they topped the round-robin competition.