England to face Switzerland in an ‘Alzheimer’s Society International’ to kick-start 2022 as Gareth Southgate’s men look to build momentum ahead of their bid to win the World Cup for the first time since 1966 later this year
- England’s first match of 2022 will be played against Switzerland at Wembley
- The match will be dedicated to the FA’s charity partner, Alzheimer’s Society
- The Three Lions have the World Cup in Qatar to look forward to later this year
England have announced that their first men’s fixture of 2022 will be an ‘Alzheimer’s Society International’ against Switzerland.
The game is set to take place at 5:30pm on Saturday March 26 at Wembley Stadium.
The FA began their two-year partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society last August, and this will be the first match dedicated to the charity, with the aim being to raise money and awareness for the cause.
England finished 2021 well, and will be hoping to go on and win the World Cup later this year
Gareth Southgate led England to the Euro 2020 final, only for his side to lose on penalties
This friendly will kick-off what could be a memorable year for the Three Lions as they look to build on a promising 2021 which saw them the reach the Euro 2020 final.
England will get their UEFA Nations League campaign underway in the summer, where they have been placed in a group with European champions Italy and a resurgent Germany.
They will then travel to Qatar for the World Cup in November, aiming to win their first major tournament in 56 years.
Gareth Southgate’s men can expect a stern test from the Swiss, who showed their class at last year’s European Championships by knocking out World Cup winners France in the last 16.
Switzerland’s players celebrate knocking France out of the European Championships last year
They followed that up by finishing above Italy in their World Cup qualifying group, which means that Roberto Mancini’s side must now go through the play-offs in order to secure their place at the tournament.
The last meeting between England and Switzerland ended in a 0-0 draw in the 2019 Nations League third place play-off match, before the former eventually triumphed on penalties.
England will play at Wembley again on March 29, although the opponent for this date is still be confirmed.