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England: Why are the Lionesses playing Ukraine in Turkey?

England will face Ukraine in the Women’s World Cup qualifiers at the Mardan Stadium in Antalya, Turkey on Tuesday at 17:00 GMT.

The match is being held on neutral ground as hosts Ukraine are unable to play in their home country because of the ongoing war with Russia.

The 7,428-capacity stadium was confirmed as the venue earlier this year in January.

However, there have been concerns over safety and whether the match will go ahead after the US and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday in a joint operation, sparking retaliatory strikes across the Middle East.

The Iranian regime responded with attacks on US assets and countries in the region with a US military presence, including Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq.

Turkey shares a border with Iran and Iraq. It is also close to Cyprus, where an Iranian drone crashed into a British RAF base on Sunday. Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have also exchanged strikes.

The match is still scheduled to take place, and England manager Sarina Wiegman said the team have been given reassurance and are in “close contact” with the government and responsible authorities.

England travelled to Turkey last Wednesday for a training camp, but it is unclear how many fans will attend the match following the weekend’s developments, with some supporters and several media outlets already choosing to withdraw from attending.

The reverse fixture will be played in England at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in June.

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.


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