Colchester will host their first Under-21 international in September after being named as the venue for England's Under-21 Championship qualifying match against Lithuania.
The npower League One club's 10,000-capacity Weston Homes Community Stadium has already staged both the England Under-19s and England Women. But the September 7 Under-21 game (kick-off 4pm) is the biggest to have been held there since it was opened two years ago.
Under-21s coach Stuart Pearce said: "We're delighted to be heading to Colchester and we're really hoping that the match will turn out to be a success on every front."
The match is England's final Group Nine qualifier and takes place four days after they travel to Portugal for the first of what could prove a must-win double-header.
Pearce added: "We appreciate the kick-off time is difficult for some people, coming that little bit earlier in the day to avoid a clash with the seniors.
"But, by the same token, we hope that it might just help a few others to get to the game.
"It will be a tough game, we know that for sure, and that's why we need as many people as we can to get across and support us."
