European champions England have been drawn alongside France, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland in the Euro 2025 qualifying group.
Sarina Wiegman’s side begin the defence of their title in April and will have to navigate a group that features Nations League runners up France and World Cup semi-finalists Sweden.
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Both teams reached the semi-finals of Euro 2022 and are ranked third and fifth in the world respectively. Last summer’s World Cup debutants the Republic of Ireland complete the group.
The top two teams will qualify automatically for Euro 2025 and the bottom two progress to the play-offs.
World champions Spain, who also secured the inaugural Women’s Nations League title last month, have been drawn alongside Denmark, Belgium and the Czech Republic.
Wales have been drawn in Group B4 with Croatia, Ukraine and Kosovo. New head coach Rhian Wilkinson, formerly of the Portland Thorns, will begin her tenure during Euro 2025 qualifying.
Scotland are in Group B2 with Serbia, Slovakia and Israel, while Northern Ireland, who made their major tournament debut at Euro 2022, are in Group B3 alongside Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Malta.
The teams in League B do not automatically qualify for Euro 2025 by topping their group, instead progressing to the play-offs if they finish in the top three.
Teams were seeded according to their Nations League performance, with England placed in Pot B of League A after missing out on a semi-final place.
England won Euro 2022 on home soil with an extra-time victory over Germany in the final at Wembley.
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Euro 2025 qualifying groups
League A
Group A1: Netherlands, Italy, Norway, Finland
Group A2: Spain, Denmark, Belgium, Czech Republic
Group A3: France, England, Sweden, Republic of Ireland
Group A4: Germany, Austria, Iceland, Poland
League B
Group B1: Switzerland, Hungary, Turkey, Azerbaijan
Group B2: Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Israel
Group B3: Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Malta
Group B4: Wales, Croatia, Ukraine, Kosovo
League C
Group C1: Belarus, Lithuania, Cyprus, Georgia
Group C2: Slovenia, Latvia, North Macedonia, Moldova
Group C3: Greece, Montenegro, Andorra, Faroe Islands
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Group C4: Romania, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Armenia
Group C5: Albania, Estonia, Luxembourg
When does Euro 2025 qualifying take place?
Sixteen teams will qualify for Euro 2025. Qualifiers begin in April 2024 and conclude in December 2024.
Qualifiers take place across six matchdays during three international windows between April and July.
This is followed by two rounds of play-offs during two international windows between October and December.
How does Euro 2025 qualifying work?
51 teams will be whittled down to 16 during the qualification campaign.
Euro 2025 qualifying follows the same format as the Nations League, with teams divided into groups of four, determined by their Nations League performance.
The top two teams from groups A1, A2, A3 and A4 will automatically qualify for Euro 2025.
The third and fourth teams from League A will qualify for the play-offs.
They will be joined by the top three teams in each League B group (a total of 12 teams), plus the five group winners and three best-ranked runners-up from League C.
If Switzerland, who qualify automatically for the tournament as hosts, finish top of Group B1, the best fourth-ranked side from League B will also progress to the play-offs.
The 28 teams competing in the play-offs will be whittled down to seven across two sets of seeded, two-legged ties.
When is Euro 2025?
Euro 2025 is the 14th edition of the Women’s European Championship. It takes place in Switzerland between July 2-27 2025.
The final takes place at St. Jakob-Park, home of FC Basel.
England’s tough group should not be cause for concern
Analysis from The Athletic’s Michael Cox
Ultimately, with everyone in League A guaranteed at least a play-off spot — and therefore a second chance to qualify for Euro 2025 if they don’t qualify automatically by finishing in the top two spots — England shouldn’t be too worried about being drawn into a strong group.
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Nevertheless, this was almost as tough as it could possibly have been for Sarina Wiegman’s side. Sweden, who finished third at the World Cup last year, were clearly the strongest side in Pot C, and therefore the side for everyone to avoid.
Being drawn against the Republic of Ireland will surely bring a tenser, tougher clashes for England than a game against any of the other Pot 4 sides. France are never quite as strong on the pitch as they are on paper, but remain a serious force.
Tests against strong nations might serve England well in the long run, but automatic qualification is by no means guaranteed.
Wiegman looks ahead to ‘competitive’ group
Sarina Wiegman is relishing taking on France for the first time as England manager, while Sweden represents a familiar opponent.
England were beaten by France at the World Cup in both 2011 and 2015, with a loss at Euro 2013 sandwiched in between. The Lionesses then eliminated France at the quarter-final stage of Euro 2017, but the two teams have never met during Wiegman’s two-and-a-half-year tenure.
Wiegman’s Netherlands’ Euro 2017 triumph included a victory over Sweden in the quarter-finals, while England beat Sweden in the semi-finals at Euro 2022.
“Sweden struggled in the Nations League, which is why they were in Pot 3 but over the years they have performed so well,” Wiegman said.
“We know them well because we played against them with England and I played against them when I was with the Netherlands in both the Euros and the World Cup, so they’ve been at the top level all of that time and they will want to show again that they still belong to the top level of European and world football.”
She continued: “France have a very good squad and they showed their qualities by reaching the Nations League final.
“I’m really excited to play against France because we haven’t faced them during my time as England head coach.”
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For the Republic of Ireland, meanwhile, the Euro 2025 qualifiers marks Eileen Gleeson’s first attempt qualify the side for a major tournament following her appointment in August 2023.
“The games with the Republic of Ireland will be really competitive,” Wiegman added.
“Like with Sweden, the players know each other so well because a lot of them play in the WSL and some play alongside our players. So I think they are another two games which will be competitive and have some special elements to it too.”
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(Thor Wegner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)