England Women learn their fate for Euros next summer after draw

The English women will start their title defense at the European Championship next summer and have been drawn a difficult draw against debutants Wales, but also against France and the Netherlands.

The 2022 champions travel to Switzerland where they face France for their opening match on Saturday, July 5.

They will then play the Netherlands on July 9 before their final group match is against Wales on July 13.

“I think we have a very interesting, exciting group,” Wiegman assessed. 'It's a bit the same as in the Nations League groups, it's very tough. You just have to take it as it comes and be ready on July 5th. That's how I approach it.

'I have confidence in these players. As we have seen, there are some very good, younger players coming in and getting some playing time. Everyone goes to a tournament to win it, and so do we. I have confidence in my team and am looking forward to next summer.'

Sarina Wiegman's team won the 2022 European Championship at Wembley, and that tournament attracted a record number of spectators as 365 million people watched or attended the matches during the month.

England were drawn in pot two after finishing second behind France in their Nations League group, which also acted as a European Championship qualifier.

This meant they were destined to be drawn against host country Switzerland (23rd), France (11th), world champions Spain (second) or Germany (third), European Championship runners-up, all of whom ranked above the Lionesses in the FIFA world . rankings.

England played France twice this year, losing 1-2 at home and winning 2-1 away. The Netherlands will also pose a challenge, with England coach Wiegman lifting the title with them in 2017, making her the only manager to coach two different countries to the title.

Wales, ranked 30th in the world, will play against the Netherlands on July 5 and France on July 9.

Rhian Wilkinson's team made history by securing their place and eliminating the Republic of Ireland earlier this month as they qualified for their first ever major tournament.

And Wiegman said she is “looking forward” to that match. She said: “First of all, congratulations to them; they have qualified for the first time in their history, which is of course great.'

“There will be some rivalry in a match when we go on the field. I'm looking forward to that match.'

Switzerland will host the European Championships next summer, from July 2 to 27, 2025, with eight venues across the country hosting the tournament and more than 720,000 tickets available for the final.

The 16 teams that qualified for the European Championship were split into four groups, with each team playing against each other in a round-robin format before entering the knockout rounds, where the top two teams from each group progressed directly to the quarter-finals . finals.

The final is scheduled for Sunday, July 27 at 5pm (UK time) and will be played at St. Jakob Park in Basel, Switzerland's largest football stadium with a capacity of 35,689.

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