Women's Euro 2025 qualifying: England group tough but exciting - Sarina Wiegman
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England, ranked fifth in the world, are defending their European Championship title
England manager Sarina Wiegman has called her side's Euro 2025 qualifying group "tough but really exciting".
The holders have been drawn into Group A3 along with Sweden and France, ranked third and fifth in the world, and the Republic of Ireland, ranked 24th.
The top two in the group will advance straight to the finals in Switzerland in July 2025.
The bottom two nations will need to get through two play-off rounds to reach the tournament.
England will play their qualifiers in April and July this year, with potential play-off matches taking place between 23-29 October and 27 November-3 December.
"It's a tough draw but it is a really exciting draw," said Wiegman. "With France, Sweden, and Ireland in our group, it will be very competitive.
"It's exciting and now we just have to show up and perform. For the fans and for football, it is really good because it will be so competitive."
The Lionesses last faced France in a friendly in 2021 with Les Bleues winning 3-1, while Wiegman's side thrashed Sweden 4-0 in the semi-finals of their successful Euro 2022 campaign.
"The games with the Republic of Ireland will be really competitive." added Wiegman.
"The players know each other so well because a lot of them play in the Women's Super League. I think they are two games which will be competitive and have some special elements to it too."
Analysis - 'England will need to be at their best'
Emma Sanders, BBC Sport
The defence of England's title may not be as straightforward as many presume.
They have a tough group which includes Olympic runners-up Sweden, as well as major tournament regulars France.
In the Republic of Ireland they will come up against Arsenal's Katie McCabe, who helped spearhead the side to their first major tournament appearance at the 2023 Women's World Cup.
Sweden has been a hotbed of talent for several years and the Women's Super League (WSL) has recruited heavily from the Scandinavian region so there will be familiar faces in that match-up too.
England were strong favourites to win Euro 2022, but since then the quality of opposition around Europe has significantly improved.
Sarina Wiegman's side will need to be at their best and hope they have key players back from injury - including Chelsea duo Fran Kirby and Millie Bright.
They will be boosted by their performances in the recent international camp in Spain, where they recorded big wins over Austria and Italy, and new players thrived on their debuts.
The groups in full
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
Group C4: Romania, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Armenia
Group C5: Albania, Estonia, Luxembourg
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