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England will face debutants WalesFrance and Holland in Euro 2025 in Switzerland as Lionesses began the defense of their European crown in a tough group bursting with narrative.
The Lionesses open their tournament against France in Zurich on Saturday 5 July earlier Sarina Wiegman on Wednesday, July 9, he faces his home country and former team Holland.
England and top-placed Wales will then meet in the ‘Battle of Britain’ in St Gallen on Sunday July 12, which could have a say in determining the outcome of the Group D blockbuster.
Rhian Wilkinson’s side secured a historic place in the tournament by defeating the Republic of Ireland in the play-off, with their first match against 2017 winners Holland in Lucerne on 5 July.
Wiegman’s European champions will know they cannot afford a slow defensive start to the tournament when they kick off against France, with only the top two teams advancing to the quarter-finals.
It is the third European in a row in which England have faced another home nation, following a 5-0 win over Northern Ireland at Euro 2022 and a 6-0 win over Scotland at Euro 2017, but Wales – ranked 26 behind the Lions – will no doubt relish the opportunity to face the owners.
The Lionesses have history against France and Holland and have met both rivals more recently than neighbors Wales. The Lionesses took first place in the Euro 2025 qualifiers The Blueswho beat England 2-1 at St James’ Park in May before losing the second leg by the same scoreline a few days later in Saint-Etienne.
Former Netherlands coach Wiegman also lost to her native country, who she led to Euro glory five years before lifting the title with England, in a Nations League clash in Utrecht in September 2023. The Lionesses claimed a 3-2 comeback win at Wembley a few weeks later, but finished behind the Dutch in their Nations League group.
Recent defeats by both teams highlight the difficulty of England’s draws, however, with the Lionesses also landing on the tougher side of the table. If they make it to the quarter-finals, the holders would play a team from Group C which includes 2022 runners-up Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Poland.
Tournament favorites and world champions Spain are on the other side of the draw and will play Italy, Belgium and Portugal in Group B. Spain will be considered to progress beyond their Group A opponents in the knockout stages if they get out of their pool, with hosts Switzerland joined by Iceland, Norway and Finland.
In Group A, Switzerland will play Norway in Basel on July 2, but the first game of the tournament will come earlier that evening when Iceland face Finland in Thun.
Meanwhile, Euro 2025 will offer a record prize money of €41m (£34m), as Uefa confirmed a 156 per cent increase on Euro 2022, but there remains a significant gap of almost €300m between the men’s and women’s European championships.
The total prize pool available to teams at Euro 2022 was €16m, with England winning just over €2m by winning the tournament at Wembley. The prize money on offer at Euro 2025 will be more than double what it was three years ago, with champions able to win up to €5.1 million when performance bonuses are added.
UEFA’s executive committee also said teams at Euro 2025 are guaranteed a participation fee of €1.8m – almost as much as England’s 2022 winning bonus – with players taking a guaranteed cut of between 30 and 40 per cent in a move that mirrors a deal made ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Euro 2025 group stage draw
Group A: Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Finland
Group B: Spain, Italy, Belgium, Portugal
Group C: Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Poland
Group D: France, England, Netherlands, Wales