Lionesses to face France and Portugal in Nations League

Published6 hours ago

England have been drawn to face France, Austria and Portugal in next year's Women's Nations League.

In Nyon, Switzerland, Sarina Wiegman's side were drawn alongside familiar opponents, having faced Portugal in the previous Nations League campaign, while France and Austria have both been recent rivals in major tournament qualifying campaigns.

The Lionesses will begin their campaign in Group A2 across three international windows in February-March, April and June 2027, with each team playing home and away fixtures.

"[France are] a world-class team," said Wiegman. "They have so much quality, they have power, they have technique and they have some players, of course, also playing in the WSL [Women's Super League] and at other top clubs.

"So it's exciting to play them because you will be challenged in the highest possible way and that's what makes us better.

"We played Portugal before the last Euros, when we tied with them away and at home we beat them.

"They're a team who can change their style from playing a possession game to being a little more direct, and they have some players that bring lots of quality on the pitch, but are also powerful in duels."

Now in its third edition, the Nations League also forms part of the qualification pathway for the 2028 Olympic Games and Euro 2029.

The four League A group winners will progress to the semi-finals in October 2027, before the final is played to decide the Nations League champions.

Scotland will face Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, while the Republic of Ireland were drawn against Spain, Norway and Switzerland.

Wales will play Denmark, Italy and Iceland while Northern Ireland, in Group B3, will play Poland, Finland and Belarus.

Fixture dates and venues will be confirmed in due course.

Draw in full

League A

Group 1: Spain, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland

Group 2: France, England, Austria, Portugal

Group 3: Denmark, Italy, Iceland, Wales

Group 4: Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Scotland

League B

Group 1: Serbia, Belgium, Albania, Romania

Group 2: Ukraine, Czechia, Greece, Lithuania

Group 3: Poland, Finland, Northern Ireland, Belarus

Group 4: Slovenia, Türkiye, Hungary, Kosovo

League C

Group 1: Slovakia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Gibraltar

Group 2: Latvia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Liechtenstein

Group 3: Israel, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia, Andorra

Group 4: Luxembourg, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Estonia

Group 5: Malta, Moldova, Cyprus, San Marino

Group 6: Montenegro, Kazakhstan, Armenia

Related topics

Women's Football

Football

England Women's Football Team

More on this story

Find interviews and extra content on the BBC Women's Football Weekly feed

Find interviews and extra content on the BBC Women's Football Weekly feed