Women's European Qualifiers for EURO 2025: Guide to the groups

The new-look Women's European Qualifiers kick off on Friday 5 April, with the 51 teams competing across three leagues for a mixture of direct tickets to UEFA Women's EURO 2025 in Switzerland, play-off berths, and promotion and relegation ahead of the next UEFA Women's Nations League.

UEFA.com introduces the four League A groups, which each carry two automatic finals spots, as well as the other leagues as teams compete for play-off places.

League A

Group A1

Since the Women's EURO finals expanded from eight to 12 teams in 2009 only once have any of the four Group A1 teams been missing (Finland in 2017). It was in 2017 that the Netherlands claimed the title and their passage to the UEFA Women's Nations League finals showed their continued improvement under Andries Jonker, appointed after their EURO 2022 quarter-final exit, though losses to Spain and Germany in February cost the Dutch an Olympic berth.

Italy exited in the group stage of both EURO 2022 and the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup but their Nations League results were more than promising, as they finished above Sweden to avoid a relegation play-off and gained a memorable 3-2 win in Spain, who had not lost a competitive game at home in 15 years.

Norway, who defeated Italy in a Women's EURO final back in 1993, did have to face a relegation play-off but did avoid a straight drop to League B after December's 4-0 win against Portugal courtesy of an Ada Hegerberg hat-trick. Gemma Grainger, formerly in charge of Wales and also once part of England's coaching team, took the Norway helm at the start of the year and oversaw a comfortable play-off defeat of Croatia, and with Hegerberg and Caroline Graham Hansen, among others, available, a return to their previous lofty status remains a live prospect.

Finland found themselves in League B for the Nations League phase but eased to promotion and also won the Pinatar Cup in February. They have not beaten any of their three group opponents since the 2-1 win against the Netherlands at Women's EURO 2009 in Helsinki that took the hosts through, but are never easy to beat as they seek to qualify for the fifth time in six editions.

Friday 5 April
Norway vs Finland (18:00)
Italy vs Netherlands (18:15)

Tuesday 9 April 
Finland vs Italy (18:15)
Netherlands vs Norway (20:45)

Group A2

In the European club game, Barcelona quite swiftly went from the team with ambitions to make it to the top to the dominant continental force with their defeat of England's Chelsea in the 2021 UEFA Women's Champions League final. Two years on Spain's win against England in the FIFA Women's World Cup final gave a squad sharing many Barcelona stars similar status in the international game, confirmed with February's comfortable UEFA Women's Nations League triumph.

A formidable task for their three group opponents but it was less than two years ago that Spain needed a 90th-minute goal to beat Denmark in a Women's EURO group decider and the 2017 runners-up, captained by Pernille Harder as she nears 150 caps, were only just pipped to the Nations League finals by Germany in a strong start under Andrée Jeglertz.

Belgium won at home to both the Netherlands and England in a tough Nations League group (though paid for four dropped points against Scotland), and will hope to start with a similar result against Spain. Long-serving coach Ives Serneels has now passed 150 matches in charge, and they are aiming to make a third straight Women's EURO after getting to the quarter-finals in 2022.

Czechia have never reached a major final tournament despite appearing in several play-offs, but holding the Netherlands home and away in World Cup qualifying showed they can challenge (even if heavy losses to Spain in EURO 2022 preliminaries are less encouraging).

Friday 5 April 
Czechia vs Denmark (18:00)
Belgium vs Spain (20:45)

Tuesday 9 April 
Denmark vs Belgium (18:00)
Spain vs Czechia (19:00)

Group A3

The race for the two automatic qualifying slots will be no more intense that in this section, where Nations League runners-up France, European champions England and perennial forces Sweden nestle with fast improving Ireland. Les Bleues were the only unbeaten team in League A of the Nations League before making their first major final, where they lost 3-0 in Spain. France will have another crack at a maiden senior title when they host the Olympics but first must avoid slips as they seek to continue their good form under Hervé Renard.

England missed the Nations League finals after a last-gasp Netherlands strike against Belgium moved them top on goal difference, but having been World Cup runners-up a few months earlier, the mantle of being EURO champions has so far not weighed heavy on the Lionesses. This is no easy draw but they have happy memories of their 4-0 defeat of Sweden in the EURO 2022 semis in Sheffield, and welcome them to Wembley for the opening qualifier (before going to Dublin Arena to face the Republic of Ireland for the first time since 1987).

For Sweden, having to face a promotion-relegation play-off after the Nations League, and being in the third tier of seeds is an unfamiliar fate, especially only a few months on from their second straight World Cup bronze. They did win their only recent meeting with France 3-0 in a home October 2022 friendly.

Ireland strolled to promotion from League B, fresh from competing at their first World Cup, and no team with the likes of Katie McCabe and Kyra Carusa can be underestimated. That most of their squad is English-based gives an extra spice to those encounters.

Friday 5 April 
England vs Sweden (21:00)
France vs Republic of Ireland (21:10)

Tuesday 9 April
Sweden vs France (19:00)
Republic of Ireland vs England (20:30)

Group A4

Germany made a slow start to the Nations League after their World Cup disappointment but interim coach Horst Hrubesch masterminded an eventual run to third place and the Olympics, and looks set to at least start qualifying still in charge. They beat Iceland home and away in the Nations League, and opening hosts Austria in the Women's EURO 2022 quarter-finals, and in the tournament in England, where they took the hosts to extra time in the final, Germany seemed to relish no longer having the burden of automatic favourites as during their long period of domination, when they held the title from 1995 until 2017.

Austria finished above Norway in their Nations League group, confirming the swift rise of a team that had never qualified for a major tournament before Women's EURO 2017 but got to the semi-finals in the Netherlands and the last eight in 2022. They did lose 7-2 to England in a February friendly but a few days later held Denmark 1-1 and Austria have a hugely experienced squad with multiple players over 100 caps (Virginia Kirchberger the latest to get there and both Nicole Billa and Manuela Zinsberger closing in).

Iceland only just preserved their League A status as they twice came from behind in their play-off with Serbia (Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir in inspirational form) but are looking for a fifth straight Women's EURO qualification and in recent years have become an especially tough proposition away from home.

Poland's promotion from League B (just ahead of Serbia) unsurprisingly relied to some extent on the goals of captain Ewa Pajor, as a Wolfsburg player more than familiar with much of the Germany squad, not to mention club-mate Jónsdóttir and, as opponents, much of the Austria side. Goalkeeper Katarzyna Kiedrzynek, once of Wolfsburg and now with Paris Saint-Germain, Frankfurt midfielder Tanja Pawollek and much-touted Barcelona teenager Emilia Szymczak are also among a squad with hopes of a major tournament debut.

Friday 5 April
Iceland vs Poland (18:45)
Austria vs Germany (20:30)

Tuesday 9 April 
Germany vs Iceland (18:10)
Poland vs Austria (TBC)

All kick-off times CET

Leagues B & C

There are no automatic qualification places but plenty of play-off spots on offer in these leagues, as well as the chance of promotion for group winners. One team for who the play-offs are not on the agenda are finals hosts Switzerland, but building towards next summer's tournament under experienced new coach Pia Sundhage, starting with getting back to League A, give them plenty to play for.

Two other teams that took part at Women's EURO 2022, Portugal and Northern Ireland, are matched in Group B3 along with fast-improving Bosnia and Herzegovina, who nearly pipped Czechia to promotion. Scotland and Ukraine are other past Women's EURO finals competitors in League B.

In League C, Romania (2017) and Slovenia (2009) have previously taken part in Women's EURO play-offs but in all eight teams will get the chance to challenge League A sides in round 1 in October.

How qualifying works

League phase

In qualifying, as per the league stage of the Nations League, teams compete in groups of four or three teams (League C) and over six matchdays between April and July, with each team playing one home match and one away match against all the other teams in their group.

For qualifying itself, the top two teams in each League A group will gain places in the July 2025 finals alongside hosts Switzerland (who will compete in League B although their automatic qualification is assured). The remaining seven spots will be decided by two rounds of play-offs in October and November/December.

Play-offs

The first round of the play-offs is split into two paths. In one path, the teams finishing third and fourth in League A will play the five group winners and three best-ranked runners-up in League C (for ranking the three best runners-up, results against fourth-placed teams are not counted). The eight winners progress to the second round.

In the other first round path, the four group winners and two best-ranked runners-up in League B will be drawn into six ties against the remaining two runners-up and four third-placed teams in League B. The six winners progress to the second round.

In the second round, the teams from both paths come together and will be drawn into seven ties, with seeding for the seven highest-ranked teams based on the European Qualifiers overall league rankings. The seven winners progress to the final tournament.

The play-off paths will be adjusted as necessary to take into account the performance of Women's EURO hosts Switzerland, who will compete in League B but are guaranteed a slot in the final tournament.

If Switzerland finishes as a League B winner, runner-up or in third place, the best-ranked fourth-placed team of League B will complete the round 1 path 2 play-off line-up and the draw seeding for the six ties will be adjusted accordingly.

Promotion and relegation

Promotion and relegation will also be at stake ahead of the next UEFA Women's Nations League, beginning the 2025–27 competition cycle:

• The winners, runners-up and third-placed teams of League A stay in League A;

• The runners-up and three best-ranked third-placed teams in League B stay in League B;

• The runners-up, third-placed and fourth-placed teams in League C stay in League C;

• The winners of Leagues B and C will be promoted to the next league;

• All fourth-placed teams in Leagues A and B, as well as the lowest-ranked third-placed team of League B, will be relegated to the next league.