After defeating Ireland in a play-off to secure their place in Euro 2025, Wales have been drawn alongside defending champions England in the tournament’s group stage.

The Lionesses, led by head coach Sarina Wiegman, will also face the Netherlands in Group D. This match-up carries added significance for Wiegman, who guided the Dutch to European Championship glory in 2017 before replicating the achievement with England in 2022, making her the first coach to win the tournament with two different nations.

Wales, under the guidance of Rhian Wilkinson, will be competing in the finals of a major tournament for the first time, following their historic victory at the Aviva Stadium. Ranked 30th in the world, Wales are the lowest-ranked team in the tournament and sit 26 places below their neighbours, England. Despite this, they will relish the chance to challenge the 2022 champions on the European stage.

The group draw, conducted on Monday in Lausanne, also placed France, the Pot 1 seeds, in Group D. France narrowly topped England’s qualification group by a single point after defeating the Lionesses 2-1 at St James’ Park in May, although England avenged this loss with a 2-1 victory in Saint-Étienne.

Elsewhere, Group B features World Cup winners Spain, who will face Italy, Portugal, and Belgium. Group C includes 2022 runners-up Germany alongside Sweden, Denmark, and tournament debutants Poland. Hosts Switzerland are in Group A with Iceland, Norway, and Finland.

The tournament will take place across eight venues in Switzerland – Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St Gallen, Lucerne, Sion, and Thun – from 2nd to 27th July 2025.

UEFA has announced a significant increase in prize money for the competition. A statement from UEFA read:

“The UEFA Executive Committee approved €41 million in prize money for UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, representing a 156 per cent increase on the figure from 2022. Participating national associations will now also distribute a guaranteed percentage of the rewards – between 30 per cent and 40 per cent – to their players for the first time.”

With prize money totalling nearly £34 million and the promise of intense competition, Euro 2025 is set to be the biggest and most exciting tournament in the history of women’s football.