England in the group of death: Lionesses handed brutal Euro 2025 draw with title defence to begin with games against France and Netherlands

Sarina Wiegman's side will head out to Switzerland with the aim of retaining the trophy but will be up against it from the off. Standing between them and the knockout stages will be Netherlands, winners in 2017; France, semi-finalists in 2022; and neighbours Wales, who will make their major tournament debut on the women's side.

England knew a tough set of fixtures could be on the cards beforehand, as they were in Pot 2 for Monday's draw. Most fans would've been hoping to be placed in Group A then, with hosts Switzerland, rather than Spain, Germany or France. But the Swiss landed themselves a rather kind draw, while Germany will face Sweden, semi-finalists two years ago, and world champions Spain will take on an Italy side that will be a popular pick as a dark horse.

Wiegman will be aiming to win this tournament for a third time in a row next summer, having been in charge of the Dutch when they lifted the trophy in 2017 and then England in 2022.

The tournament will get underway on July 2, with England's first fixture, against France, to take place on July 5. Games against Netherlands and Wales will follow on July 9 and July 13, respectively.