Women's EURO draw matches Germany with Spain
Monday, March 14, 2011
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Germany have been placed in a qualifying pool with Spain while England have a rematch of their 2009 semi-final against the Netherlands after the 2013 group stage draw was made in Nyon.
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Germany's bid for a sixth straight continental title will begin with a qualifying pool including Spain after the UEFA Women's EURO 2013 group stage draw was made in Nyon, Switzerland.
The 38 hopefuls were split into seven groups, three of six and four of five, which will eventually produce 11 qualifiers to join hosts Sweden in the finals. Germany are up against Spain, Switzerland, Romania, Turkey and Kazakhstan, while 2009 runners-up England play the team they beat in the semi-finals, the Netherlands, along with Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia.
Fixtures, which will be confirmed shortly, will run on international dates for 12 months from September 2011, with matches on Wednesdays/Thursdays and Saturdays/Sundays. The group winners and best runners-up (not counting results against sixth-placed teams) will qualify for the finals alongside hosts Sweden.
The six remaining runners-up will contest home-and-away play-off matches on 20/21 and 24/25 October 2012, with the three winners of these ties also qualifying. The 12-team finals will be played in July 2013.
Draw
Group 1: Italy, Russia, Poland, Greece, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group 2: Germany (holders), Spain,Switzerland, Romania, Turkey, Kazakhstan
Group 3: Norway, Iceland, Belgium, Hungary, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria
Group 4: France, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Wales, Israel
Group 5: Finland, Ukraine, Belarus, Slovakia, Estonia
Group 6: England, Netherlands, Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia
Group 7: Denmark, Czech Republic, Austria, Portugal, Armenia*
*Qualified from preliminary round