England women today learned their Euro 2017 qualifying fate as they were drawn in group 7 alongside Belgium, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Estonia.
The competition will be held in the Netherlands in the summer of 2017 and will involve a record 16 teams for the first time in its history.
The host nation do not need to go through the qualification process and have already booked their place in the finals in July. They will be joined by the eight group winners and a further six runners-up who finish on the highest number of points.
The remaining two runners-up will then take part in a play-off for the last remaining place in the tournament.
England last made the final of the Euro’s in 2009 where they were beaten 6-2 by Germany. In 2013 they failed to get past the group stages after losing to Spain and France and drawing with Russia.
Before Mark Sampson’s Lionesses can dream of rectifying their disappointment from 2013, they first must get past Serbia who they faced in qualifying that same year, drawing 2-2 in Belgrade before a 2-0 win on home soil.
This time around they will also face Belgium who are currently ranked 27th in the world, and Estonia and Bosnia & Herzegovina who both sit outside the top 30. Below is a list of the qualifying groups in full:
Group 1
Iceland
Scotland
Belarus
Slovenia
Macedonia
Group 2
Spain
Finland
Republic of Ireland
Portugal
Montenegro
Group 3
France
Ukraine
Romania
Greece
Albania
Group 4
Sweden
Denmark
Poland
Slovakia
Moldova
Group 5
Germany
Russia
Hungary
Turkey
Croatia
Group 6
Italy
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Northern Ireland
Georgia
Group 7
ENGLAND
Belgium
Serbia
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Estonia
Group 8
Norway
Austria
Wales
Israel
Kazakhstan
