Group A: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Finland
Statistically, this is the weakest group. Switzerland, the hosts, could scarcely have wished for a kinder draw, having avoided England, the Netherlands and Sweden. Everybody else in Group A can consider themselves fortunate to have avoided the world champions, Spain, from Pot 1. That said, this group has thrown up the potential for very close games and an evenly fought battle for the top two spots. Norway, whose squad is full of talent and will be many people’s dark horses, could thrive. Their influential players include the Chelsea winger Guro Reiten, the Arsenal forward Frida Maanum, the Barcelona winger Caroline Graham Hansen and the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg, plus three Manchester United first-team regulars in Elisabeth Terland, Celin Bizet and Lisa Naalsund.
Predicted qualifiers: Norway, Switzerland.
Group B: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy
Spain, the World Cup winners, will look to build on their 2023 success and they have been handed a good draw and a group from which they will be the clear favourites to progress. Italy, who won away in Germany in a friendly earlier this month, have been improving and are not to be underestimated, while Portugal are enjoying a 12-match unbeaten run and Belgium – who reached the quarter-finals three years ago in England – did well to eliminate Greece and Ukraine in the playoffs. All eyes will be on Spain, though, marshalled by the Ballon d’Or holder, Aitana Bonmatí.
Predicted qualifiers: Spain, Italy.
Group C: Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden
This is a high-quality group, including three of the sides ranked in the top 12 in the world. Denmark, spearheaded by the Bayern Munich forward Pernille Harder, would love to go one better than they did in 2017, when they reached the final after knocking out Germany. Sweden have immense pedigree and are regulars in the knockout stages of major tournaments, but they have an ageing team that is arguably past its peak, while Germany will have a point to prove after the humiliation of a shock group-stage exit at the last World Cup. The first game, between Denmark and Sweden, could be pivotal.
Predicted qualifiers: Germany, Sweden.
Group D: France, England, Wales, Netherlands
The “group of death” promises great drama and excitement, as three of the potential candidates to win the tournament meet along with the debutants Wales, who will have nothing to lose. England, the holders, will have to hit the ground running as they start their campaign against France and then the Dutch, with both games in Zurich. Since the World Cup, the Lionesses have won once and lost once in Nations League games against both of those sides, making the group hard to predict. France are perennial underachievers in the women’s game, having never lifted a major trophy, but their squad is strong. England and Wales will not meet until the third set of fixtures. The Wales international Jess Fishlock told reporters in Lausanne: “I know that there’s going to be a lot of hype about this game [against England] specifically, but for us that’ll just be another game, against a very good team. There will be so many headlines written about this. I think there will be a different outlook from the outsiders but, if you are in our group, you are super excited for a group like this and to be at a major tournament.”
Predicted qualifiers: England, Netherlands.
