England are set to renew their fierce rivalry with world champions Spain after being drawn together in qualifying for the 2027 World Cup.
The highly anticipated league stage draw pits the reigning global champions against the European title holders.
The Lionesses, who were defeated 1-0 by Spain in the 2023 World Cup final, secured a measure of revenge against their rivals this summer by beating them in the final of the Euros.
The two teams could not be separated after extra time as they played out a 1-1 draw, before England secured a 3-1 penalty shootout victory.
The two footballing giants also clashed in the Nations League earlier this year, with England triumphing at Wembley thanks to Jess Park’s goal in February, before suffering a defeat in Barcelona a little over three months later as Spain came from a goal down to pick up a 2-1 win.
Their League A group also includes Iceland and Ukraine, with matches scheduled to take place between February and June next year.
England will be hoping to go one better than two years ago after suffering heartbreak in the final when Spanish full back Olga Carmona scored the only goal of the game. England also reached the semi-finals in 2015 and 2019, losing to Japan and USA, respectively.
The qualification pathway sees group winners securing four of UEFA’s direct slots for the World Cup in Brazil.
A further 32 teams will enter play-offs to determine seven additional finals spots, alongside one place in the inter-confederation play-offs.
Elsewhere, the Republic of Ireland, also in League A, face a challenging group comprising France, the Netherlands, and Poland.
In League B, Wales will compete against Czechia, Albania, and Montenegro, while Scotland are drawn with Belgium, Luxembourg, and Israel.
Northern Ireland, also in League B, find themselves in a pool alongside Switzerland, Turkey, and Malta.
