FIFA Women's World Cup Germany 2011 European Qualification Draw Tuesday 17 March 2009 Nyon, Switzerland
England will meet Spain, Austria, Turkey and Malta in the Qualifying Stage of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup after the draw was made in Nyon on 17th March.
The Three Lions will renew acquaintances with Spain after facing them twice on the way to qualifying for the 2009 European Championship, whilst Austria featured in England's 2007 World Cup Qualifying Group.
With changes to the English Women's League imminent and a Euro 2009 campaign to look forward to, England Head Coach Hope Powell is upbeat about her side's chances of qualifying for Germany.
"We cannot afford to be complacent," Powell warns. "There's such a wide spectrum of teams of varying abilities and we have a varying level of knowledge about them, but we feel that the new FA Women's Super League will be much more conducive to international success, linking positively to the international calendar."
The first phase of qualifying in Europe begins on 19/20 September 2009, and ends on 25 August 2010.
The eight group winners will contest play-offs on 11-12 and 15-16 September 2010 and the winners of each tie will earn a place at the World Cup.
Full draw:
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 France Norway Denmark Ukraine Iceland Netherlands Scotland Poland Serbia Belarus Greece Hungary Northern Ireland Slovakia Bulgaria Romania Croatia FYR Macedonia Georgia Bosnia Herzegovina Estonia Group 5 Group 6 Group 7 Group 8 England Russia Italy Sweden Spain Republic of Ireland Finland Czech Republic Austria Switzerland Portugal Belgium Turkey Israel Slovenia Wales Malta Kazakhstan Armenia Azerbaijan
