Lionesses discover Nations League opponents as Sarina Wiegman's side eye LA Olympics qualification

Sarina Wiegman 's England will face France, Austria and Portugal in the UEFA Women's Nations League, a competition that doubles as qualifying for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. The draw also placed the Republic of Ireland, Wales and Scotland in League A. Only the team finishing top of each group secures a place at the Games, with group winners also advancing to the Nations League semi-finals. The Republic of Ireland have the hardest-looking assignment on paper, having been drawn alongside world champions Spain, as well as Norway and Switzerland. Wales must contend with Denmark, Italy and Iceland, while Scotland's group features Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. Northern Ireland, competing in Group B, will meet Poland, Finland and Belarus. England head coach Sarina Wiegman applauds fans after England’s Women’s World Cup qualifier against Greece (Nick Potts/PA). Matchdays one and two are set for February and March, with the third and fourth rounds of games following in April. The final league stage fixtures come in June, ahead of the Women's World Cup in Brazil. The semi-finals are due to be played in October, while the third place play-off and the final are scheduled for late November and early December. Teams finishing fourth in League A will drop into League B, while the winners of League B will move up. England missed out on the Paris Olympics in 2024 after failing to win their Nations League group the previous year. The Lionesses were placed in a group alongside the Netherlands, Scotland and Belgium. Despite winning 6-0 in their final group game against Scotland, England were still pipped to top spot by the Netherlands on goal difference. Wiegman’s team will not want to slip-up again, but will not have things all their own way in a group that also contains France. England have also not secured their spot at next year’s World Cup yet, as they must first get past Ukraine in a two-legged play-off, with the two games taking place later this month and in early December. England have achieved significant success under Wiegman in recent years, winning the Euros in 2022 and 2025, either side of making the World Cup final in 2023. They will now set their sights on qualifying for next year’s World Cup ahead of a push for Olympic glory the following year.