Women’s Euro 2022 draw: Hosts England to face Northern Ireland, Austria and Norway in group stage

Hosts England have been paired with Northern Ireland in the group stage draw for the Women’s 2022 European Championship.

The two teams recently met in the Lionesses’ first appearance at Wembley for two years, with Beth Mead’s hat-trick and another goal from Bethany England securing a one-sided 4-0 victory in World Cup qualifying.

They will meet again on July 15 at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium after both being placed into Group A during Thursday’s Euro 2022 draw in Manchester.

Northern Ireland will be making their maiden appearance at a major tournament.

England - who have also eased to huge wins over North Macedonia, Luxembourg and Latvia during a goal-laden start to the Sarina Wiegman era - will begin their campaign against Austria at Old Trafford on July 6, with the duo also set to lock horns in World Cup qualifying in Sunderland next month.

The other team in Group A is Norway, whom the Lionesses will take on at the Amex Stadium in Brighton on July 11.

The winners of Group A will face the runners-up of Group B, which contains Germany, Denmark, Spain and Finland, in the first quarter-final in Brighton on July 20.

The runners-up from Group A will battle the winners of Group B at the Brentford Community Stadium in West London a day later.

Reigning European champions Netherlands are in Group C along with Sweden, Switzerland and Russia, with France, Italy, Belgium and Iceland in Group D.

The final takes place at Wembley on July 31.

Euro 2022 was originally supposed to take place last summer, only to be delayed a year to avoid a clash with the men’s European Championship and the Tokyo Olympics, both of which were pushed back 12 months as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

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