France Women in tough Euro 2025 draw

Lady luck wasn’t on the side of the France Women’s national team at the draw for Euro 2025 on Monday.

Laurent Bonadei’s side will open that tournament against the defending champions, England, on July 5 at Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland. Les Bleues follow that up by facing Wales four days later before wrapping up the group stage against the 2017 European champions, the Netherlands, on July 13.

The latest FIFA rankings have the Lionesses seeded fourth, with the Dutch at #10, one place above France. Only the top two teams advance beyond the group phase, with the French women claiming a bronze medal at this event three years ago in England, their best-ever finish at the Euros. They have made it beyond the group stage in the previous four additions of that tournament, finishing top of their pool in 2022 above Belgium, Iceland and Italy.

England and the Netherlands are not only the previous two women’s teams to win the Euro, but they also finished as runners-up in each of the last two Women’s World Cups, with the Lionesses reaching the final a year ago, and the Dutch getting to that stage when France were the hosts in 2019.

France lost the UEFA Women’s Nations League final at the end of February against the reigning world champions Spain (2-0). The new season of that tournament begins on February 21, when Les Bleues host Norway at Stadium de Toulouse.

The French women are on a 10-match unbeaten run in group fixtures at the Euro, with their last defeat at that stage occurring in 2009 against Germany (5-1).

GFFN | Joel Lefevre