Sarina Wiegman said “here we go again” after the Lionesses were drawn against fellow Euro 2025 finalists Spain in their 2027 World Cup qualifying group.
The Lionesses have been handed a tough draw as they were placed in League A, Group 3 alongside Spain, Iceland and Ukraine.
England won the European Championships in Switzerland this summer by beating Spain in a penalty shootout in the final, which avenged the 2023 World Cup final in which the Spanish were victorious by a single goal.
England also faced Spain in their most recent Nations League campaign, beating them 1-0 at Wembley but losing 2-1 in Catalonia and finishing second in a four-team group. Spain face Germany in the two-legged Nations League final later this month and in early December.
Tuesday’s qualifying draw for European nations pitted the Lionesses against Spain once more, while Ukraine and Iceland landed in England’s group too. The Lionesses have not faced Ukraine since 2014 and last faced Iceland in 2009.
England head coach Wiegman said of drawing Spain: “We seem to meet up all the time, either in tournaments or in draws such as the Nations League now, and you can see both teams are very, very competitive and close and so here we go again.
“I think it's also nice to play Iceland and Ukraine. We haven't played them for a long time.
“Of course, they [Ukraine] got promoted to [Nations League] League A, which was very good for them and it's a team that we don't know very well at the moment but I find it nice to play a team that we don't know yet, to have that challenge.
“Iceland, of course, had to play against Northern Ireland in the play-offs which was a tough team to play. I haven't played them with England, but they have some very good players in their squad too.”
The Dutchwoman added: “I think it’s an exciting group and when we were drawn with Spain, you could tell in the room at the draw that it gave some excitement.”
