WORLD CUP : Arsenal stars learn World Cup qualification opponents

 

Arsenal's Vivianne Miedema (second left) celebrates scoring their second goal against Tottenham with teammates during the FA Women's Super League match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - Credit: PA

The World Cup 2023 qualification draw was made ahead of the tournament being hosted in Australia and New Zealand.

Arsenal players gathered in anticipation to see who they would play on the road to the best competition in World Football, the FIFA Women's World Cup. 

England were drawn into Group D with Leah Williamson, Jordan Nobbs, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Beth Mead learning their opponents who are Austria, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg, Latvia and North Macedonia. 

It is also the beginning of Sarina Wiegman's first qualification campaign with the Lionesses as she takes charge in September. 

This means that Manuela Zinsberger and Viktoria Schnaderbeck who represent Austria will meet their Gunners teammates when England meet Austria in what is set to be an intriguing two matches in the group. 

England played Northern Ireland in a friendly back in February as Northern Ireland prepared for their historic Euro 2022 qualification, with England winning 6-0 in a game that Wubben-Moy made her international debut. 

Jill Roord, Danielle van de Donk and Vivianne Miedema will take on Iceland, the Czech Republic, Belarus and Cyprus with the Netherlands. 

The Dutch are very much favourites to win the group and they were runners up in the 2019 tournament in France as they lost out in the final to the USA. 

Katie McCabe's Republic of Ireland side have been drawn in Group A against Finland, Sweden, Slovakia and Georgia. 

Sweden are ranked fifth in the Fifa World rankings, Finland are 24th, and Ireland are 34th. Slovakia, meanwhile, are ranked 46th and Georgia are 126th. 

McCabe recently won her 50th cap for her country away to Belgium. 

Lisa Evans, Jennifer Beattie and Kim Little's Scotland side have been drawn in Group B alongside Spain, Ukraine, Hungary and the Faroe Island's. 

All four nations are familiar opponents for Scotland, most notably the top seed Spain, ranked 13 in the world, who they faced most recently at Euro 2017, winning 1-0 with a Caroline Weir strike.

Swiss trio Lia Wälti, Malin Gut and Noelle Maritz who helped their Switzerland qualify for Euro 2022 last month will play Italy, Romania, Croatia, Moldova, Lithuania in Group G. 

Romania, Croatia and Lithuania were opponents in Switzerland's group for Euro 2022 qualification and will once again battle it out for a place on the world stage. 

Leonie Maier's Germany side will face Portugal, Serbia, Israel, Turkey and Bulgaria on their road to to the tournament. 

Germany are very much the favourites to win the group as they go in search of their third Women's World Cup trophy. 

The nine group winners qualify directly for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The nine group runners-up will then contest play-off matches in October 2022 to determine the two remaining direct spots, as well as the spot for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup play-off tournament.