England's Euro 2024 qualifying group confirmed

England’s road to the 17^th European Championships in Germany has been unveiled following the qualifying draw in Frankfurt, Germany.

For the first time since the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, England were seeded in Pot 2 of a qualification draw, giving them the prospect of a much harder qualifying group compared to their recent efforts.

The Tournament Finals begin on June 14^th, and England will hope to ward away the ghosts of the previous tournament and aspire to lift the Henri Delaunay Trophy at the Olympiastadion.

The Three Lions were drawn into Group C along with Italy, Ukraine, North Macedonia and Malta.

Their Euro 2024 conquest starts with arguably their most difficult fixture of the group, an away trip to Italy in March 23rd, 2023. This will be followed by their first home game of the qualifiers with a match up against Ukraine on March 26^th.

After two tricky openers, they face Malta away on June 16^th and return to England to play North Macedonia on June 19^th.

The English will then encounter Ukraine away from home on September 9^th, and then in the following month we are treated to a repeat of the Euro 2020 Final as England square up to Italy at Wembley on the 17^th.

For the home stretch of the qualifying campaign, they are posed with another double header in November, presented with a final home game against Malta on the 17^th , and the qualifiers will conclude as England travel to North Macedonia for a game on the 20^th.

Should England fail to finish top of the group, they would play in a two-legged play-off in March 2024, subject to the overall rankings of the 2022-23 Nations League in which England finished 15th.

It has been 14 years since England have failed to qualify for a major tournament and this group poses some obstacles. Italy are an obvious hurdle. Somewhat of a recent nemesis of England, they’ve prevented them from achieving European glory, as well as relegating them from the top division in the Nations League, so there appears to be some bad blood as England have a point to prove.

Another barrier in the group would be Ukraine, the last time the two featured in the same qualifying group England failed to win both times, and Ukraine will be looking to dish out some revenge after their crushing 4-0 defeat in the previous tournament finals.