Olympic champion Germany heads Women's WCup qualifying draw

Posted April 25, 2017 7:00 am

The Associated Press

Manchester City's Carli Lloyd, left, battles for the ball with Olympique Lyonnais' Camille Abily during the Women's Champions League semifinal, first leg soccer match at the Academy Stadium, Manchester, England, Saturday April 22, 2017. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP) The Associated Press

NYON, Switzerland (AP) - Olympic champion Germany has been drawn in a 2019 Women's World Cup qualifying group with Iceland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, and the Faeroe Islands.

Only the seven group winners in Europe's qualifying program advance directly to the 24-nation tournament hosted by France. The United States is the defending champion.

The 2016 Olympic silver medalist Sweden is top-seeded in a group with Denmark, Ukraine, Hungary, and Croatia.

Europe's best performer at the 2015 World Cup, third-place England, was drawn on Tuesday in a group with Russia, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kazakhstan.

Russia and Ukraine were kept apart in the draw, extending a three-year policy by UEFA to avoid provoking political tensions between the neighbors.

European qualifying groups are played from September 2017 to September 2018. Seven winners advance and four runners-up enter a playoff knockout bracket to decide the final European qualifier in November 2018.

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European qualifying draw:

Group 1: England, Russia, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kazakhstan.

Group 2: Switzerland, Scotland, Poland, Belarus, Albania.

Group 3: Norway, Netherlands, Ireland, Slovakia, Northern Ireland.

Group 4: Sweden, Denmark, Ukraine, Hungary, Croatia.

Group 5: Germany, Iceland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Faeroe Islands.

Group 6: Italy, Belgium, Romania, Portugal, Moldova.

Group 7: Spain, Austria, Finland, Serbia, Israel.

Manchester City's Jill Scott, right, battles for the ball with Olympique Lyonnais Saki Kumagai during the Women's Champions League semifinal, first leg soccer match at the Academy Stadium, Manchester, England, Saturday April 22, 2017. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP) The Associated Press

PSG's Ashley Lawrence, left, duels for the ball against FC Barcelona's Barbara Latorre during the Women's Champions League semifinal first leg soccer match between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain, at the Miniestadi stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, April 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) The Associated Press

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