"The most difficult draw"

ÖFB women face fearsome opponent in European Championship play-off

Sarah Zadrazil and Co. face Slovenia

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Austria's women's national team will face Slovenia in the first round of the play-off for next year's European Championship in Switzerland!

If team boss Irene Fuhrmann's team emerges victorious from the duel with a first and second leg in October, the winner of the match between Romania and Poland will then await. That was the result of the draw in Nyon on Friday.

"We have to take the draw one way or another!"
"Slovenia is by far the most difficult draw in League C for us, but it's also perfect preparation for a possible second play-off round. We have to take the draw for what it is, even though it could have been much easier for us," said Fuhrmann.

It is difficult to make an assessment "because it will also be our first competitive game against Slovenia", she added. "They have definitely developed as a team in recent years. It's important for us to analyze their previous games well now so that we're well prepared for the two matches."

With Poland, "we know exactly what to expect"!
With Poland, who have just been Austria's opponents in the European Championship qualifying group, "we know exactly what to expect if they come out on top against Romania", the team boss continued. "We played a test match against Romania in February 2022, which we clearly won. However, Romania have now dominated the group and should definitely not be underestimated."

The match dates are October 23-29 and November 27-December 3. The exact match dates are still being finalized. The final round in Switzerland will take place from 2 to 27 July 2025, with organizers Switzerland, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands and world champions Spain already qualified.