Dutch women's football to face Italy in first European Championships qualification match

The Dutch national women's football team will start their European Championships 2025 qualification campaign with an away match against Italy on April 5. They will play six games in Qualification Group A1, with Norway and Finland being the other two opponents.

Andries Jonker's side will play in their first home match four days after the Italy game. The Leeuwinnen will take on Norway in the Rat Verlegh Stadium in Breda.

Two matches against Finland follow, but the location of the home fixture on May 31 has not yet been announced. The qualification campaign will conclude with an away match against Norway on April 16, 2025.

Norway is considered the main rival for the Leeuwinnen in the group. The Norwegians became world champions at the World Cup in 1995 before winning Olympic gold in 2000.

Despite this, Italy is actually the highest-ranking opponent the Leeuwinnen will face during this stage. The Italians hold the 14th position in the FIFA world rankings. Norway is ranked 16th, and their Finnish colleagues are ranked 27th. The Netherlands is the highest-ranked team in the group; they are in seventh place.

Jonker also warned of the threat that the Italians pose. "They have put up some noteworthy results with their new manager in the last few months, for example, their win over Spain. At the same time, I was not hoping for a group with England or Sweden."

The top two countries qualify directly for the European Championships in Switzerland. If the Netherlands finish third or fourth, they can also qualify through the playoffs. They would then compete with 27 countries for seven remaining spots.