Home venues announced

Manchester United's 67,000 capacity Old Trafford will host four of the qualifying games - including the key opening home fixture against Wales on 9 October 2004.

Old Trafford, where England concluded the successful 2002 qualifying campaign with the thrilling 2-2 draw against Greece, will also be the scene of the climax of this campaign with the double header against Austria and Poland on 8 and 12 October 2005.

The other Old Trafford fixture will be the second 'home international' fixture against Lawrie Sanchez's Northern Ireland on March 26th next year. Newcastle United's St. James' Park, with a capacity of 52,000, will stage England's first ever home fixture against Azerbaijan on 30 March 2005.

Newcastle are also hosts for Sven Goran Eriksson's first fixture of the new season against Ukraine on 18 August 2004 but an FA spokesman said: "We are still committed in the final year before we return to the magnificent new Wembley to taking England fixtures around the country.

"However as this is the World Cup qualifying campaign we wanted to make sure that the maximum number of fans had the opportunity to see the England side and that is why we have chosen the two biggest club grounds in the country."

The European Under 21 Championship qualifier against Wales will be staged at Blackburn Rovers' Ewood Park on Friday 8th October. The Under-21s' first match of the season, and the first under coach Peter Taylor, is the fixture against the Ukraine at Middlesbrough on 17 August 2004

Ticket details will be announced in the coming weeks.