Young Lions to face Spain, Belgium and Northern Ireland in Elite Round.

UEFA European U17 Championship
Elite Qualifying Round
26-31 March 2011
Belgium

Reigning European U17 Champions England will meet old foes Spain in next year's Elite Qualifying Round, as both teams battle to secure their place in the tournament's Finals in Serbia, following today's draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

John Peacock's team beat two-time U17 champions Spain by 2-1 in last season's Final in Liechtenstein, but there is now no chance of a repeat fixture next spring, as only one team from each group in the Elite Round can progress to the Finals.

Also in Group Five will be Northern Ireland and Belgium, who will be Elite Round hosts in late March. In total, there are seven Elite Round groups, with one team from each progressing to join Final hosts Serbia in the last eight next May.

Meanwhile, the draw for the First Qualifying Round of next season's competition was also made and that will see the U17s face hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina, Netherlands and Latvia in the early stages of the 2011-12 campaign next October.

The full Elite Qualifying Round draw is as follows:-

Group 1: Italy, Slovakia, Scotland, Czech Republic.

Group 2: Portugal, Netherlands, Croatia, Austria.

Group 3: Denmark, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Latvia.

Group 4: Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine.

Group 5: Spain, England, Belgium, Northern Ireland.

Group 6: Norway, Georgia, Belarus, France.

Group 7: Romania, Hungary, Iceland, Russia.