Copenhagen talks bear fruit

'Good programme'
Having welcomed Spain, Sweden, Iceland, Latvia, Northern Ireland and Liechtenstein to the Danish capital, the Denmark coach Morten Olsen said: "I'm happy with the results. This is a good programme for us as most of our wishes have been fulfilled." After failing to reach the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the Danes will next play a competitive match on 6 September when they begin their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign with a trip to Iceland.

Weather issue
Sweden are in action in Latvia four days earlier, before meeting Liechtenstein on 6 September ahead of an early showdown with Spain on 7 October. "It's not perfect for us," said Sweden coach Lars Lagerbäck. "However, I'm not sure if that's possible so let's just say it is OK. The most important aspect is that we managed to reach an agreement between us, and we've taken into consideration the likely weather conditions in all the countries in the group."

Draw possible
Spain - who start off against Liechtenstein on 2 September - were also delighted that the talks went smoothly, with Spanish Football Federation general secretary Jorge Pérez Arias saying: "Myself and coach Luis Aragonés are happy we have agreed a schedule that suits all parties." The fixtures will not be officially confirmed by UEFA until European football's governing body receives a written agreement from every team in the group. A 27 February deadline has been set for this, but if a group fails to adhere to this then the fixtures will be determined by a draw in Nyon on 2 March.