England have been placed in the second group of seeds for the Euro 2012 finals draw, while the Republic of Ireland are in pot four.
Uefa confirmed the seedings on Wednesday, with the group stage draw for next summer's European Championship set to be made in Kiev on December 2nd.
England went unbeaten through their qualification campaign and will head to Poland and Ukraine among the favourites to take the top prize.
They will not be paired alongside arch-rivals Germany next year, with the Euro 2008 runners-up also placed in pot two, along with 2006 World Cup winners Italy and Russia.
Reigning world and European champions Spain are among the top seeds, alongside 2010 World Cup finalists Holland and co-hosts Poland and Ukraine - who have already been allocated to groups A and D respectively.
Success
The Republic of Ireland booked their piece at the showpiece event on Tuesday night, following success in the play-offs, and they are readying themselves for their first appearance at a major international tournament in 10 years.
Giovanni Trapattoni's side are in the fourth group of seeds along with Denmark, the Czech Republic and rejuvenated France.
That means the Irish cannot face France, the side who controversially denied them a place at the 2010 World Cup, until the knockout stages.
They could, however, take on Croatia, Greece, Portugal or Sweden - with that particular quartet making up pot three.
Seedings for Euro 2012:
Pot 1: Spain, Holland, Poland, Ukraine.
Pot 2: Germany, Italy, England, Russia.
Pot 3: Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Sweden.
Pot 4: Denmark, France, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland.
