The English national team has been placed in the same qualifying group as the reigning world champions, Spain, for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted in Brazil.
The Lionesses were defeated by Spain in the 2023 World Cup final match, but the English team emerged victorious earlier in the year, successfully defending their title as European champions.
How does the qualification process function?
The European qualifying matches will be instrumental in deciding which teams will qualify to participate in the 32-team 2027 World Cup. UEFA has been allocated a total of 11 spots, and there’s an opportunity for an additional European team to qualify through the inter-continental play-offs.
The 53 teams that are part of UEFA have been divided into three leagues, in a structure that is similar to the Women’s Nations League. Leagues A and B each consist of 16 teams, which are further divided into four groups of four teams each. League C comprises 21 teams, which are divided into six groups containing either three or four teams.
England and the Republic of Ireland are both positioned in League A, while Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are all placed in League B.
During the qualifying stage, each team will play against every other team in their respective group, both at their home venue and at the venue of their opponents, across a total of six matchdays.
- Matchday 1: Tuesday, March 3
- Matchday 2: Saturday, March 7
- Matchday 3: Tuesday, April 14
- Matchday 4: Saturday, April 18
- Matchday 5: Friday, June 5
- Matchday 6: Tuesday, June 9
What is the subsequent procedure?
Every team that is part of League A will be guaranteed a spot in the play-offs at a minimum. The teams that emerge as winners in each of the League A groups will automatically qualify for the World Cup, which means that England would need to secure a higher position than Spain in their group to successfully avoid having to participate in the play-offs.
The remaining seven spots, along with one additional inter-confederation play-off spot, will be decided through two rounds of play-offs.
In the initial round:
- The teams that finish in second and third place from the League A groups will compete against the six winners and the two runners-up with the best record from League C.
- The teams that finish in fourth place in League A and the four group winners from League B will play against the second and third-placed teams from League B.
- The League A teams and the League B group winners will be assigned as seeded teams and will have the advantage of playing the second leg of the play-off tie at their home venue.
The eight teams that emerge as winners from these play-off ties will then proceed to the second round of play-offs. In the second round, there will be a total of eight matches:
- The seven highest-ranked winners, based on their qualification rankings, will directly qualify for the World Cup, making up the total of 11 teams from Europe.
- The winner with the lowest ranking will advance to the intercontinental play-offs, which will be held in February 2027.
Complete list of groups
|
A1 |
Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Serbia |
|
A2 |
France, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Ireland |
|
A3 |
Spain, England, Iceland, Ukraine |
|
A4 |
Germany, Norway, Austria, Slovenia |
|
B1 |
Wales, Czech Republic, Albania, Montenegro |
|
B2 |
Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Turkey, Malta |
|
B3 |
Portugal, Finland, Slovakia, Latvia |
|
B4 |
Belgium, Scotland, Israel, Luxembourg |
|
C1 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein |
|
C2 |
Croatia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Gibraltar |
|
C3 |
Hungary, Azerbaijan, North Macedonia, Andorra |
|
C4 |
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