How can home nations reach Women's World Cup?

What the report says

England and the other home nations are moving into the play-off stage of European qualifying for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with BBC Sport outlining the routes each side must navigate. England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are all involved, and the first round of matches begins on Friday, with several ties being played home and away.

For England, Sarina Wiegman’s team will face Greece in Crete in the first leg, before the return match at King Power Stadium in Leicester. If England progress, they would meet the winner of Slovakia against Ukraine in a second round that is scheduled for late November to early December 2026, with the exact dates still to be confirmed. BBC Sport noted that England topped most of their qualifying campaign but missed out on automatic qualification after Spain finished first in the group.

The other home nations also have difficult paths. Wales play Albania, Scotland meet the Czech Republic, Northern Ireland face Portugal and the Republic of Ireland take on Kazakhstan. BBC Sport’s analysis says some of the later match-ups could be especially challenging, including possible ties against stronger-ranked opponents such as Sweden, Iceland or Belgium. The play-offs matter because only a limited number of European places remain for the 2027 finals, so every tie carries major consequences for all five teams.