England's Lionesses have learned their path to the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil, drawing Greece in the first round of the European play-offs. Should Sarina Wiegman's side progress, they would then face either Slovakia or Ukraine in the second round, with the advantage of playing the second leg of both ties at home. This draw is considered relatively favourable for England, who avoided several higher-ranked nations such as Belgium and Switzerland.
The Lionesses, who were runners-up in the 2023 World Cup but have never lifted the global trophy, are strong favourites to navigate this initial stage. Their qualifying campaign saw them secure 15 points from a possible 18, finishing second in their group behind Spain due to an inferior head-to-head record. England famously defeated Spain 1-0 at Wembley in April, though they suffered a 4-0 defeat in the reverse fixture in June.
In contrast, Scotland face a considerably more arduous journey to secure a spot in Brazil. After their first-round match against Czechia, Pedro Martinez Losa's team would likely come up against Sweden, one of women's football's most decorated nations and semi-finalists in three of the last four World Cups. Scotland's only previous World Cup appearance was in 2019, highlighting the scale of the challenge ahead if they are to qualify again.
Elsewhere, Wales will begin their play-off bid against Albania. The winners of that tie will then face either Romania or Norway, which could lead to a compelling reunion for Wales with their former manager, Gemma Grainger, who took charge of Norway in 2024. Northern Ireland's route to a potential first World Cup could see them play Iceland, a League A team.
The Republic of Ireland, who impressed during their initial qualifying campaign by defeating the Netherlands, are seeded and will meet Kazakhstan in their first-round match. A potential second-round clash against Belgium or Poland awaits them as they aim for a second consecutive World Cup appearance. The first round of European play-offs will be contested over two legs between 7 and 13 October, followed by the second round, also over two legs, from 26 November to 5 December.
The revamped qualification format for the 2027 tournament has seen a significant expansion of the play-off process. Unlike the 2023 edition, which saw nine automatic European qualifiers, only four European nations will secure automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup, making the play-offs a critical pathway for many teams.