Women’s World Cup 2027 UEFA Qualifiers: Complete Preview
The race to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil is entering a decisive stage, with European nations competing for places at the tournament. The UEFA qualifying campaign has already completed its league phase, and the remaining places will be decided through two rounds of play-offs in autumn and winter 2026.
England’s Lionesses are among the teams still fighting to qualify, alongside other European heavyweights including Sweden, Norway, Italy and the Netherlands. While four European nations have already secured their places at the World Cup, the play-offs will determine which other teams qualify directly and which nation earns a place in the inter-confederation play-offs.
With national pride and a place on the world stage at stake, every play-off tie carries enormous significance. Here is an updated guide to the qualification format, key dates, draw process and England’s route to the 2027 tournament.
How Do The Women’s World Cup 2027 UEFA Qualifiers Work?
The UEFA qualifying competition features 53 national teams competing for 11 direct places at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, with one additional European team able to qualify through the inter-confederation play-offs.
Rather than using a conventional qualifying group stage alone, UEFA introduced a Nations League-style format. The 53 teams were divided into three leagues according to their positions in the 2025 UEFA Women’s Nations League overall rankings.
League A contains 16 teams divided into four groups of four. League B also contains 16 teams in four groups of four, while League C consists of three groups of four and three groups of three. Teams play their group opponents home and away, earning three points for a win and one for a draw.
The four League A group winners qualify automatically for the World Cup in Brazil. Germany, France, Spain and Denmark secured those places after finishing top of their respective groups.
The remaining European places will be decided through two rounds of play-offs involving 32 teams. The first round consists of two paths: one involving teams from League A and League C, and another involving teams from League A and League B. The 16 winners advance to the second round, where they compete for the remaining qualification places.
Seven of the eight second-round winners will qualify directly for the World Cup, based on UEFA’s overall qualifying rankings. The eighth will advance to the FIFA inter-confederation play-offs in February 2027.
This structure gives teams that did not win their league groups another opportunity to reach the finals, while rewarding stronger performances through seeding and home advantage in the second legs.
When Are The Women’s World Cup 2027 UEFA Qualifiers?
The league phase of the UEFA Women’s European Qualifiers took place in 2026, with matches scheduled across March, April and June. The opening matchday was on 3 March, followed by further fixtures on 7 March, 14 April, 18 April, 5 June and 9 June.
The league phase has now concluded, and the competition has moved into the play-offs.
The key remaining dates are:
7–13 October 2026: First-round play-offs, played over two legs.
26 November–5 December 2026: Second-round play-offs, also played over two legs.
February 2027: FIFA inter-confederation play-offs.
24 June–25 July 2027: FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Brazil.
The first-round play-offs will determine which 16 teams advance to the final European qualifying round. The second round will then establish seven more direct World Cup qualifiers and the European representative for the inter-confederation play-offs.
The tournament itself will take place in Brazil from 24 June to 25 July 2027. Official fixture details and results are available through UEFA and FIFA, with national football associations also publishing information about their teams’ matches.
What Is The Women’s World Cup 2027 UEFA Qualifiers Draw?
The UEFA qualifying draw determines the opponents teams face during the league phase and the subsequent play-offs. For the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the league-stage draw took place on 4 November 2025, with teams allocated to Leagues A, B and C according to their positions in the 2025 UEFA Women’s Nations League overall rankings.
Each league had its own draw procedure and seeding arrangements. League A and League B each contained four groups of four teams, while League C consisted of three groups of four and three groups of three. The draw established the group-stage fixtures, which were played between March and June 2026.
A separate play-off draw took place on 18 June 2026 to determine the knockout ties for the remaining World Cup places. The 32 teams involved were allocated to two paths in the first round, with the pairings based on their league-stage positions.
The draw is as follows:
Path 1
Lithuania vs Sweden
Romania vs Norway
Greece vs England
Croatia vs Iceland
Kazakhstan vs Republic of Ireland
Kosovo vs Austria
Hungary vs Netherlands
Belarus vs Italy
Path 2
Albania vs Wales
Turkey vs Slovenia
Slovakia vs Ukraine
Israel vs Switzerland
Belgium vs Poland
Czech Republic vs Scotland
Northern Ireland vs Portugal
Finland vs Serbia
The first round takes place over two legs between 7 and 13 October 2026. The second round follows between 26 November and 5 December 2026. The seven best-ranked winners from the second round qualify directly for the World Cup, while the remaining winner advances to the FIFA inter-confederation play-offs.
The draw has already established England’s route through the competition, with Greece their first-round opponent and a potential second-round tie against either Slovakia or Ukraine awaiting them if they progress.
Who Are England Playing In The Women’s World Cup 2027 UEFA Qualifiers?
England competed in League A, Group A3, alongside Spain, Iceland and Ukraine. The Lionesses finished second behind Spain and therefore missed out on automatic qualification. They must now progress through the European play-offs to secure their place at the 2027 World Cup.
England’s first-round opponent is Greece, with the tie scheduled to take place over two legs between 7 and 13 October 2026. The first leg will be played in Greece, with England hosting the return fixture.
If England advance, they will face either Slovakia or Ukraine in the second round. That tie is scheduled for 26 November to 5 December 2026, with the exact match dates to be confirmed.
England’s play-off route is as follows:
First round, first leg: Greece v England.
First round, second leg: England v Greece.
Second round, if England progress: Slovakia or Ukraine v Greece or England, with the first-named team hosting the first leg.
The Lionesses will need to perform consistently across both legs to progress. Aggregate goals determine the winner of each tie, so a strong result in the first match will be important heading into the return fixture.
England are not the only major European nation facing the play-offs. Sweden will take on Lithuania, Norway will meet Romania, the Netherlands will face Hungary, and Italy will play Belarus. Meanwhile, Denmark, France, Germany and Spain have already secured their places at the finals after winning their League A groups.
The play-offs offer England a clear route to Brazil, but there is little room for error. Winning both rounds would secure direct qualification, while one unsuccessful tie would end their hopes of reaching the tournament through the European route.
Bet on the Women’s World Cup 2027 UEFA Qualifiers at Bet442
The Women’s World Cup 2027 qualifying play-offs promise several compelling fixtures as European teams compete for the remaining places in Brazil. England’s ties against Greece and, potentially, Slovakia or Ukraine will be among the matches to watch as the qualification campaign reaches its conclusion.
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