The draw for the European World Cup Qualfiers will take place this afternoon at 12:00 GMT.
The Group Stage will run from March-June 2026 and will be followed by play-offs to determine UEFA’s 11 allocated spots at the next World Cup, to be held in Brazil in 2027.
LEAGUE A
England and the Republic of Ireland both secured League A status after their recent Nations League campaigns.
The Lionesses finished second to Spain in Group 3 which ensured they automatically retained their place in the top tier. As a result, they will be placed in Pot 2 alongside the Netherlands, Italy and Norway.
Carla Ward’s Ireland became the first League B team to gain promotion in a play-off against a League A side. Their eyecatching encounter with Belgium was tied at 4-4 going into injury time in the second leg. A dramatic 90th minute finish from Abbie Larkin in Leuven sealed a famous victory for the Girls in Green. They are in Pot 4 alongside Slovenia, Serbia and Ukraine.
LEAGUE B
Both Scotland and Wales were relegated into League B.
Scotland have been through a bit of a rollercoaster since the departure of Pedro Martinez Losa in December 2024. The Scottish FA took their time with the recruitment of his successor, finally appointing Melissa Andreatta in April. She took over for their final two Nations League games, securing their sole point of the campaign against the Netherlands.
For Rhian Wilkinson and her Wales team, they were able to use their inaugural League A appearance as preparation for their first major tournament at the Euros this summer. They generally held their own, even if results did not necessarily go their way, with their two draws against Sweden a particular highlight.
Northern Ireland, meanwhile, came second to Poland in Group 1 in League B. They faced Iceland in their recent play-off with an opportunity to gain promotion but were defeated by Þorsteinn Halldórsson’s side 5-0 on aggregate.
Wales are in Pot 1 for the draw while Scotland and Northern Ireland are placed in Pot 2.
LEAGUE C
League C contains the 21 teams ranked from 33rd to 53rd at the end of the 2025 Nations League competition:
HOW IT WORKS
The European Qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be played from 3rd March to 9th June 2026.
The four League A winners at the end of the Group Stage will qualify directly for the tournament.
32 teams will then head into the play-off phase to decide the remaining seven spots. This will be played between October and December 2026:
Round 1 (2 legs):
- Path 1: The second and third-place finishers in League A (8; seeded) vs six group winners in League C plus the two best-ranked second-place sides
- Path 2: League A fourth-place finishers + four League B winners (8; seeded) will face the eight second and third-place League B sides
Round 2 (2 legs):
- The winners of the above will progress to Round 2. Path 1 winners will be seeded for the draw and will play their second leg at home
- The seven best winners will head to Brazil. The eighth best winner will qualify for the FIFAWWC Inter-Continental Play-Offs
