11 places are secured for European teams at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027. Out of those 11, Denmark, Germany, France, and Spain have already qualified. The remaining teams will have to go through the UEFA play-offs which are divided into two rounds.
Round 1 will take place from October 7th to 13th, while Round 2 will take place from 26th November to the 5th of December. Round 1 will be divided into two paths. Path 1 will see the four second-placed teams and four third-placed teams of League A play against the six first-placed teams and two best-ranked second-placed teams of League C.
In Path 2, the four fourth-placed teams of League A and four first-placed teams of League B will play against the four second-placed teams and four third-placed teams of League B. The winners of round 1 will qualify for the second round.
In Round 2, we will see the 16 round one players against each other. The seven best-ranked round 2 winners according to the 2026 Women’s European Qualifiers overall league rankings will directly qualify for the World Cup. While the one remaining winner will advance to the play-off tournament in February.
England, the European champions, will have to face Greece first and then either Slovakia or Ukraine, to book their tickets for the ‘27 World Cup. They had lost against Spain in the ‘23 World Cup and again fell short in front of them during the qualifying groups which concluded earlier this month.
Italy and Belarus’s draw had to be changed as they were initially paired with the winner of Slovakia vs. Ukraine. UEFA stopped any potential games between Ukraine and Russia’s ally Belarus since the war began in 2022.
Round 1: (7th to 13th of October, 2026)
Path 1 –
Match 1: Lithuania v Sweden
Match 2: Romania v Norway
Match 3: Greece v England
Match 4: Croatia v Iceland
Match 5: Kazakhstan v Republic of Ireland
Match 6: Kosovo v Austria
Match 7: Hungary v Netherlands
Match 8: Belarus v Italy
Path 2 –
Match 1: Albania v Wales
Match 2: Turkiye v Slovenia
Match 3: Slovakia v Ukraine
Match 4: Israel v Switzerland
Match 5: Belgium v Poland
Match 6: Czechia v Scotland
Match 7: Northern Ireland v Portugal
Match 8: Finland v Serbia
Round 2: (November 26th – December 5th, 2026)
Slovakia or Ukraine v Greece or England
Finland or Serbia v Belarus or Italy
Northern Ireland or Portugal v Croatia or Iceland
Albania or Wales v Romania or Norway
Israel or Switzerland v Kosovo or Austria
Czechia or Scotland v Lithuania or Sweden
Belgium or Poland v Kazakhstan or Republic of Ireland
Turkiye or Slovenia v Hungary or Netherlands
