The England women's team know their route to the World Cup after failing to qualify automatically

The England women's team learned their route to the 2027 World Cup when the qualifying draw was held last Thursday. The team known as "Lionesses" will face Greece in the first qualifying round taking place this October. Under the leadership of coach Sarina Wiegman, the British women's team needs to pass two qualifying rounds with home and away matches to be able to attend the final round taking place in Brazil next year. If they defeat Greece, they will face the winner of the match between Slovakia and Ukraine, while the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales will play the return leg at home. Northern Ireland will play away from home in their second match.

England women won five of their six qualifying matches but defending champions Spain topped their group and qualified for the finals, along with Denmark, France and Germany. A 3-0 win over Ukraine in their final match was not enough to put England's women's team past Spain, as they lost 4-0 in the second of two meetings between the two teams after winning 1-0 in the first qualifying match in April. Any result other than a loss would be enough to ensure automatic progression to Brazil, with only the top team of each qualifying group progressing without the need for a play-off.

The play-offs will determine seven of the eight remaining UEFA places, while the final place will be decided through an inter-confederation play-off. The Republic of Ireland will face Kazakhstan, Wales will face Albania, Scotland will face the Czech Republic and Northern Ireland will face Portugal. Round one will begin in October, and round two will take place in November and December, with specific fixtures yet to be announced.

Coach Sarina Wiegman said: "We are aware of the play-offs and while we are happy with the draw against Greece, the aim now is to ensure that we are very well prepared. We want to dominate the games and have plenty of possession, and that is something we will be very prepared for. There is plenty of time left, with the players on holiday and then returning to their clubs, but we are looking forward to being focused." come back, prepare and put in a good performance against England.” If they progress beyond their first match, the Republic of Ireland will face Belgium or Poland, Northern Ireland will face Croatia or Iceland, Wales will face Romania or Norway, and Scotland will likely face Lithuania or Sweden. The seven highest-ranked winners from round two will qualify for next year's finals, while the remaining winners will still need to win the inter-confederation play-offs. European teams will participate in the second round of that play-off, which takes place in February 2027.