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The back-to-back European champions embark on their journey to Brazil - but how do they qualify for World Cup 2027?
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The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Five times a week Four Four Two Daily Fantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more. Once a week . .. And it’s LIVE! Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off! Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. The Lionesses journey to Brazil starts now, with their first World Cup 2027 qualifiers taking place in March. Sarina Wiegman's back-to-back European champions find themselves in a tough qualifying group alongside Spain - the side who defeated England in the 2023 World Cup final. With England competing for one of 11 European spots at next year's tournament, here is everything you need to know.
Seven months after England's European triumph, they are beginning their Brazil 2027 journey in the form of World Cup qualifiers. Eleven European nations (plus one who enters the inter-continental play-offs) can ultimately book their place at the 32-team finals in two years’ time.
The 2025 Women’s Nations League dictated the European qualifiers. This saw 52 teams divided into three leagues. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. There are 16 teams (four groups of 4) in League A, 16 (four groups of 4) in League B and 21 (seven groups of 3) in League C. England find themselves in League A, Group 3, alongside world champions Spain, 16th-world ranked Iceland and 34th-ranked Ukraine. Each country will play one home match and one away match against the other countries in their group. Tuesday 3 March Ukraine v England (17: 00 GMT) Antalya, Turkey Saturday 7 March England v Iceland (12: 30 GMT) The City Ground, Nottingham Tuesday 14 April England v Spain (19: 00 GMT) Wembley Stadium, London Saturday 18 April Iceland v England (TBC) Reykjavik, Iceland Friday 5 June Spain v England (TBC) RCDE Stadium, Barcelona, Spain Tuesday 9 June England v Ukraine (20: 00 GMT) Hill Dickinson Stadium, Everton
After every team has played their six matches, the four winners of League A groups will qualify automatically for the 2027 World Cup. The remaining seven European places will be decided through two rounds of play-offs in October and November 2026 All League A teams are guaranteed at least a place in the play-offs.
The 32 teams taking part in the play-offs are comprised of: 12 League A teams who didn't win their group, the top three teams in each of the League B groups and the six group winners and two best runners-up in League C. In the first round, the format is as follows: The eight winners from these ties move into the second round of play-offs. In the second round, there will be eight fixtures:
England travel to Turkey to face Ukraine in the opening match of their 2027 World Cup qualifying campaign before hosting Iceland at Nottingham Forest's City Ground. Captain Leah Williamson returns to the squad for the first time since Euro 2025. She is joined by several others from last summer's squad, including Chelsea's Hannah Hampton and Lauren James and Manchester City's Alex Greenwood who missed the previous camp through injury. Notable absentees include Manchester United's Ella Toone, sidelined with a hip injury, and Arsenal's Beth Mead who is recovering from a fractured shin. London City Lionesses forward Freya Godfrey retains her place in the squad after an impressive Women's Super League campaign, while her teammate defender Poppy Pattinson has earned her first senior call-up for England. Both could make their senior debuts during this window. Wiegman’s side will be relieved not to face Spain, who they defeated on penalties in the Euro 2025 final, until the next international window in April. Ayisha Gulati is the women's football writer at Four Four Two. Fresh from a summer covering the Lionesses’ triumphant Euro 2025 campaign in Switzerland, she brings a passion for all things WSL, UWCL, and international women’s football. She has interviewed names including Alessia Russo and Aitana Bonmati and enjoys telling stories that capture the excitement on and off the pitch. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
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