Women's World Cup 2027: England will face Greece in the qualifiers

England have been drawn to face Greece in the first round of qualifying for the 2027 Women's World Cup. The Lionesses need to win two rounds of return games to secure a place in the tournament in Brazil. If England beat Greece, they will face the winners of the Slovakia-Ukraine clash, with the away match taking place first.

In addition, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland also discovered who their opponents will be in the search for a place in the World Cup. In the first round, Wales will face Albania, Scotland will play the Czech Republic and Northern Ireland will face Portugal. The Republic of Ireland will face Kazakhstan. Game dates are yet to be confirmed, but matches are scheduled for October, November and December.

Despite England securing five wins from six games during the qualifying phase, Spain finished top of the group and secured an automatic place. "We knew what the playoffs would be like and whilst we are pleased with the draw against Greece, the focus now is on making sure we are well prepared," said England coach Sarina Wiegman. "We want to dominate games and have possession of the ball, and that is something we will prepare carefully for. There is still time, with the players on holiday and returning to their clubs, but we are looking forward to getting together again and playing for England."

The full draw is as follows:

Round 1, path 1 - Lithuania x Sweden, Romania x Norway, Greece x England, Croatia x Iceland, Kazakhstan x Republic of Ireland, Kosovo x Austria, Hungary x Netherlands, Belarus x Italy. Round 1, path 2 - Albania x Wales, Turkey x Slovenia, Slovakia x Ukraine, Israel x Switzerland, Belgium x Poland, Czech Republic x Scotland, Northern Ireland x Portugal, Finland x Serbia. Round 2 - Slovakia or Ukraine x Greece or England, Finland or Serbia x Belarus or Italy, Northern Ireland or Portugal x Croatia or Iceland, Albania or Wales x Romania or Norway, Israel or Switzerland x Kosovo or Austria, Czech Republic or Scotland x Lithuania or Sweden, Belgium or Poland x Kazakhstan or Republic of Ireland, Turkey or Slovenia x Hungary or the Netherlands.


Analysis: What are the chances of the British nations? England did not want to go through to the playoffs, but were handed a tough draw in the qualifying stages when facing world champions Spain. However, Sarina Wiegman's side are in a strong position for the playoffs and believe they can achieve a good result on their trip to Greece in October. They beat potential round two opponents Ukraine in both of their qualifying matches, which should give the group confidence.

Northern Ireland will have a tough clash against a talented young Portugal team in the first round. Portugal have beaten Northern Ireland twice in the Euro 2025 qualifying phase. Their task will become more difficult if they progress to the second round, with potential opponents Iceland proving difficult to overcome in their meetings with England this year.

Scotland are looking to reach just their second Women's World Cup final after failing to reachqualify in 2023. They excelled in this year's qualifying stages, including draws against Belgium, showing they can compete with the strongest teams in Europe. To advance to the second round, they will need to perform at their best if they face powerful Sweden, who have been semi-finalists in the last two Women's World Cup finals.

Wales have never beaten a top 20 ranked nation in a competition, and will likely need to do so to qualify - their away form needs to improve. But Rhian Wilkinson's side face familiar opponents in the first round. They beat Albania 4-0 in the qualifying round, so who's to say they won't be able to repeat the feat?

Ultimately, the Republic of Ireland performed exceptionally well in the qualifying phase and now face a tricky path into the playoffs, with Belgium, an established European team, potentially waiting in the second round. First, Carla Ward's team will face a long 3,100-mile journey to Kazakhstan.