Women's World Cup play-off draw: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland learn opponents
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland have discovered their World Cup play-off opponents as all five teams look to book their place at Brazil; round one fixtures take place from October 7-13 and round two fixtures will be from November 26 to December 5
Thursday 18 June 2026 13:28, UK
England will face Greece in the first round of the World Cup qualification play-offs as Sarina Wiegman's side look to book their place at the 2027 World Cup.
The first leg of their tie will take place away from home, and should the Lionesses progress, they will take on either Slovakia or Ukraine in the final round to book their place to Brazil.
Holders Spain topped the Lionesses' group earlier in qualifying to book their place directly in next year's tournament in Brazil alongside Denmark, France and Germany.
Republic of Ireland will take on Kazakhstan, who are ranked 100th in the world. The winners of that tie will face the tough task of either Belgium or Poland.
Wales take on Albania, and then they hope to take on the winner of Romania or Norway. Norway are coached by ex-Wales coach Gemma Grainger.
Scotland have been drawn against the Czech Republic. If they are successful, they play Lithuania or Sweden. Northern Ireland will play Portugal. The winners of that play Croatia or Iceland.
Play-off round one will take place between October 7 and 13. Round two will be from November 26 to December 5, 2026.
How do the play-offs work?
The play-offs for the Women's European qualifiers include 32 teams playing in two rounds of home-and-away ties.
Teams have been split into two paths for round one, while also being divided into seeded and unseeded groups. England and the Republic of Ireland were both seeded in path 1, while Scotland and Wales are seeded in path 2. Northern Ireland are unseeded in path 2.
The eight winners of their respective round one ties progress to round two. Teams that were seeded in round one have been given more favourable ties in round two.
The seven best-ranked winners from round two qualify for next year's finals, while the remaining winner will still need to win the inter-confederation play-off.
The play-off rounds in full
Round one: Path 1
- Lithuania v Sweden
- Romania v Norway
- Greece v England
- Croatia v Iceland
- Kazakhstan v Rep. of Ireland
- Kosovo v Austria
- Hungary v Netherlands
- Belarus v Italy
Round one: Path 2
- Albania v Wales
- Turkey v Slovenia
- Slovakia v Ukraine
- Israel v Switzerland
- Belgium v Poland
- Czech Republic v Scotland
- Northern Ireland v Portugal
- Finland v Serbia
Round two:
- Slovakia/Ukraine v Greece/England
- Finland/Serbia v Belarus/Italy
- Northern Ireland/Portugal v Croatia/Iceland
- Wales/Albania v Romania/Norway
- Israel/Switzerland v Kosovo/Austria
- Czechia/Scotland v Lithuania/Sweden
- Belgium/Poland v Kazakhstan/Rep. of Ireland
- Turkiye/Slovenia v Hungary/Netherlands
When will the play-offs take place?
- Play-off round 1 (two legs): October 7-13, 2026
- Play-off round 2 (two legs): November 26 to December 5, 2026
- Inter-confederation play-offs: February 2027
- World Cup: June 24 to 25 July 25, 2027 - Brazil
