Germany among qualified 16

Established forces of the female game at more senior levels, Germany, Sweden, and Norway are among the teams to have progressed from the inaugural UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship first qualifying round, with 16 sides still in contention for the title.

Best runners-up
Forty nations entered the new tournament, split into ten groups of four from which the winners all booked automatic places in the second qualifying round; Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Iceland, France, Sweden, Scotland and England all did so with perfect records and Switzerland and the Czech Republic also made it through. The six runners-up with the best record against the teams first and third in their pools were to join them, and they are Norway, the Republic of Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, Poland and Russia, pipping Spain, Hungary, Wales and Slovenia.

World Cup chance
All the remaining teams will be split into four groups of four for the second qualifying round in Nyon on 11 December, when the draw for next season's first stage will also be made. Only the four group winners in April 2008 will progress to the following month's finals, with the hosts to be selected from among their numbers. The winners of the two semi-finals and the subsequent third-place match will also represent Europe at the 1st FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in New Zealand from 30 October until 16 November next year.

Qualified teams
Group 1: Switzerland
Group 2: Netherlands, Poland*
Group 3: Finland, Belgium*
Group 4: Iceland
Group 5: France, Denmark*
Group 6: Sweden, Republic of Ireland*
Group 7: Czech Republic
Group 8: Scotland
Group 9: Germany, Norway*
Group 10: England, Russia*

*best runners-up