Women's European Qualifiers for 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup: League stage groups set

The Women's European Qualifiers league stage groups have been set in all three leagues running between February/March and June 2026.

The groups will decide four of UEFA's slots at the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil and also determine which 32 teams go into the play-offs between October and December 2026, which will carry seven more direct finals spots plus one place in the inter-confederation play-offs. Also at stake will be promotion and relegation ahead of the next UEFA Women's Nations League.

The European Qualifiers league stage is played in the same format as the UEFA Women's Nations League, with teams split into three leagues: League A with 16 teams, League B with 16 teams and League C with 21 teams. The final composition of the leagues was decided by the 2025 edition of the UEFA Women's Nations League.

In League A, where the winners of the four groups will qualify directly, among the fixtures produced is the latest meetings of Spain and England. Spain beat England to win the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and also pipped them to the 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League finals after they exchanged home wins but the Lionesses turned the tables in July to retain the UEFA Women's EURO title on penalties.

Other League A match-ups include France vs Netherlands (Les Bleues having eliminated the 2017 champions at Women's EURO 2025) and a meeting of two former world champions in Germany and Norway, while Sweden, Italy and Denmark are together again after the trio were only separated by three points in a tight Women's Nations League pool. Meanwhile, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine all make their League A debuts, having been promoted along with Poland and the Republic of Ireland after the Women's Naitons League phase.

League B includes five teams who competed at Women's EURO 2025: Belgium, Finland, Portugal, Switzerland (quarter-finalists as hosts) and Wales. Play-off places are at stake in Leagues B and C as well as promotion and relegation.

WOMEN'S EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS LEAGUE STAGE GROUPS

League A

Group A1: Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Serbia

Group A2: France, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Ireland

Group A3: Spain, England, Iceland, Ukraine

Group A4: Germany, Norway, Austria, Slovenia

League B

Group B1: Wales, Czechia, Albania, Montenegro

Group B2: Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Türkiye, Malta

Group B3: Portugal, Finland, Slovakia, Latvia

Group B4: Belgium, Scotland, Israel, Luxembourg

League C

Group C1: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein

Group C2: Croatia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Gibraltar

Group C3: Hungary, Azerbaijan, North Macedonia, Andorra

Group C4: Greece, Faroe Islands, Georgia

Group C5: Romania, Cyprus, Moldova

Group C6: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia

DATES 

The Women's European Qualifiers league stage will be played, in principle, on the following dates in 2026:

Matchday 1: Tuesday 3 March
Matchday 2: Saturday 7 March
Matchday 3: Tuesday 14 April
Matchday 4: Saturday 18 April
Matchday 5: Friday 5 June
Matchday 6: Tuesday 9 June

Changes to the scheduling may be made within a certain deadline after the draw, provided all associations concerned agree.

WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION 

UEFA has been allocated 11 places in the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. One additional team may qualify through FIFA's intercontinental play-offs.

At the end of the league phase, group standings and overall league rankings will determine:

Direct qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup 

The four League A group winners.

Qualification and seeding for the European Qualifier play-offs for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. 

Round 1 of the play-offs is played in two paths as follows:

Path 1: The four second-placed teams and four third-placed teams of League A play against the six first-placed teams and two best-ranked second-placed teams of League C.

Path 2: The four fourth-placed teams of League A and four first-placed teams of League B play against the four second-placed teams and four third-placed teams of League B.

In round 1 of the play-offs, the ties are determined by means of a draw.

Path 1: The eight League A teams are seeded and play their second-leg matches at home.

Path 2: The four fourth-placed teams from League A and four first-placed teams from League B are seeded and play their second leg matches at home.

The winners of the round 1 play-offs qualify for the round 2 play-offs.

In round 2 of the play-offs, the ties are determined by means of a draw. The round 1 path 1 ties are seeded for the round 2 draw and the winners of those ties play the round 2 second leg match at home.

The seven best-ranked round 2 play-off winners according to the 2026 Women’s European Qualifiers overall league rankings qualify directly for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The one remaining round 2 play-off winner qualifies for the FIFA Women’s World Cup intercontinental play-offs.

Automatic promotion and relegation for the next competition cycle, 2027-29 

The four group winners in League B and the six group winners in League C will be promoted.

The four fourth-placed teams in Leagues A and B as well as the two lowest-ranked third-placed teams in League B, ranked 27 to 28 in the overall league rankings, will be relegated.