England will have to navigate a two-round playoff against Greece and either Slovakia or Ukraine to reach the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil, after being drawn against the Greeks in the first round of the European qualifiers on Thursday.
The Lionesses were forced into the playoffs after finishing second in their qualifying group behind world champions Spain, who beat them 4-0 earlier this month to snatch the sole automatic spot. England won five of their six qualifiers but that defeat proved decisive.
“England face Greece in first round of Women's World Cup play-offs; Scotland get Czechia and likely Sweden.”
"We knew what the play-offs would look like and, while we're pleased with the draw against Greece, the focus now is on making sure we're really well prepared," said England manager Sarina Wiegman. "We want to dominate games and have a lot of the ball and that's something we will prepare for carefully."
England, who reached the 2023 final but have never won the World Cup, will be heavy favourites to beat Greece in the first round, which takes place over two legs between 7 and 13 October. If they progress, they will face the winners of Slovakia v Ukraine in the second round, scheduled for 26 November to 5 December. England beat Ukraine 3-0 in June during qualifying and will be at home in the second leg of both rounds.
Scotland were handed a significantly tougher draw. They face Czechia in round one and, should they win, would likely meet Sweden – semi-finalists in three of the past four World Cups – in round two. Scotland's only previous World Cup appearance came in 2019.
Northern Ireland, chasing a first Women's World Cup, will play Portugal in round one. Portugal twice beat Northern Ireland in Euro 2025 qualifying. If they advance, they could face Iceland or Croatia.
Wales, who have never qualified, face Albania in round one, with the winners playing Romania or Norway – a potential reunion with their former manager Gemma Grainger, now in charge of Norway.
The Republic of Ireland will play Kazakhstan in round one. Fixture dates are to be confirmed but all matches will take place in October, November and December.
"There's still time with players on holiday and then returning to their clubs, but we're looking forward to coming together again and performing with England," Wiegman added.