News Focus
- England require only a draw against Spain to secure direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil
- The Lionesses hold a three-point lead in Group A3 ahead of Friday’s clash in Mallorca
- Republic of Ireland must defeat both the Netherlands and France to claim a historic qualification spot
- Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland target play-off places from League B
- Germany face Norway in a winner-takes-all fixture that will decide Group A4
The England women’s national team stand on the brink of booking their place at next summer’s World Cup finals. A positive result against world champions Spain on Friday evening would confirm their ticket to Brazil.
Sarina Wiegman’s squad travel to Mallorca knowing that a win or draw against the reigning champions (kick-off 20:00 BST) would make them the first British or Irish side to qualify for the 2027 tournament. The Lionesses currently sit three points clear at the top of Group A3 following four consecutive victories in qualifying.
The European champions defeated Spain 1-0 at Wembley earlier in the campaign. However, defeat by a larger margin on Friday would complicate matters. England would then need to achieve a better result against Ukraine on Tuesday than Spain manage against Iceland.
If England lose by a single goal, the group could be decided by tie-breakers. These include goal difference, away goals scored, and even disciplinary records.
The Republic of Ireland also retain hope of direct qualification. They currently occupy third place in their group but control their own destiny. Victory against the Netherlands in Cork on Friday (19:30 BST), followed by another win away to France on Tuesday, would secure their place at the World Cup for only the second time in history.
The picture differs for the other home nations, who compete in League B. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can only reach the tournament through the play-offs. All three have already secured top-three finishes in their groups, guaranteeing them a place in the autumn play-off rounds.
Scotland lead their group and face Israel twice, on Friday and Tuesday. Wales sit second and travel to Montenegro on Friday before hosting Czech Republic on Tuesday. Northern Ireland require just one point from matches against Turkey on Friday and Switzerland on Tuesday to confirm their play-off berth.
Elsewhere in League A, Denmark lead Group A1 but face pressure from Sweden and Italy. Meanwhile, Germany can preserve their perfect World Cup attendance record when they host Norway in Cologne on Friday (19:35 BST). The two-time champions hold a one-point advantage over Norway in Group A4, making this fixture effectively a straight shootout for qualification.
Eight nations have already secured their places at the 32-team tournament, which runs from 24 June to 25 July 2027. Hosts Brazil qualified automatically. Australia, China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and the Philippines booked their spots through the Asian Cup. New Zealand dominated the Oceania qualifiers to confirm their participation.