England drawn with Spain in World Cup qualifying

Spain and England are both eliminated from their 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifying group.

Spain won the 2023 World Cup title against Spain, but England resurrected after defeating the reigning champions in the Euro 2025 final in July to claim the title.

Along with Sarina Wiegman’s side, Iceland and Ukraine are also in Group A3.

The World Cup will take place in Brazil, following the same format as the Nations League, and it has three levels.

Only the top four League A winners will automatically advance to the finals, with the rest of the teams having to compete in the play-offs for the final eight spots.

Wales will face the Czech Republic, Albania, and Montenegro in Group B1, while Scotland will be paired with Belgium, Israel, and Luxembourg.

The Republic of Ireland is in Group A2, along with the Netherlands, France, and Poland, while Switzerland, Turkey, and Malta are in Group B2.

Beginning on March 3 and finishing on June 9 and finishing on June 16, the qualifiers will be played on a home and away basis during the course of 2026.

The 32-team 2027 World Cup will have 11 places for Uefa.

A play-off for the World Cup is at the very least guaranteed, which is the biggest benefit of being in League A.

The top-tier group’s four respective winners will be automatically able to advance to the Brazilian finals.

In their first-round play-off, England or Ireland would face a League C side if they came in second or third.

In order to qualify for the World Cup, they would face a team that placed fourth in their League A pool or a League B team in the next round.

The bottom four League A teams will face off in the first-round play-off against a team that placed second or third in League B, who will be relegated for the next Nations League.

Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland must avoid finishing in the bottom of their respective groups if they want to advance to the play-offs.

They would not only lose out on a play-off, but they would also be relegated to League C.

On the other hand, if they were to advance to League A and advance to League B, they would also be able to advance to League A in the first-round play-off.

Similar to this scenario, Scotland, Wales, or NI would face a team that placed fourth or fifth in League A or League B and finished second or third in their group.

Seeded opponents are expected to face League A opponents in the second round of the play-offs.