Today we found out the groups for the Women’s World Cup European qualification, which will take place across the March, April, and June international windows for 2026. So what happened?
League A’s first group features Sweden, Italy, Denmark, and Serbia. Sweden’s women are a force to be reckoned with. With speedy strikers and a solid defence, they are a strong side to come up against. They hold the record for the most World Cup bronze medals (four times), but will definitely be pushing for more in qualification for 2027. Italy had a record-breaking Euros, making it to the semi-finals in 2025, which is the furthest they’ve made it in a major competition since 1997. Will they carry on their momentum into World Cup qualification? Denmark had a disappointing Euros in 2025 compared to their previous major competitions; they finished bottom of their group and didn’t get any points on the board. But could this be the shock they need to succeed in 2027? This is Serbia’s debut appearance in League A of the Nations League (used for qualification); they’ve got something to prove, but will it be a struggle in a group of leading sides?
Group A2 is Constancy Sports’ group of death, featuring France, the Netherlands, Poland, and the Republic of Ireland. France ranks highly in the world and poses a challenge for all the top teams they face. Since the late 1990s, France has consistently performed well, and they always put up a strong defence for whoever they play. The Netherlands are a strong team with both young talent and veteran players. They have lots of experience at the top level, winning the 2017 Euros and reaching the 2019 Women’s World Cup final. Poland women played in their first-ever major competition this year with the 2025 Women’s Euros. They were the underdogs of their group, losing to Sweden and Germany, but were able to beat Denmark in a tight match. The Republic of Ireland featured in their first-ever major tournament at the previous World Cup (2023), appearing in the group of death. They struggled but left their mark on the competition, scoring on Olympic gold medalists Canada and getting their first World Cup points in a 0-0 draw with Nigeria.
Group A3 had the one thing most Lionesses fans were dreading as England was paired with Spain in their group. Along with these two teams, they were pulled Iceland and Ukraine. Spain is a strong team, being the reigning World Cup champions (2023) and runners-up for the most recent Euros (2025); they are a force to reckon with. England are back-to-back Euros winners under magical manager Sarina Wiegman, but the one trophy both the nation and manager haven’t won is the World Cup. Will they be able to do it this time around? Iceland competed in the Euros but finished bottom of the group. They could come back stronger and prove they can compete in the top major competitions. This will be Ukraine’s debut campaign in the Nations League, but will they be able to make an issue for the other teams in their group? Ultimately, with two recent European finalists and two highly motivated opponents fighting for a single automatic spot, Group A3 is shaping up to be an intensely dramatic qualifying campaign.
Finally, we’ve got Group A4, comprising Germany, Norway, Austria, and Slovenia. Germany are the original winners. Winning the Euros 8 times and the World Cup twice, they’ve got lots of silverware in their cabinet and are hungry for more. They’ll be the team people place their bets on to win this group, but will they live up to the expectations? Norway are former European, World, and Olympic champions, and thus have one of the most successful histories, but in recent years have struggled. In recent major competitions, they have suffered large defeats and been knocked out early, but could this be their comeback campaign? Austria are a successful team in Europe but struggle to transfer this over to the world stage. They’ve had success in the 2017 Euros, making it to the semi-finals of their first-ever major tournament, along with the 2022 competition, where they made the quarter-finals. But while they can compete in the Euros, they haven’t qualified for a World Cup yet, so could this be their year to show their talent on the world stage? Slovenia was founded in 1992, so they are playing catch-up with the rest of the teams. Their best result was making it to the play-offs for the 2009 European Championship. Could they stand in the way of the big teams in their group?
League B stands as:
B1:
- Wales
- Czechia
- Albania
- Montenegro
B2:
- Switzerland
- Northern Ireland
- Turkey
- Malta
B3:
- Portugal
- Finland
- Slovakia
- Latvia
B4:
- Belgium
- Scotland
- Israel
- Luxembourg
League C stands as:
C1:
- Bosnia
- Estonia
- Lithuania
- Lichtenstein
C2:
- Croatia
- Kosovo
- Bulgaria
- Gibraltar
C3:
- Hungary
- Azerbaijan
- North macedonia
- Andora
C4:
- Greece
- Faroe Islands
- Georgia
C5:
- Romania
- Cyprus
- Moldova
C6:
- Belarus
- Kazakhstan
- Armenia