England Women Face World Cup Play-offs After Spain Defeat
6 verified3 unconfirmed
England’s women’s football team will have to navigate the play-offs to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup after finishing second in their qualifying group despite winning five of their six matches. The Lionesses ended their group campaign with a 3-0 victory over Ukraine on Tuesday night, but Spain’s 6-1 win over Iceland secured Spain’s automatic qualification as group winners. Spain topped League A3 due to a superior head-to-head record against England, having beaten them 4-0 in Mallorca after losing 1-0 at Wembley. England and Spain both finished on 15 points, but the head-to-head tiebreaker favoured Spain. Manager Sarina Wiegman expressed disappointment at missing out with such a high points tally, calling it “tough” but said the team will prepare for the play-offs. The play-offs consist of two rounds of home-and-away ties against European opposition, with draws scheduled for 18 June. England players including Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway, and Beth Mead also voiced frustration at being drawn in a group with the world and European champions, calling it the “toughest group.”
What’s verified
England finished second in League A3 with 15 points from six matches, behind Spain on head-to-head record.
Spain beat England 4-0 in Mallorca; England beat Spain 1-0 at Wembley.
England beat Ukraine 3-0 in their final group game.
Spain defeated Iceland 6-1 in the other group match on the same night.
The Lionesses must now go through two rounds of home-and-away play-off ties to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
Sarina Wiegman and several players questioned how 15 points were not enough to automatically qualify.
Not yet confirmed
One source provided a list of potential play-off opponents, including Lithuania, Kosovo, Hungary, Greece, Romania, Belarus, Croatia, and Kazakhstan.
One source reported defender Niamh Charles saying, “Spain are an incredible side. … We were unlucky to miss out.”
One source included player performance analysis, such as praise for midfielder Laura Blindkilde Brown.
Key figures
Sarina Wiegman – England manager
Alessia Russo – England striker
Georgia Stanway – England midfielder
Beth Mead – England forward
Niamh Charles – England defender
Jess Carter – England midfielder (scored against Ukraine)
Ella Toone – England midfielder
Lucia Kendall – England midfielder
Laura Blindkilde Brown – England midfielder
Sources: BBC News, Sky Sports
