Women’s World Cup qualifying draw: England paired with Spain as Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland learn opponents

England were drawn with Spain in the 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifying group.

Spain beat the Lionesses in the 2023 World Cup final, but England took revenge by beating the world champions in the Euro 2025 final in July to retain their European title.

Iceland and Ukraine were also in Group A3 alongside Sarina Wiegman.

The World Cup qualifiers, which will be held in Brazil, follow the same format as the Nations League and are divided into three stages.

In League A, only the four group winners automatically qualify for the finals, while the remaining teams must qualify for the play-offs for the remaining eight places.

Scotland will face Belgium, Israel and Luxembourg in Group B4, while Wales will face the Czech Republic, Albania and Montenegro in Group B1.

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

Qualifying matches will be played on six match days, home and away, throughout 2026, starting on March 3 and ending on June 9.

UEFA has been allocated 11 places for the 32-team 2027 World Cup.

Another European team could also qualify for FIFA’s intercontinental play-offs.