England Women Face Greece In World Cup Playoff With Slovakia Or Ukraine Looming

England are drawn against Greece in the first round of qualification play-offs for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The Lionesses must come through two home-and-away ties, with the winner of England’s path then meeting either Slovakia or Ukraine.

Both play-off rounds are contested over two legs, with fixtures scheduled across October, November and December. Sarina Wiegman’s side will travel to Greece first before hosting the return match in England, as the European champions attempt to secure another global tournament place.

England enter the Women’s World Cup play-offs after missing out on automatic qualification from a group that also contained Spain. A 4-0 defeat against the reigning world champions in Majorca earlier this month proved

costly, despite England winning the other five group matches.

We have drawn Greece in the #FIFAWWC play-off draw We will play them across two legs in October. Click below for more infoLionesses (@Lionesses) June 18, 2026

That group campaign also featured Ukraine, who England defeated 6-1 and 3-0. If Ukraine overcome Slovakia in their first play-off round tie, England could face a familiar opponent again, adding extra intrigue to the route towards the Women’s World Cup play-offs success.

The Women’s World Cup play-offs draw also set several other European ties. Sweden will meet Lithuania, Norway are matched with Romania, and the Netherlands will play Hungary. Italy face Belarus, while Portugal have been drawn against Northern Ireland in another two-legged contest.

These Women’s World Cup play-offs confirm a demanding schedule for England and the other European contenders. With only two-legged ties deciding qualification, every away goal and defensive display could prove vital as teams chase places at the 2027 tournament in Brazil.