Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses discover World Cup play-off opponents

FootballSports
18 Jun 2026 • 8:57 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses discover World Cup play-off opponents

  • England's Lionesses will commence their Women's World Cup 2027 qualification play-off journey against Greece in October, needing to win two rounds of home and away ties to secure a spot in the finals in Brazil.
  • If Sarina Wiegman’s team overcomes Greece, they will then play the winner of the match between Slovakia and Ukraine, with England, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales all scheduled to host their second-leg matches.
  • England headed into the play-offs after finishing second in their qualifying group, despite winning five of their six games, as reigning champions Spain claimed the automatic qualification position.
  • Other home nations also discovered their first-round opponents: the Republic of Ireland will face Kazakhstan, Wales is set to play Albania, Scotland will take on the Czech Republic, and Northern Ireland has been drawn against Portugal.
  • The first round of play-offs is slated for October, with the second round following in November and December, where seven of the eight remaining UEFA places for the World Cup will be decided through these fixtures.

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