In the European qualifiers for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™, England and Germany look to have the best chances of qualifying for the global showpiece, having both secured three victories from three matches. However, the outcome of all four League A groups still hangs firmly in the balance.
Mathematically speaking, no team can guarantee a World Cup place by the end of Matchday 4, but this weekend’s results may yet prove pivotal. Only the group winners in League A will directly qualify for the Women’s World Cup finals in the first phase of qualification, with a further seven spots to be decided in the play-offs in autumn.
Denmark may still be dealing with the disappointment of their men’s team missing out on a place at the World Cup, but the country’s women are well positioned to reach the global finals in 2027. Their recent hard-fought win over Sweden provided encouraging insights for the Danish setup.
Rising star Cecilie Floe was involved in most of Denmark’s dangerous attacking moves, setting up the equaliser and initiating the late winning goal. The 24-year-old, who plays her club football at Napoli, combines a robust physical presence with exceptional speed.
During the winter break, interest from the Frauen-Bundesliga fuelled speculation that Floe could become the most expensive Danish player of all time. But for now, her focus will be firmly fixed on scoring her first international goal, with a chance to do so against Italy this coming weekend.
Matches on Saturday
Denmark v Italy (15:00 CET)
Sweden v Serbia (16:00 CET)
The Netherlands, along with Denmark, England and Germany, are one of four sides to remain unbeaten in League A, having made a strong statement with their recent win over France. A series of notable absences from their squad left fans of the Oranjeleeuwinnen with a sense of unease ahead of the match.
“Many had written us off, but not us,” said Lineth Beerensteyn following her first match as team captain.
Coach Arjan Veurink added: “The fact we achieved this with such a young team makes me incredibly proud. If I had to grade this evening, it would be a perfect 10 out of 10.”
On Saturday, his team will be looking to consolidate their performance in the return fixture, with France eager to exact their revenge, having been statistically superior in almost every aspect on Tuesday. “We had over 70-per-cent possession and two clear-cut chances. We have to be more efficient,” noted frustrated coach Laurent Bonadei ahead of the clash in Auxerre.
Matches on Saturday
Republic of Ireland v Poland (16:00 CET)
France v Netherlands (21:10 CET)
Group A3
One match-up that drew more anticipation than any other in this qualifying stage was the showdown between England and Spain, which took place on Tuesday at Wembley Stadium. At the end of an entertaining encounter, it was the Lionesses who walked away smiling.
“I am very satisfied,” said England coach Sarina Wiegman in her post-match assessment. In a match that was limited to a single goal thanks to outstanding performances from both goalkeepers, her team proved that they can pose a threat to world champions Spain at any time. As a result, England now head out to Reykjavik in good spirits, ready to take on the 500th international match in the history of the English women’s team.
Wiegman’s Spanish counterpart Sonia Bermudez is far from wallowing in defeat after the result in London, though.
“Losing is part of the game, and we have a lot of energy,” she said. “Now we need to beat Ukraine and take three points against England in the return match in Mallorca so we can progress as group winners.”
Matches on Saturday
Spain v Ukraine (16:00 CET)
Iceland v England (18:30 CET)
Group A4
Germany and Norway racked up convincing home wins on Tuesday against Austria and Slovenia respectively. They are now set to face the same opponents again – but this time away from home.
Given Germany’s scoring prowess so far in the qualifiers – averaging 4.6 goals per match – Norway will need an almost perfect run in the second half of the group stage if they hope to take the top spot, but they have been gaining momentum in this regard.
“We have been working intensely on becoming more dangerous in front of goal than we were against Austria and Germany,” noted winger Caroline Graham Hansen after her nation’s 5-0 win over Slovenia.
That seemed to shine through in Tuesday’s match, though not without causing some concern for head coach Gemma Grainger. “No, no, no,” shouted the coach as Julie Blakstads struck from an awkward position to make it 2-0. “Just as well that it went in,” the goalscorer later remarked, “otherwise I would have heard about it.”
Matches on Saturday
Slovenia v Norway (17:00 CET)
Austria v Germany (18:00 CET)
