England must navigate two rounds of home and away play-offs to reach the Women's World Cup in Brazil. Sarina Wiegman's side face Greece in Crete in round one, with the first leg on Friday, 9 October at 17:30 BST and the second leg at King Power Stadium in Leicester on Tuesday, 13 October at 19:30 BST. BBC Radio 5 Live will cover both matches. If England progress, they could meet the winners of Slovakia v Ukraine, with fixtures between 26 November and 5 December 2026.
Wiegman recently omitted Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly from her squad, citing that they had not been playing to full potential. She remains confident in the players and believes they took the feedback well.
Elsewhere, Northern Ireland face Portugal in a challenging round-one tie, while Scotland hope to reach their second World Cup after a 2019 appearance. Wales, under Rhian Wilkinson, must overcome their record against top-20 nations, having previously beaten play-off opponents Albania 4-0. The Republic of Ireland face a tough route, including a 3,100-mile trip to Kazakhstan and a potential round-two clash with Belgium.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing