England will face Greece in the first round of the European playoffs for the 2027 Women's World Cup, with matches scheduled over two legs between October 7 and 13. The Lionesses, who finished second in their qualifying group behind holders Spain, will need to win two playoff rounds to secure a place in next year's tournament in Brazil.

After overcoming Greece, England is set to play the winner of the Slovakia versus Ukraine tie in the second round, which will take place between November 26 and December 5. England will have the advantage of hosting the second leg in both rounds. The team qualified for the playoffs despite earning 15 points from 18 in their group, trailing Spain only because of their head-to-head record. Notably, England defeated Spain 1-0 at Wembley in April but lost 4-0 in the reverse fixture in Mallorca in June.

England manager Sarina Wiegman expressed cautious optimism about the draw, emphasizing preparation and readiness for the upcoming matches. England is favored to progress given their recent 3-0 victory over Ukraine in qualifying and the relative ranking of their playoff opponents.

The expanded playoff format marks a significant change from previous tournaments. Europe, which had nine automatic qualifying spots for the last World Cup, now has only four, increasing the number of teams navigating the playoffs.

Other home nations face challenging paths to qualification. Scotland, unseeded this time, drew the Czech Republic in the first round and would likely face Sweden—who have been semifinalists in three of the last four World Cups—in the second round. Scotland’s only previous World Cup appearance came in 2019.

Wales, aiming for their first-ever World Cup, will meet Albania initially, with a potential second-round matchup against either Romania or Norway. Northern Ireland is set to face Portugal in the first round and could then encounter Iceland, a strong team from League A.

The Republic of Ireland, who achieved a notable victory over the Netherlands during qualifying and are also seeking back-to-back World Cup appearances, will begin their campaign against Kazakhstan, with a possible follow-up match against Belgium or Poland.

Compared to England, who avoided several higher-ranked teams such as Belgium, Switzerland, and Scotland, the draws for other teams have been more demanding. Wales may have the added challenge of facing former manager Gemma Grainger, now with Norway.

The playoffs represent a critical hurdle for many European teams as they seek to join an expanded World Cup field in Brazil next year, underscoring the increased competition following the revised qualification process.