England's road to the 2027 World Cup: Key dates for Lionesses, qualifying, venues, rankings and more
Published 30/07/2025 at 10:07 GMT+1
England are European champions once again. And once the celebrations are over, all eyes will surely be on the one title that has evaded the Lionesses so far - the World Cup. The 2027 tournament is set to be an historic one, with Brazil playing host for the first time in the history of the competition. So just how will Sarina Wiegman's side get there? TNT Sports has compiled the road map.
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After securing back-to-back European titles, the momentum is surely all with the Lionesses to secure the one title that has so far proved elusive - the World Cup.
They came very close to capturing a global crown two years ago - falling to a 1-0 defeat against Spain in Sydney - a painful reverse that they avenged in Sunday's Euro 2025 final, after a thrilling penalty shoot-out in Basel.
While the celebrations following that victory rightly continue, attention will eventually turn to the 2027 World Cup, which looks set to be yet another groundbreaking tournament.
TNT Sports has laid out the Lionesses' road map to reach Brazil.
When are Women's World Cup qualifiers? How do they work?
As is standard procedure for any World Cup qualification campaign, each confederation hosts its own format to decide which teams qualify within its allocated number of slots at the main tournament.
Of the 32 teams competing at the 2027 World Cup, 11 European nations will directly qualify for the tournament, while one other will contest a play-off against a country from another confederation.
England's World Cup qualifying campaign will begin in February 2026 and continue through to December 2026.
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UEFA nations will be divided into three leagues (A, B and C) based on their rankings in the UEFA Nations League.
There are four groups within each league, and each of the League A group winners will automatically qualify for the World Cup. The remaining seven spots will be decided via play-offs between European teams.
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When is the Women's World Cup qualifying draw?
England will learn their opponents for the World Cup qualifying campaign on November 4. The procedure and format for the draw has yet to be announced.
When and where is the 2027 World Cup?
For the first time in the history of the Women's World Cup, Brazil will be the host country.
Just as it did with the men's version in 2014, the nation famed for its effervescent football is surely guaranteed to deliver another tournament with good vibes in plentiful supply.
The tenth edition of the women's competition will kick off on June 24, 2027, and run through to July 25, 2027.
FIFA announced eight host cities for the tournament, and the respective stadia in which they will host matches.
- Belo Horizonte – Estadio Mineirao
- Brasilia – Estadio Nacional
- Fortaleza – Arena Castelao
- Porto Alegre – Estadio Beira-Rio
- Recife – Arena de Pernambuco
- Rio de Janeiro – Estadio do Maracana
- Salvador – Arena Fonte Nova
- Sao Paulo – Arena Itaquera
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Where are England in the world rankings?
Before their triumphant Euros campaign in Switzerland, England were ranked fifth in the world - one spot below 2027 hosts Brazil. The United States, Spain and Germany occupy the top three.
But following their latest success, Sarina Wiegman's side look set to jump up FIFA's rankings, which are due to be updated again on August 9.
Which teams have won the most Women's World Cup titles?
The United States have won the Women's World Cup a record four times, out of the nine tournaments which have taken place.
Germany's two titles see them as the competition's second most successful nation, while Japan, Norway and Spain have each won it once.
Might the iconic trophy have a new inscription come July 2027? Could it be England's time?
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