Scotland Women’s National Team will face Czechia in the first round of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off later this year.
Melissa Andreatta’s side booked their spot in emphatic fashion by topping ‘Group B4’ with an unbeaten group stage campaign and securing promotion back to League A.
Scotland concluded the first stage of qualification earlier this month with resounding 5-1 and 6-0 victories in a double-header against Israel. This followed statement wins over Luxembourg and hard-fought draws against Belgium.
Midfielder Caroline Weir emerged as overall top-scorer in the league stage of qualifying with 10 goals which included three hattricks, edging out Belgium’s Tessa Wallaert and Wales’ Hannah Cain.
If Scotland progress from Round One, we will face either Lithuania or Sweden in the final qualification play-off.
Play-off dates:
Play-off round 1 (2 legs): 7–13 October 2026 Play-off round 2 (2 legs): 26 November–5 December 2026 Inter-confederation play-offs: February 2027
Road to Brazil…
While the four League A winners (Denmark, France, Germany and Spain) qualify directly for the finals in Brazil from 24 June to 25 July 2027, Europe's other seven berths plus a slot in February's inter-confederation play-offs will be settled by ties in October and November/December.
Round 1
Round 1 of the play-offs is in two paths.
Path 1
The teams finishing second and third in League A groups will play the six group winners and two best-ranked runners-up in League C.
The teams from League A will be seeded and play the second legs at home. The eight winners progress to round 2.
Path 2
The four fourth-placed League A teams and four League B group winners will be drawn into eight ties against the teams finishing second and third in the League B groups.
The teams from League A and the League B group winners will be seeded and play the second legs at home. The eight winners progress to round 2.
Round 2
In round 2, the teams from both paths come together and will be drawn into eight ties, with seeding for the round 1 path 1 winners, who will be at home in the second leg.
The seven best-ranked round 2 play-off winners according to the 2026 Women’s European Qualifiers overall league rankings qualify directly for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. The one remaining round 2 play-off winner qualifies for the World Cup inter-confederation play-offs. The European contenders will directly enter the inter-confederation play-offs in the second phase in February 2027.
