After today's draw, the opponents of Ukraine's women's national team for the 2027 World Cup qualifiers have been determined. They are England, Spain, and Iceland.

Head coach of Ukraine's women's national team Volodymyr Pyatenko shared his thoughts on the teams that will compete for a spot at the World Cup in Brazil on the official website of the UAF:

— England and Spain met in the final of last year's European Championship. I don't think there is much point in adding anything to the visiting cards of these teams, as they have been setting trends in women's football for a long time now. The progress of Iceland's players is also noteworthy.

— Can we say that Ukraine has landed in a 'group of death'?

— I wouldn't be so categorical, as at this stage there are no weak opponents by default. Strong teams have gathered in other groups too.

— According to the regulations, only group winners advance directly to the World Cup finals. What are our chances?

— Of course, England and Spain will be the main contenders. But rankings don't play a role in football. A lot will depend on how well-prepared the participants are for future battles, whether there will be any injuries, what their psychological state is like... And then it all comes down to performance on the pitch.

Of course, my players will try to demonstrate everything they can in every match, but it would be good if we finished third and then thought about advancing through the playoffs.

— When will our footballers continue preparing for the qualifying matches and have any of your players who couldn't participate in the October training camp already recovered from their injuries?

— We are scheduled to regroup at the end of November. The plan is to play two friendly matches. Opponents will be confirmed later. Four players from the main squad have already returned after participating in another round of the Ukrainian championship. I expect others to recover soon.

European World Cup 2027 Qualifiers

League A

Group 1: Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Serbia.

Group 2: France, Netherlands, Poland, Ireland.

Group 3: Spain, England, Iceland, Ukraine.

Group 4: Germany, Norway, Austria, Slovenia. 

League B

Group 1: Wales, Czech Republic, Albania, Montenegro.

Group 2: Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Turkey, Malta.

Group 3: Portugal, Finland, Slovakia, Latvia.

Group 4: Belgium, Scotland, Israel, Luxembourg.                

League C

Group 1: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein.

Group 2: Croatia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Gibraltar. 

Group 3: Hungary, Azerbaijan, North Macedonia, Andorra.

Group 4: Greece, Faroe Islands, Georgia. 

Group 5: Romania, Cyprus, Moldova. 

Group 6: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia.                  

As a reminder, the FIFA Council has approved that the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil will take place from June 24 to July 25. Of the 32 spots available, 29 direct berths will be distributed as follows:

• Europe — 11;
• Asia — 6;
• Africa — 4;
• CONCACAF — 4;
• Southern America — 3 (Brazil qualifies automatically from this quota);
• Oceania — 1.

The three remaining spots will be determined in a playoff tournament involving ten national teams. It consists of two stages with the following quotas:

• Europe — 1;
• Asia — 2;
• Africa — 2;
• CONCACAF — 2;
• Southern America — 2;
• Oceania — 1.

The first stage of the playoff tournament will take place in October–December 2026, and the second one in February 2027.

European World Cup 2027 Qualifiers

The European qualifiers will be held over three stages. Group stage matches will take place on March 3 and 7, April 14 and 18, June 5 and 9, 2026 in three leagues — A (16 teams), B (16) and C (21).

The starting position of each team in the leagues is determined based on the results of the Nations League-2025. Ukraine will compete in League A.

Teams that win four groups in League A advance directly to the 2027 World Cup.

The remaining spots will be contested in playoff rounds in October–December 2026. In the first round, teams finishing second and third in League A will play against winners of six groups from League C and best runners-up there. Eight winners advance to the second round.

The four lowest-ranked teams in League A and four group winners from League B will face off against second- and third-placed teams in League B respectively. Eight winners advance to the second round.

In the second round, 16 teams meet in eight pairs. Seven best winners qualify for the World Cup, while the eighth one has to participate in a continental playoff.