UEFA Women’s EURO qualifying is in progress with a record 47 teams competing for 15 places alongside hosts England in the finals from 6 to 31 July 2022.
Group A: Netherlands (holders), Russia, Slovenia, Kosovo, Estonia, Turkey
- The Netherlands have six wins out of six. Russia’s 5-0 March win against competition debutants Kosovo closed the gap on the holders to nine points, with two games in hand. Slovenia’s 3-0 win at Kosovo the following week moved them level with Russia, though having played two games more, with Kosovo three points back.
Group B: Italy, Denmark, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Malta, Georgia
- Italy have a maximum 18 points and Denmark have five wins out of five after both kept up perfect starts in November. Bosnia and Herzegovina, beaten by the leading pair in October, are level with Denmark (though having played two games more) following March wins against Israel and Malta. A few days before their loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malta scored a first-ever top-level qualifying win, 2-1 against Georgia.
Group C: Norway, Wales, Belarus, Northern Ireland, Faroe Islands
- Norway have four wins out of four, and in their 6-0 victory against Northern Ireland in front of a home qualifying record crowd of 6,709, Caroline Graham Hansen got two to take her qualifying tally to a competition-leading ten goals, one ahead of the Netherlands’ Sherida Spitse. Wales are four points behind after being held to a draw for the second time in the group by Northern Ireland.
Group D: Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Moldova, Azerbaijan
- Poland were the last team to open qualifying on 12 November and showed their intent in front of a record 7,528 crowd in Lublin with a 0-0 draw against a Spain side that had won their previous 22 qualifiers including their first two games in this group. Among those was a 5-1 victory in the Czech Republic, who are one point off the lead following a 4-0 defeat of Azerbaijan. Poland beat Moldova and Azerbaijan in March to move level with Spain and a point ahead of the Czech Republic. Moldova got their first point in November with a 3-1 defeat of Azerbaijan courtesy of two penalties by goalkeeper Natalia Munteanu.
Group E: Finland, Scotland, Portugal, Albania, Cyprus
- Before the last game in the group of 2019, three teams were still perfect, but just one remain after Portugal drew 1-1 with Finland, who levelled in added time through Sällström. Finland have ten points from four games but Scotland have won both their matches, leaving them two points ahead of Portugal.
Group F: Sweden, Iceland, Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia
- Sweden and Iceland both have a maximum nine points from three games. Behind them both Hungary and Slovakia have lost to the leading pair, drawn 0-0 with each other in Senec and beaten Latvia to each have four points.
Group G: Austria, Serbia, France, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan
- Austria have four wins out of four after beating North Macedonia and Kazakhstan while France have two perfect victories, Amel Majri’s hat-trick helping them win 6-0 against Serbia (whose March win against North Macedonia actually moved them three points ahead of Les Bleues, who have three games in hand). Neither Austria nor France have conceded a goal.
Group H: Belgium, Switzerland, Romania, Croatia, Lithuania
- Belgium and Switzerland both have four perfect wins, lifting them nine points clear of Romania (who have a game in hand) and Croatia.
Group I: Republic of Ireland, Germany Greece, Montenegro, Ukraine
- Germany are on four wins out of four but are a point behind the Republic of Ireland, who beat Greece and Montenegro in March. However, Germany have a game in hand. Both Montenegro and Ukraine (who have faced Germany twice) are yet to get off the mark, with Greece on four points.
How qualifying works
- The group winners and the three runners-up with the best record against the sides first, third, fourth and fifth in their sections will join hosts England in the final tournament.
- The other six runners-up will play off in April for the remaining three berths in the 16-team finals.
Calendar
Remaining qualifying games: 16–22 September, 21–27 October, 26 November–1 December 2020
Play-off draw: tbc
Play-offs: April 2021
Finals draw: tbc, England
Finals: 6–31 July 2022, England
The lowdown
- The Netherlands are defending champions and reached their first FIFA Women’s World Cup final in 2019.
- World Cup semi-finalists Sweden and England (as Great Britain) will join the Netherlands at the 2020 Olympic tournament in Japan.
- France, Germany, Italy and Norway reached the World Cup quarter-finals, Spain went out in the last 16 and Scotland, on debut, fell in the group stage.
- Denmark were EURO 2017 runners-up while Austria and England also made the semis.
- Germany won every EURO from 1995 until 2017, when they fell to Denmark in the last eight, a run of six straight victories.
- Germany have won eight titles and Norway two, while Sweden and the Netherlands have one each.
- Cyprus are making their senior competitive debut while Kosovo are also in their first Women’s EURO.
- France and Austria were in the same group at UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 and both made it through.
- Finland coach Anna Signeul was in charge of Scotland when they made their finals debut in 2017.
- Norway qualified ahead of Wales for the 2017 finals.
- Portugal pipped Finland to the 2017 play-offs on their way to a debut finals.Switzerland beat Belgium on away goals in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup play-offs before losing to the Netherlands.
