England defeats Spain at Wembley, Germany dominates, Dutch resurgence
England and Germany walked off another qualifying night with perfect records intact, but this round of Women's European Qualifiers was about more than two heavyweights ticking boxes. It was about statement wins, late twists, and the first real bending of the path towards the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.
Wembley belongs to Hemp – and England
Under the Wembley lights, in front of a record European Women's World Cup qualifying crowd of 62,306, England did what few sides manage these days: they outlasted Spain.
They struck early. Ruthlessly early.
With barely three minutes played, Spain failed to clear an Alex Greenwood corner. The ball hung in the six-yard box just long enough for Lauren Hemp to pounce, hooking it goalwards as Alexia Putellas tried desperately to hack clear. The contact was scruffy, the finish decisive. England had the lead and never let it go.
Hemp could have doubled it. Lucy Bronze, all swagger and awareness, back-heeled a return pass into her stride and the forward drilled a shot that cannoned off the post. Those were the margins in a first half that England shaded, yet never truly controlled against the world champions.
Then the second half cracked open.
Olga Carmona rattled the underside of the bar as Spain finally found their rhythm. England responded with their own flurries, stretching the game, forcing Spain to turn. Vicky López clipped the post with a low effort that silenced Wembley for a heartbeat. Late on, substitute Edna Imade seemed destined to level, only for Hannah Hampton to fling herself across goal and claw the ball away.
When the whistle went, England had a 1-0 win, a three-point cushion at the top of Group A3, and a landmark on a night when Keira Walsh collected her 100th cap. Spain, beaten but not broken, now have to chase.
In the group’s other game, Iceland finally got moving. In a tight, nervy contest against Ukraine, Alexandra Jóhannsdóttir’s close-range header early in the second half – after Glodis Viggósdóttir flicked on a trademark long throw from Sveindís Jónsdóttir – proved enough for a 1-0 win. Iceland, beaten by both England and Spain last month, now have a foothold. Ukraine were left to regret a huge first-half chance when Cecilía Rúnarsdóttir denied Roksolana Kravchuk after a loose back-pass.
Denmark’s smash-and-grab and Italy’s statement in Group A1
In Gothenburg, Sweden and Denmark served up a derby that swung on fine details and one ruthless finish deep into added time.
Sweden, missing the injured Kosovare Asllani, reshuffled. Debutant Sofia Reidy came in, and the hosts still found an early spark. After Felicia Schröder had already struck the post, she combined with Häcken team-mate Monica Jusu Bah, who finished in the eighth minute to give Sweden a 1-0 lead.
They almost doubled it when Stina Blackstenius rose to head against the woodwork. Those misses would haunt them.
Denmark steadied. On the half-hour, Cecilie Fløe slipped a neat ball into Pernille Harder, and the captain did what she has done for years – a composed finish for 1-1. Harder’s night ended early with injury in the second half, a blow that might have drained Denmark.
Instead, it opened the door for a different hero.
With the clock ticking into added time, Janni Thomsen burst clear onto a through ball from Fløe and, with the stadium holding its breath, slid in a calm, low finish. A 2-1 comeback win, three points clear of Sweden in Group A1, and a dramatic tilt in the group’s balance.
Italy seized the moment. In Serbia, they dismantled the hosts 6-0 to pull level on points with Sweden and open a three-point gap to fourth place.
Cristiana Girelli’s header from a Manuela Giugliano free-kick on 20 minutes set the tone. Elisabetta Oliviero doubled the advantage with a precise finish inside the far post after a sharp exchange of passes, and just before half-time Martina Lenzini nodded in her first Italy goal from a Giugliano corner.
Serbia never recovered.
After the hour, Arianna Caruso stepped up from distance and drove in a fourth. Late on, substitute Sofia Cantore curled beautifully inside the post, and Giada Greggi completed the rout. Italy left with three points, six goals, and a clear warning to Sweden: the chase for second place in A1 will be unforgiving.
Dutch breakthrough, French stumble, Irish lifeline in Group A2
In Utrecht, a decade of frustration ended. Netherlands finally beat France again, and they did it with a performance that mixed youthful audacity with hardened resolve.
The breakthrough came early and from a new face. Just 11 minutes into her senior debut, 19-year-old Renee van Asten reacted quickest to a Lynn Wilms free-kick, turning the ball in and igniting the home crowd. France, previously perfect in the group, were rattled but not broken.
They hit back early in the second half. Sandy Baltimore whipped in a cross that Daphne van Domselaar could only turn into her own net. An own goal, 1-1, and suddenly the momentum felt blue.
Netherlands refused to retreat.
As France pushed for a second, they overcommitted. Wieke Kaptein launched a rapid counter, Esmee Brugts drove into space and delivered what would stand as the winner. A crisp, decisive finish, a 2-1 victory, and with it top spot in Group A2 by a single point. For Les Bleues, it was a jolt – not fatal, but sharp enough to change the tone of the campaign.
The other match in the group was chaos in the best way.
In Poland, Republic of Ireland finally got off the mark with a 3-2 win that felt as much like a release as a result. Denise O'Sullivan threaded a pass to Marissa Sheva on 12 minutes; Sheva cut inside and beat Kinga Szemik for 1-0. Eight minutes later, Katie McCabe lashed a stunning volley from outside the box after a half-cleared corner. Two chances, two ruthless finishes, 2-0.
Poland refused to fold. Just before half-time, Tanja Pawollek met a Paulina Tomasiak cross from a short corner and headed in to halve the deficit.
Ireland struck again before the hour. Sheva, in inspired form, found the top corner after being picked out by Murphy to make it 3-1. Ewa Pajor’s delicate chip 12 minutes from time dragged Poland back into contention, and when McCabe sent a late penalty over the bar, Irish nerves shredded.
They held on. Three points, third place, and a sense that their campaign has finally started.
Germany ruthless, Norway respond in Group A4
Germany’s message to the rest of Europe is simple: catch us if you can.
After comfortable wins over Slovenia and Norway last month, they tore into Austria 5-1 to stay three points clear at the top of Group A4 and hand their neighbours a third straight defeat.
The pressure was relentless from the start. It broke Austria on 17 minutes when Nicole Anyomi scrambled in from close range. After the break, Vivien Endemann stretched the lead, arriving at the back post to meet a deep cross from Jule Brand.
Germany never loosened their grip.
Brand’s corner in the 68th minute found Sjoeke Nüsken at the near post, and her header made it three. Brand then added a goal of her own, her shot deflecting in after a slick passing move sliced through Austria’s lines.
Austria finally landed a punch of their own. Chiara D'Angelo finished off a rapid counterattack to score the first goal Germany have conceded in this group. Any hope of a late surge vanished quickly. Lea Schüller, on as a substitute for Anyomi, drilled in off the inside of the post to restore the four-goal cushion and seal another emphatic win.
Norway, humiliated 4-0 at home by Germany last month, needed a response. They delivered.
Against Slovenia, Ada Hegerberg marked her 99th cap with two goals in a 5-0 victory that dragged Norway back into the race and pushed Slovenia three points behind them.
Norway peppered the Slovenian goal in the first half but had to wait until added time to break through. Caroline Graham Hansen slipped a devastating ball into Hegerberg, who finished for her 53rd international goal.
Once the dam broke, the goals flowed.
In the 69th minute, Julie Blakstad smashed in a ferocious second after being set up by her Tottenham Hotspur team-mate Signe Gaupset. Graham Hansen took her turn, lashing into the roof of the net for 3-0. Synne Jensen then teed up fellow substitute Karina Sævik to make it four, before Hegerberg added her second to complete the rout.
Germany remain clear. Norway are still in the chase. Slovenia, after a bright start to the campaign, now face an uphill climb.
Shifts in the lower leagues: perfect Switzerland, relentless Portugal, rising Kosovo and Greece
Below League A, the stakes are different but no less fierce. Promotion, relegation and Nations League futures hang on every goal.
In League B, Switzerland stayed perfect in Group B2 with a 3-1 win over Türkiye, pulling three points clear at the top. Northern Ireland kept pace behind them with a 4-0 victory against Malta.
Portugal matched Switzerland’s nine-point haul in Group B3, winning 3-0 in Latvia to stay in full control. Finland edged a lively 4-2 contest against Slovakia in the same section.
Group B1 remains tight. Czechia hammered Montenegro 5-0 while Wales dispatched Albania 4-0. The result: the two sides sit level on points, goal difference and goals scored, locked together in one of the most finely poised mini-battles of the campaign.
In Group B4, Israel thrashed Luxembourg 6-0, but the late drama came in Scotland. Kathleen McGovern struck deep into added time to salvage a 1-1 draw against Belgium, a goal that keeps Scotland ahead of the Red Flames on goal difference.
League C has its own emerging powerhouses.
Kosovo made it three wins from three in Group C2 with a 3-1 success in Bulgaria, while Croatia edged Gibraltar 1-0. Greece stand even taller in Group C4, their 3-2 win in the Faroe Islands taking them nine points clear and firmly in control.
Lithuania seized command of Group C1, beating previously perfect Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 to go top, as Estonia edged Liechtenstein 2-1. In Group C3, Hungary stayed unbeaten at the summit after a 5-0 demolition of North Macedonia, with Azerbaijan winning 3-1 in Andorra to keep the pressure on.
Group C5 saw Moldova and Cyprus cancel each other out in a goalless draw, while Belarus continued their perfect start in Group C6, moving to six points and strengthening their promotion push.
The road to Brazil tightens
The equation is brutally simple at the top: the four League A group winners go straight to Brazil. Everyone else chases the play-offs – 32 nations from across Leagues A, B and C will scrap for seven more direct berths and one ticket to the inter-confederation play-offs in February 2027.
Every late winner, every goal difference swing, every rescued point matters.
With promotion and relegation also shaping the next UEFA Women's Nations League, these qualifiers are doing double duty. They are defining who goes to the World Cup – and who belongs in Europe’s top tier.
The final two sets of June fixtures are next. England and Germany look unshakeable. Netherlands have thrown Group A2 wide open. Denmark have bloodied Sweden’s nose. Italy are coming. Norway are alive again.
The question now is simple: who can still change the story before the road to Brazil narrows for good?
