England have lost just once this year but have still not qualified for the 2027 Women's World Cup. The ease with which England saw off Greece in round one of the Women's World Cup qualifying play-offs highlighted the inefficiencies in the current structure. The two-time European champions dominated the match, winning 8-1 on aggregate against a Greece side ranked 55 places lower in the world. Realistically, Greece stood little chance in a two-legged tie against Sarina Wiegman's side, despite a commendable performance in their home 3-1 defeat.

Context of the Play-offs

England's resounding victory was not an isolated incident; other top European nations forced into the play-offs also faced lower-ranked opposition and won convincingly. This situation does not accurately reflect the growth of European women's football, which has become increasingly competitive in recent years. However, it raises questions about whether the qualification process needs to be reviewed by Uefa.

Qualification Challenges

One of the main issues contributing to the results was that only one team from the league phase groups received automatic qualification. For instance, the Netherlands, 2017 European champions, finished second in their group behind France, ranked sixth in the world, and went on to beat Hungary 11-0 on aggregate. Similarly, Norway, World Cup winners in 1995, lost out to giants Germany in their group but managed to defeat Romania 8-0.

Other notable results included:

  • Sweden defeating their opponents 15-0.
  • Republic of Ireland thrashing their opponents 12-0.

Given these outcomes, it was no surprise that back-to-back European champions England, drawn in the same group as world champions Spain, recorded another heavy victory against much weaker opposition from League C in their play-off.

England's Manager Speaks Out

"Of course we wanted to qualify straight away, that's not the case," said England manager Wiegman when asked about the qualification process. "For us now, the facts are that we are in the play-offs, we have played Greece, now we're through, and now we're going to play Ukraine. That's what my focus is on."

Wiegman added, "Uefa will review how things are set up and see whether they think it works or it should be better, or different. I don't think it's my place now to review that."