Scotland discover path to World Cup 2027 - here's how they can qualify for the tournament
Scotland Women have been placed in World Cup 2027 qualification Group B4. Here’s when the games will take place.
Scotland Women have been given a favourable path to the World Cup in 2027 as they look to end an eight-year wait to qualify for a major tournament under new head coach Melissa Andreatta.
Losing 2-0 on aggregate to Finland in the European Championship playoffs last December, the women’s national team opted to sack manager Pedro Martinez Losa after a second successive failure to qualify for a major tournament left Scotland still waiting for their first major tournament appearance since the World Cup back in 2019.
Installed as Martinez Losa’s replacement in April, early performances under their new head coach have been praised, with the former Australia assistant boss leading Scotland to a win over Morocco, alongside a commendable draw against the Netherlands in the Nations League, in between defeats to both Austria and Switzerland.
However, with the aim now to secure qualification for the next World Cup, they have now discovered what their first route to the tournament will be after the draw for the qualifiers was made on Tuesday afternoon. Currently ranked 25th in the FIFA Women’s rankings, Scotland has been drawn in Group B4 alongside Belgium, Israel, and Luxembourg.
While Belgium are ranked higher by a narrow margin in 20th, they are unbeaten in their last two games against Scotland will be huge favourites against both Israel and Luxembourg, who are ranked in 68th and 110th respectively.
How do the Women’s World Cup qualifiers work?
Scotland’s qualification for the World Cup 2027 largely depends on where they finish in Group B4. These qualifiers also double up as the 2027–29 Nations League league phase.
If they finish in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in the group, they will qualify for the qualification playoff stage. However, they will be seeded depending on where they finish in the group. If they finish 4th (bottom), they will be eliminated.
Should they win the group, they’ll head into the playoff stage as a seeded team, but they will be unseeded if they end the group in 2nd or 3rd place. Depending if they are seeded or unseeded, this will determine who they will face in the Round One playoff, which will be contested over two legs, both home and away.
Should Scotland win that playoff, they will head into a final qualification playoff, with a home and away leg. Scotland will not be seeded for this stage. Should Scotland win the Round 2 playoff, they will then be ranked by UEFA alongside the other eight Round 2 winners based on performance. If they finish in the top seven, they will qualify for the Women’s World Cup 2027.
Should they finish in 8th, though, they will enter a further playoff known as the FIFA Inter-Confederation playoffs, which will pit them against one of UEFA's representatives in a global play-off tournament, set to be held in New Zealand.
When will Scotland Women play next?
Scotland Women are scheduled to begin their qualification campaign between the weeks of 26 February–7 March, 9–18 April, and 3–9 June 2026, though the official date for each fixture is yet to be confirmed.
When is the Women’s World Cup 2027, and where is it taking place?
The Women's World Cup 2027 will take place from June 24 to July 25, 2027, in Brazil. This marks the first time the tournament is hosted in South America, with matches across eight venues, all of which previously hosted games at the 2014 FIFA Men's World Cup. Brazil qualified automatically as the host nation.
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