2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil: dates, hosts and how qualifying works
September 29, 2026 13:02
The 2027 Women's World Cup will be staged in Brazil from 24 June to 25 July. It is the tournament's 10th edition and will be the final Women’s World Cup played with 32 teams before the competition expands to 48 teams in 2031. Spain are the current holders after winning the 2023 final.
HOST CITIES AND STADIUMS
FIFA confirmed in May 2025 that matches will be held in eight Brazilian cities: Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Sao Paulo. All eight venues were previously used for the men's 2014 World Cup. The Maracana in Rio de Janeiro is the largest selected stadium, with a listed capacity of 78,838; it hosted the 1950 and 2014 men's World Cup finals and the women's Olympic final in 2016.
HOW QUALIFYING WORKED IN EUROPE
The first phase of European qualifying ran between March and June 2026. UEFA used a structure aligned with the 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League: 53 nations were split into Leagues A, B and C (16 teams each in Leagues A and B; 21 in League C). The four League A group winners earned direct qualification: Denmark, France, Spain and Germany. Other teams from Leagues A, B and C moved into UEFA play-offs, with England and the Republic of Ireland among those dropping into the play-off path.
UEFA PLAY-OFF FORMAT (OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2026)
UEFA's play-offs take place across two rounds from October to December 2026. In round one, 32 teams are split into two paths:
- Path 1: second- and third-placed teams from League A faced sides that reached the play-offs from League C in two-legged ties in October; winners advanced to round two.
- Path 2: bottom-placed League A sides and top League B winners played the second- and third-placed League B teams in two-legged ties in October; winners also progressed to round two.
Winners of the second-round ties, held in November and December, qualify for the World Cup. Additionally, a nation that does not qualify directly will earn a place in the inter-confederation play-offs for a final chance to reach the tournament.
INTER-CONFEDERATION PLAY-OFFS
A total of 10 teams will enter the inter-confederation play-offs. Seven nations currently guaranteed to be in that tournament are Uzbekistan, Chinese Taipei, Ghana, South Africa, Venezuela, Ecuador and Papua New Guinea. Host nation Brazil automatically occupies a tournament place as hosts.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The remaining qualifying and play-off matches are scheduled across October–December 2026, determining the full 32-team line-up for Brazil 2027.