Women’s European qualifying play-offs: how things stand in the first round | Women’s European Qualifier

The Women’s European Qualifying knockout phase will see 28 teams compete in two rounds of two-legged knockout matches for the last seven places in the Women’s EURO 2025 final, which will take place in Switzerland from 2 to 27 July next year.

The first round began on Friday with the first matches. Austria, the Czech Republic, Norway, Portugal, Ireland and Sweden opened up significant leads with away victories, while Poland came from behind to claim a 2-1 win in Romania with Eva Pajor’s 89th-minute penalty marking her 60th goal for the national team. Finland and Scotland won away with a score of 1:0.

Greece showed steel by beating Belgium 0-0, as Serbia equalized in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland equalized in stoppage time in Croatia (who led for 87 minutes), and there was a draw between Turkey and Ukraine. Slovakia withstood a late comeback from Wales to win 2-1 in their only home game of the first leg. Return on Tuesday.

The second round, which has already been drawn, will be played from November 27 to December 3, with dates to be confirmed once ties have been decided. The seven second-round winners will join hosts Switzerland and direct qualifiers Denmark, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain in the finals draw on December 16 in Lausanne.

Draws in playoffs

All knockouts in Central European Time

Round 1

First matches: Friday, October 25.

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Serbia 2:2
Azerbaijan – Portugal 1:4
Albania – Norway 0:5
Montenegro – Finland 0:1
Türkiye – Ukraine 1-1
Slovakia 2-1 Wales
Romania – Poland 1:2
Greece – Belgium 0:0
Georgia – Ireland 0:6
Slovenia – Austria 0:3
Hungary – Scotland 0:1
Croatia 1-1 Northern Ireland
Luxembourg – Sweden 0:4
Belarus – Czech Republic 1-8

Return matches: Tuesday, October 29.

Czech Republic vs Belarus (15:00, first match: 1-8)
Ukraine vs Turkey (17:00, first match: 1-1)
Finland vs Montenegro (17:30, first match: 1-0)
Poland vs Romania (18:00, first match: 2-1)
Austria vs Slovenia (18:00, first match: 3-0)
Sweden vs Luxembourg (19:00, first match: 4-0)
Norway vs Albania (19:00, first match: 5-0)
Serbia vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (19:00, first match: 2-2)
Northern Ireland vs Croatia (20:00, first match: 1-1)
Belgium vs Greece (20:15, first match: 0-0)
Wales vs Slovakia (20:15, first match: 1-2)
Ireland vs Georgia (20:30, first match: 6-0)
Scotland vs Hungary (20:35 first match: 1-0)
Portugal vs Azerbaijan (20:45, first match: 4-1)

Round 2

Azerbaijan/Portugal vs Belarus/Czech Republic
Hungary/Scotland vs Montenegro/Finland
Türkiye/Ukraine vs Greece/Belgium
Slovakia/Wales vs Georgia/Ireland
Romania/Poland vs Slovenia/Austria
Croatia/Northern Ireland vs Albania/Norway
Bosnia and Herzegovina/Serbia vs Luxembourg/Sweden

The two-legged matches took place from November 27 to December 3.

Team leadership

• Norway (1987 and 1993) and Sweden (1984) are former winners. No team has failed to qualify since the introduction of the group stage in 1997.
• In 2022, Sweden was a semi-finalist, with Austria and Belgium in the last eight. Finland, Northern Ireland, Norway and Portugal also played in England.
• Scotland (2017) and Ukraine (2009) also qualified.
• The Republic of Ireland competed in the 2023 Women’s World Cup but never qualified for the Women’s EURO (meaning one of Slovakia, Wales, Georgia or Ireland is sure to make their debut in Switzerland).
• The Czech Republic and Ukraine missed out on the 2022 playoffs. Other contenders for the Women’s EURO knockout stages this time round who have yet to make their final debut are Romania (2017), Ireland (2009) and Slovenia (2009). Hungary reached the two-legged quarter-finals in 1991 (with four teams competing in the final tournament).

Which first round draw is which way?

The first round of the playoffs is divided into two stages.

Path 1

In Path 1, the third and fourth placed teams in League A play the five group winners and the top three runners-up in League C.

This path provided the seven seeds for the second round draw, with draws involving the seven highest ranked teams based on results Overall ranking of European qualifying leagues.

Romania vs Poland
Greece vs Belgium
Montenegro vs Finland
Georgia v Republic of Ireland
Slovenia vs Austria
Luxembourg vs Sweden
Belarus vs Czech Republic
Albania vs Norway

Path 2

Path 2 features the top three teams from each group of League B. With Switzerland finishing as League B winners, the fourth-ranked League B team (Azerbaijan) completed the Path 2 1st round playoff lineup, and the draw seeding for the six matches was adjusted accordingly.

Three group winners (except Switzerland) and three best in rating The B League runners-up were drawn against the remaining play-off contenders from League B in six matches.

Türkiye vs Ukraine
Croatia vs Northern Ireland
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Serbia
Azerbaijan vs Portugal
Hungary vs Scotland
Slovakia vs Wales