On Saturday, 18 April, Europe’s top national teams return to action for Matchday 4 of the Women’s World Cup 2027 qualifying campaign. With direct qualification spots at stake for group winners in League A, and play-off places still up for grabs, the pressure is mounting across all groups.
As it stands, Denmark, the Netherlands, England and Germany lead their respective groups in League A, with both England and Germany maintaining perfect records after three matches. Matchday 4 could prove decisive as teams look to strengthen their position ahead of the final World Cup 2027 Qualifiers in the next international window.
Group A1: A Pivotal Moment for All Sides
Denmark currently top Group A1 with seven points and will once again face Italy in a crucial encounter. Their previous meeting ended in a 1-1 draw, but Denmark come into this fixture with momentum following an impressive 2-1 away win over Sweden.
Historically, the matchup has been evenly contested. In seven meetings, Italy have won three times, Denmark twice, with two draws. Italy, sitting on four points, must secure a victory to remain in contention for top spot.
Elsewhere, Sweden host Serbia in a match that could reshape the group standings. Sweden, level on points with Italy, will aim to close the gap on Denmark. Serbia, however, proved resilient in their last meeting, holding Sweden to a goalless draw. Sweden will take confidence from their dominant record prior to this campaign, including an 8-0 aggregate win in the Women’s EURO 2025 qualifiers.
Group A2: Fine Margins at the Top
The Netherlands produced one of the standout results of Matchday 3 with a surprising win over France, despite missing several experienced internationals through injury. Emerging talents such as Veerle Buurman and debut goalscorer Van Asten stepped up, highlighting the squad’s depth. It marked the Oranje Leeuwinnen’s first victory over France in 11 years.
Now leading the group with seven points, the Netherlands face an immediate rematch away in France, who sit just one point behind. The outcome could be decisive in the race for automatic qualification.
In the group’s other fixture, the Republic of Ireland take on Poland. Ireland claimed a valuable win in their previous meeting, while Poland showed their quality earlier in the campaign with a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands. Historically, Ireland have had the upper hand, winning two of their three previous encounters.
Group A3: England Set the Pace
England leads Group A3 with a perfect record, collecting nine points from three matches. Their standout result came in a hard-fought 1-0 victory over reigning world champions Spain.
Next, England travel to face Iceland, whom they defeated 2-0 earlier in the group stage. Iceland, currently third with three points, will look to leverage home advantage and keep their qualification hopes alive.
Spain, sitting second with six points, will be expected to respond against Ukraine, who are yet to register a point. The two sides also met during the 2023 World Cup qualifiers, where Spain secured a commanding 11-0 aggregate victory.
Group A4: Germany in Control
Germany have mirrored England’s perfect start, winning all three of their matches to top Group A4. They face Austria once again after a convincing 5-1 win in their previous encounter. Austria are still searching for their first ever positive result against Germany in this fixture.
Norway, currently second, meet Slovenia in the group’s other match. A win is essential for Norway to keep pace with Germany, while Slovenia will be aiming to avoid slipping to the bottom of the table. Their last meeting ended in a dominant 5-0 win for Norway.
Source: UEFA Women’s World Cup 2027 Qualifiers Matchday 4
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