England Women Beat Ukraine 3-0 to Finish Second in Group and Advance to 2027 World Cup Play-Offs as Favorites
England finished second in their qualifying group after the 3-0 win and will play two two-legged ties later in 2026 against lower-ranked teams.
The IndependentEngland defeated Ukraine 3-0 in their final World Cup qualifier at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Attendance was 26,065. The result left England second in Group A3 and required to advance through two rounds of play-offs to reach the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil.
Jess Carter scored the opening goal in the 14th minute after a delivery from Lauren James. Georgia Stanway added the second eight minutes before halftime on an assist from Alessia Russo. Beth Mead completed the scoring with a free-kick in the 65th minute.
England dominated possession and created multiple chances. Ukraine lost all six of its qualifying matches and finished bottom of the group. Spain defeated Iceland to finish first. England had lost 4-0 to Spain on Friday.
Manager Sarina Wiegman had called for an improved performance after that defeat. The team produced a professional display but did not reach the level required to top the group. England will contest two two-legged play-off ties later in 2026 against lower-ranked opponents.
The Lionesses are expected to be among the favorites in the play-offs given the ranking gap with potential opponents. Qualification remains achievable but requires further improvement before next summer’s finals.
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