England Women to Host Ukraine at Wembley in World Cup Playoff Decider on December 5
England women will host Ukraine at Wembley Stadium on December 5 in the decisive round of European qualifying for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, with a place at the tournament in Brazil at stake, the Football Association announced on Wednesday.
The FA confirmed the home leg will be played at the national stadium on Saturday, December 5, 2026, with a 5:30pm kickoff. The Lionesses will play the first leg away from home at a venue yet to be confirmed before returning to London for the return fixture.
England reached the final playoff round with an 8-1 aggregate victory over Greece, following up a 3-1 away win with a 5-0 triumph at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium on Tuesday. Alessia Russo opened the scoring inside three minutes, Lauren James struck twice either side of a Georgia Stanway header, and Russo sealed the win with a tightly angled 75th-minute finish.
Wiegman: “A Big Moment”
Head coach Sarina Wiegman welcomed the announcement. “To play at Wembley Stadium in front of our fans for a place at the World Cup is a big moment,” she said. “We know what the opportunity is and we are looking forward to the challenge ahead. After a successful window just gone, we now have some time and our focus is on being fully prepared against a team that did well in their own play-off.”
Ukraine beat Slovakia 4-1 on aggregate to reach the final playoff round, and the sides know each other well: England won both meetings in the qualifying group phase, 6-1 in Turkey in March and 3-0 in Liverpool in June. Wiegman said her team had seen Ukraine’s qualities and the threat they can pose, and knew how to take out their strengths.
Brazil Awaits
The winners of the two-legged tie go straight through to next summer’s World Cup, which runs from June 24 to July 25, 2027, across eight host cities in Brazil. England, the two-time European champions, were forced into the playoffs after finishing second behind Spain in their qualifying group.
The scale of the playoff mismatches has drawn comment: England’s 8-1 aggregate win over Greece was one of several emphatic results in the first playoff round, with the Netherlands beating Hungary 11-0 on aggregate and Sweden winning 15-0, prompting questions over the qualification structure.
The announcement came a day after Manchester City tightened their grip on the men’s title race with a 3-0 rout at Anfield, while England’s businesslike playoff progress carried echoes of the Dodgers’ march toward a third straight NLCS appearance. Details of the Greece rout were widely reported, including by Sky Sports.
Related reading
Sources: Reuters via Devdiscourse · Sky Sports · WSL Full-Time (FA media update)
