Belgium face Scotland, Israel and Luxembourg in Women's World Cup qualifiers
Belgium's women's national team will face Scotland, Israel and Luxembourg in the preliminary round of the 2027 World Cup. The draw took place on Monday at FIFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
Last week's victory against Ireland was not enough for Belgium to avoid relegation to the Nations League’s B division. As a result, they were place among the teams ranked between 17th and 32nd in Monday's draw for the next World Cup.
Belgium, currently 20th in the FIFA rankings, drew Scotland (25th), Israel (68th) and Luxembourg (110th). The Red Flames last faced Scotland in the 2023 Nations League, with both matches ending in a 1-1 draw, while they beat Luxembourg 6-1 in a friendly in 2022. They have never faced Israel before.
The qualifiers will consist of six matches between March and June 2026. The top three in each group advance to the play-offs, which also include teams from the higher A and lower C divisions. Seven European countries will eventually qualify for the World Cup in Brazil through the play-offs.
The Red Flames have never qualified for a World Cup. They missed the 2023 tournament in Australia and New Zealand after losing to Portugal in the first play-off round.
If Belgium fail to qualify next year, that could spell the end of national coach Elisabet Gunnarsdottir, who replaced Yves Serneels in January. Under her tenure, Belgium have already suffered nine defeats in 13 matches, including a group stage exit at Euro 2025.
Despite the disappointing results, Gunnarsdottir is not planning on leaving. "I love coaching this team," she said after the relegation to the Nations League B division. "I feel a lot of growth in the group, even if we are not getting the results we would like."
© BELGA PHOTO VIRGINIE LEFOUR
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