England beat Ukraine 3-0 on Tuesday night but still could not earn automatic qualification for the 2027 Women's World Cup. The result was irrelevant by the time the final whistle sounded.
The Lionesses needed Iceland to get a result against Spain in Reykjavik. Spain instead won 6-1, locking up top spot in League A3 and booking their place at next year's global tournament in Brazil. England finished as runners-up, despite winning five of their group matches and collecting 15 points.
Spain edged England on head-to-head record. Both teams won their home match against each other, but England's win was by a 1-0 margin, while Spain won 4-0 when England visited on Friday.
Head coach Sarina Wiegman, whose side had won back-to-back European Championships, did not hide her frustration with the qualifying format.
"What I'm disappointed about is that we win five games, we have 15 points and we're in a group with the world champions and then you can't qualify," she said, according to BBC Sport. "I'm happy with the performance tonight - but not the result of us having to go into the play-offs. That's just the way it is. We will get ready for it."
England will now enter a two-round play-off format. In the first round, England will be seeded and drawn against either a League C group winner or one of the two best-ranked League C runners-up. England will host the second leg of that tie. Possible opponents include Lithuania, Kosovo, Hungary, Greece, Romania, Belarus, Croatia and Kazakhstan.
If England advances, they will play a second two-legged tie. Teams that survive both rounds earn places at the World Cup finals in Brazil.
The draws for both play-off rounds are scheduled for Thursday, June 18, with matches set for October, November and December.
The compressed timeline creates complications for Wiegman and her staff. England will not be able to use the autumn international break for friendly matches to experiment with the squad. Players competing for starting spots will have fewer opportunities to make their case.
Wiegman said she intends to keep her selection options open regardless.
"We're always following players and we have conversations about that. Of course, players know where they stand and why we would select them or not," she said. "When I think you're the best player, I will pick you. That is what it is all about. I want to pick the best players that I think can compete at the highest level. If you're a younger player, or a more experienced player, for me, that is not the priority. I pick, in my opinion, the best players."
England remain heavily favored to advance through both rounds of the play-offs. The first draw takes place June 18.
