Article 18 Match system – promotion and relegation matches - Women's World Cup Qualifiers

Regulations of the 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League and 2026 Women's European Qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup
Content Type
Competition Regulations
Category
National teams > Women's World Cup Qualifiers
ft:locale
en-GB
Edition
2025-27
Enforcement Date
16 December 2024
18.01

In addition to automatic promotion and relegation, promotion and relegation matches are played as follows:

  1. The third-placed teams in each group of League A play against the second-placed teams in each group of League B. The winner of each tie will play in League A for the Women's European Qualifiers phase; the defeated team will play in League B.

  2. The two best-ranked third-placed teams of League B, ranked 25 to 26 in the overall league rankings, play against the two best-ranked second-placed teams of League C, ranked 39 to 40 in the overall league rankings. The winner of each tie will play in League B for the Women's European Qualifiers phase; the defeated team will play in League C.

18.02

The promotion and relegation ties are determined by means of a draw. The third-placed teams are seeded for the draw and play their respective second leg matches at home.

18.03

The promotion and relegation matches are played according to the knockout system, with each team playing each opponent twice, once at home and once away. The team that scores the greater aggregate of goals over the two legs wins the tie. Otherwise, the provisions of Article 28 apply.