England had hoped to avoid the play-offs, but a difficult qualifying-group draw placed them alongside reigning world champions Spain.
Nevertheless, Wiegman’s team are well positioned to advance. With a valuable advantage from the opening leg, they are strong favourites against Greece, who are 55 places lower in the Fifa world rankings.
England also won both of their qualifying-group encounters with Ukraine, recording a commanding 9-1 aggregate victory.
Northern Ireland faced a demanding first-round contest against Portugal’s gifted young squad. After falling 4-0 behind ahead of the away leg, their chances of progressing appear slim, with head coach Michael McArdle describing the challenge as virtually insurmountable.
Scotland are aiming to qualify for only their second Women’s World Cup following their debut in 2019. Although they missed the 2023 tournament, their encouraging performances this year, including a draw against Belgium, suggest they can challenge some of Europe’s leading sides.
Should they face Sweden in the second round, Scotland would need to be at their very best against a team that reached the semi-finals at each of the previous two Women’s World Cups.
Wales have yet to defeat a top-20 nation in a competitive match and will probably need to achieve that milestone to secure qualification.
There are still reasons for confidence, however, as Rhian Wilkinson’s team defeated Albania 4-0 during qualifying and hold an advantage from the first leg of their play-off.
The Republic of Ireland impressed throughout qualifying, but their route through the play-offs is challenging, with a possible second-round meeting against Belgium.
Carla Ward’s players handled a 3,100-mile journey to Kazakhstan for their opening first-round match and built an outstanding 8-0 lead, allowing them to turn their attention toward the next stage.
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