The draw date is 30 April 21 and the expected pots if UEFA uses the same system as the Euro qualifiers: A reminder that UEFA has 11 slots plus one play-off slot.
Wow, it could sound like a lot, but, by reading the names in pot 2, you've got the feeling that more than two or three of them could deserve the maximum stage. What do you say, guys, is it possible that some of the pot 1 teams fail to qualify? Or that some of the pot 3 teams make it?
If one of the weaker teams of pot 1 (Italy) is drawn with one of the stronger teams of pot 2 (Belgium, Switzerland, Austria) it is possible that they need the play-offs but I think all teams from pot1 will qualify. I think no team from pot 3 will finish ahead of a pot 1 team and winning two play-off rounds seems also unlikely.
Ukraine qualified for the Euro when it was still at 12 teams, so I wouldn't 100% rule them out of getting through the UEFA play-offs. Czech, Ireland, and Poland don't have that history, but I think they could upset a pot 2 team or two as well.
So does anyone want to (very early) predict which teams will qualify? I am aware that it would make much more sense to do that after seeing the teams in action at Euro 2022, but why would we take part to a forum if we weren't here to discuss?
I guess it's going to be pretty much as @Lohmann and @SiberianThunderT pointed out above. If we use pots simmilar to EURO qual, proposed by him here: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/fifa-2023-wwc-qualifiers.2110416/page-4#post-39355450 I'd pick for sure: (pot1) Netherlands, Germany, England, France, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Italy, Denmark, (pot 2) Switzerland most likely: (pot 2) Scotland, Austria having a shot with lucky draw: rest of pot 2 teams + Ukraine, Czechia, Poland from pot 3
I assume that the 12th Euro-NT should quite easily win the play-off match vs the NT from another confederation, but I actually don't remember which confederation would be supposed to clash with said European team.
If the European team is one of the top 2 seeded teams it will play against the winner of a game between two unseeded teams from different confederations. https://www.fifa.com/news/update-on-fifa-women-s-world-cuptm-and-men-s-youth-competitions
Right now, I'd only put money on the top six teams, maybe the top seven. I don't want to make any more bets until we see the actual draw.
Well unless one of them is seeded in the 2nd pot and have to play another of them I belive in Netherlands, Germany, England, France, Sweden, Spain and Norway. Other teams are to depending on who they are in the same group as.
I am gonna say : For sure 5 : Netherlands, Germany, England, France, Spain Probably:3 Sweden, Norway, Denmark Maybe 10: Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Iceland, Scotland, Russia, Finland, Portugal, Poland The draw will determine if the probably or maybe go through imo.
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (UEFA) - Wikipedia Looks like UEFA has already decided on a format. As I suspected, they changed the format a bit from the one used for the Euro qualifiers, going with 8 groups of 6 teams each. This is presumably under the assumption that there will be no more than 48 entrants, as was the case for Euro 2022. Perhaps they will have some sort of preliminary round if there are more than 48 entrants. The 8 group winners will qualify automatically, while the 8 runners-up will go to the playoffs. Here it gets a little confusing, since you have 8 teams and 3.5 spots. Apparently, the worst of the four playoff winners, based on their combined group stage and playoff record, will go to the intercontinental playoff.
I'll admit that I like six-team groups much better than five-team groups. The wording on the Wiki page (which I cannot find mirrored in the UEFA source document) makes it sound like they might just shut out the lowest-ranked teams from participating if more than 48 apply? Would definitely be weird, but considering the condensed schedule to fit everything in after the EURO, I wouldn't be surprised. That latter consideration is probably also why they didn't want any more than one round of playoffs.
Denmark (only pot 2), Portugal and Wales (only pot 3) will not like it. While in the qualification system I had preferred UEFA would sent their tenth best team to the Inter-confederation play-off it is now only the twelfth best.
Pots if the best 48 teams compete: Pot 1: Netherlands, Germany, England, France, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Italy Pot 2: Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Iceland, Scotland, Russia, Finland Pot 3: Portugal, Wales, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Ireland, Poland, Slovenia, Romania Pot 4: Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Hungary, Belarus, Croatia, Greece Pot 5: Albania, North Macedonia, Israel, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Malta, Kosovo, Kazakhstan Pot 6: Moldova, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Latvia, Montenegro, Lithuania, Estonia
I like the format personally. I’m not a huge fan of playoffs generally since they tend to exacerbate the luck factor, but given they are often unavoidable I prefer formats which at least limit them to a single round. I also generally prefer having fewer groups with more spots available to teams that don’t finish first in their group (because I don’t think your chances of qualification should be close to nil just because you happened to draw France, let’s say).
If there are more than 48 entrants, will they have a qualifying round with some of the lower ranked teams?
That question was asked just six posts ago and partially answered five. There hasn't been any clarification since yesterday afternoon.
I think the entry date must have been closed and that's why they already know that there are 48 entries. Registration is always quite early for those draws.
No need to be snarky. Using a Wikipedia page as a source isn't credible either. We shall see come the draw how many teams actually have entered.
Which is precisely why I made the point of also mentioning that the UEFA source article didn't corroborate.
Women's World Cup qualifying group stage draw Pot 1: Netherlands, Germany, England, France, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Italy, Denmark Pot 2: Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Iceland, Scotland, Russia, Finland, Portugal, Wales Pot 3: Czech Republic, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Slovenia, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland Pot 4: Slovakia, Hungary, Belarus, Croatia, Greece, Albania, North Macedonia, Israel, Azerbaijan Pot 5: Turkey, Malta, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Latvia Pot 6: Montenegro, Lithuania, Estonia, Luxembourg, Armenia, Bulgaria