Scotland and Wales reach Women’s World Cup playoff finals

Published: 2026-10-13

Scotland rally to set up Sweden tie

Scotland advanced to the next round of the Women’s World Cup playoffs with a 3-2 home win over Czechia, completing a 5-2 aggregate victory. After losing Caroline Weir to an injury in the warm-up, Scotland fell behind to Denisa Vesela’s long-range strike, but Lauren Davidson equalised two minutes later.

Czechia restored its lead through Klara Cahynova’s header before the break. Kathleen McGovern brought Scotland level early in the second half, and Christy Grimshaw scored the winner after goalkeeper Barbora Votikova spilled Erin Cuthbert’s cross. Scotland’s two-legged playoff final against Sweden is scheduled for 26 November to 5 December, with the Scots at home first.

“We stuck to our principles, ground out a result and that puts us in a good place for what’s ahead,” Scotland manager Melissa Andreatta said.

Wales complete convincing aggregate win

Wales moved a step closer to reaching the Women’s World Cup for the first time with a 3-0 win over Albania at Parc y Scarlets. Mayzee Davies headed the opener in the 34th minute, before Elise Hughes and Hannah Cain scored after half-time.

The victory sealed a 4-0 aggregate success, following Wales’s 1-0 first-leg win in Shkoder, and extended the team’s unbeaten run to a national-record 10 matches. Rhian Wilkinson’s side will face Norway in December for a place at the 2027 tournament in Brazil.