UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying League B

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2025 UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying League B
Tournament details
Dates5 April – 16 July 2024
Teams16
Tournament statistics
Matches played48
Goals scored129 (2.69 per match)
Attendance89,016 (1,855 per match)
Top scorer(s)Scotland Martha Thomas
Wales Jess Fishlock
(5 goals each)
← 2022
2029 →
All statistics correct as of 16 July 2024.

The UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying League B was the second division of the 2025 edition of qualifying for the UEFA Women's Championship, the international football competition involving the women's national teams of the member associations of UEFA. The results were also used to determine the leagues for the 2025–26 UEFA Women's Nations League competition.

Format

[edit]

League B consisted of 16 UEFA members ranked 17th to 32nd among competition entrants in the 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League ranking, split into four groups of four. Each team played six matches within their group, using the home-and-away round-robin format with double matchdays in April, May to June, and July 2024.[1]

After the league phase, the best-ranked League B teams advanced to the play-offs to determine who qualifies for the final tournament.[2]

The group winners, runners-up and third-placed teams in League B (except Switzerland) advanced to the first round (i.e. the twelve best-ranked teams). The six higher-ranked of those teams were seeded and drawn into ties against the six lower-ranked teams. The six winners progress to the next round.[2][3]

Switzerland are guaranteed a spot in the final tournament as hosts, and therefore will not participate in the play-offs. Since they finished in the top three places in their group, the best-ranked fourth-placed team (i.e. the team ranked 13th in League B) also qualified for the first round.[3]

The competition also acted as the first phase for the 2025–26 UEFA Women's Nations League, which will use an identical league structure. The winners of each group were promoted to League A, while the fourth-placed team from each group and the worst-ranked third placed team was relegated to League C.[1][2]

Seeding

[edit]

Teams were allocated to League B after the conclusion of the 2023–24 Women's Nations League promotion/relegation matches on 28 February 2024. Teams were split into four pots of four teams, ordered based on their overall ranking.[2][3]

Pot 1
Team Rank
 Portugal 13
 Switzerland 14
 Scotland 15
 Wales 16
Pot 2
Team Rank
 Bosnia and Herzegovina[a] 21
 Serbia[a] 22
 Croatia[a] 23
 Hungary[a] 24
Pot 3
Team Rank
 Slovakia[b] 25
 Northern Ireland[b] 26
 Ukraine[b] 27
 Turkey 33
Pot 4
Team Rank
 Malta 34
 Israel 35
 Kosovo 36
 Azerbaijan 37
  1. ^ a b c d Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Serbia, and Sweden participated in the League A vs League B promotion/relegation matches in February 2024 to determine each team's league allocation.
  2. ^ a b c Bulgaria, Latvia, Montenegro, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, and Ukraine participated in the League B vs League C promotion/relegation matches in February 2024 to determine each team's league allocation.

The draw took place in Nyon, Switzerland on 5 March 2024 at 13:00 CET.[3] Each group contained one team from each pot. The draw started with Pot 1 and ended with Pot 4, with drawn teams assigned to the first available group in ascending order from B1 to B4. For political reasons, Kosovo could not be drawn into the same group as either Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia.[3]

Groups

[edit]

Times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

Group 1

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Switzerland Turkey Hungary Azerbaijan
1  Switzerland (H, P) 6 5 0 1 14 3 +11 15 Qualify for final tournament as host and promotion to League A — 3–1 2–1 3–0
2  Turkey 6 3 0 3 8 8 0 9 Advance to play-offs 0–2 — 2–1 1–0
3  Hungary 6 2 1 3 10 9 +1 7 1–0 1–4 — 1–1
4  Azerbaijan (R) 6 1 1 4 2 14 −12 4 Relegation to League C and advance to play-offs[a] 0–4 1–0 0–5 —
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts of final tournament; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Since Switzerland (who qualified as hosts) finished in the top three places in their group, the best-ranked fourth-placed team qualified for the play-offs.[4]
Hungary 1–1 Azerbaijan
  • Csiszár 44'
 Report
Attendance: 1,713
Switzerland 3–1 Turkey
 Report
Attendance: 5,490
Azerbaijan 0–4 Switzerland
Report
Attendance: 213
Referee: Alina Peşu (Romania)
Turkey 2–1 Hungary
 Report
Attendance: 566
Turkey 1–0 Azerbaijan
 Report
Attendance: 10,845
Switzerland 2–1 Hungary
 Report
Attendance: 2,905
Azerbaijan 1–0 Turkey
 Report
Attendance: 200
Hungary 1–0 Switzerland
 Report
Attendance: 1,413
Azerbaijan 0–5 Hungary
Report
Attendance: 205
Turkey 0–2 Switzerland
Report
Attendance: 6,358
Switzerland 3–0 Azerbaijan
 Report
Attendance: 2,222
Hungary 1–4 Turkey
 Report
Attendance: 482

Group 2

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Scotland Serbia Slovakia Israel
1  Scotland (P) 6 5 1 0 13 1 +12 16 Advance to play-offs and promotion to League A — 1–0 1–0 4–1
2  Serbia 6 4 1 1 11 4 +7 13 Advance to play-offs 0–0 — 2–1 1–0
3  Slovakia (R) 6 1 1 4 5 11 −6 4 Advance to play-offs and relegation to League C 0–2 0–4 — 2–0
4  Israel (R) 6 0 1 5 5 18 −13 1 Relegation to League C 0–5 2–4 2–2 —
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Slovakia 2–0 Israel
 Report
Attendance: 273
Serbia 0–0 Scotland
Report
Attendance: 2,500
Israel 2–4 Serbia
 Report
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
Scotland 1–0 Slovakia
 Report
Attendance: 3,127
Serbia 2–1 Slovakia
 Report
Attendance: 250
Scotland 4–1 Israel
 Report
Israel 0–5 Scotland
Report
Slovakia 0–4 Serbia
Report
Attendance: 406
Slovakia 0–2 Scotland
Report
Attendance: 675
Serbia 1–0 Israel
 Report
Scotland 1–0 Serbia
 Report
Attendance: 3,068
Israel 2–2 Slovakia
 Report
Attendance: 20

Group 3

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Portugal Northern Ireland Bosnia and Herzegovina Malta
1  Portugal (P) 6 5 1 0 14 2 +12 16 Advance to play-offs and promotion to League A — 4–0 3–0 3–1
2  Northern Ireland 6 3 1 2 8 7 +1 10 Advance to play-offs 1–2 — 2–0 0–0
3  Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 2 1 3 4 9 −5 7 0–0 1–3 — 2–1
4  Malta (R) 6 0 1 5 2 10 −8 1 Relegation to League C 0–2 0–2 0–1 —
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Northern Ireland 0–0 Malta
Report
Attendance: 1,602
Referee: Maria Marotta (Italy)
Portugal 3–0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Report
Attendance: 6,097
Malta 0–2 Portugal
Report
Attendance: 1,026
Malta 0–1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Report
Attendance: 661
Portugal 4–0 Northern Ireland
 Report
Attendance: 10,017
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2–1 Malta
 Report
Attendance: 120
Northern Ireland 1–2 Portugal
 Report
Attendance: 1,711
Bosnia and Herzegovina 0–0 Portugal
Report
Attendance: 301
Malta 0–2 Northern Ireland
Report
Attendance: 652
Portugal 3–1 Malta
 Report
Attendance: 6,231
Northern Ireland 2–0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Report
Attendance: 2,260

Group 4

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Wales Ukraine Croatia Kosovo
1  Wales (P) 6 4 2 0 18 3 +15 14 Advance to play-offs and promotion to League A — 1–1 4–0 2–0
2  Ukraine 6 3 2 1 11 4 +7 11 Advance to play-offs 2–2 — 2–0 2–0
3  Croatia 6 3 0 3 4 9 −5 9 0–3 1–0 — 2–0
4  Kosovo (R) 6 0 0 6 0 17 −17 0 Relegation to League C 0–6 0–4 0–1 —
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Ukraine 2–0 Kosovo
 Report
Attendance: 45
Wales 4–0 Croatia
 Report
Attendance: 4,117
Kosovo 0–6 Wales
Report
Attendance: 200
Croatia 1–0 Ukraine
 Report
Attendance: 517
Kosovo 0–1 Croatia
Report
Attendance: 500
Wales 1–1 Ukraine
 Report
Attendance: 4,046
Ukraine 2–2 Wales
 Report
Attendance: 88
Croatia 2–0 Kosovo
 Report
Attendance: 348
Kosovo 0–4 Ukraine
Report
Attendance: 347
Croatia 0–3 Wales
Report
Attendance: 457
Wales 2–0 Kosovo
 Report
Attendance: 4,199
Ukraine 2–0 Croatia
 Report
Attendance: 30

Qualification for play-offs

[edit]

The winners, runners-up, and third-placed teams in each group advanced to the play-offs (excluding Switzerland who qualified automatically as hosts).[1][2] Since Switzerland finished in the top three places in their group, the best-ranked fourth-placed team also advanced to the play-offs.[3]

This means that the twelve best-ranked League B teams excluding Switzerland advanced to the first round. The six higher-ranked teams were seeded, and drawn against the six lower-ranked teams. The winner of those ties will advance to the second round.[1][2]

Rnk Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
17 B3  Portugal 6 5 1 0 14 2 +12 16 Advance to play-offs (seeded)
18 B2  Scotland 6 5 1 0 13 1 +12 16
19 B1  Switzerland (H) 6 5 0 1 14 3 +11 15 Qualify for final tournament as host
20 B4  Wales 6 4 2 0 18 3 +15 14 Advance to play-offs (seeded)
21 B2  Serbia 6 4 1 1 11 4 +7 13 Advance to play-offs (seeded)
22 B4  Ukraine 6 3 2 1 11 4 +7 11
23 B3  Northern Ireland 6 3 1 2 8 7 +1 10
24 B1  Turkey 6 3 0 3 8 8 0 9 Advance to play-offs (unseeded)
25 B4  Croatia 6 3 0 3 4 9 −5 9 Advance to play-offs (unseeded)
26 B1  Hungary 6 2 1 3 10 9 +1 7
27 B3  Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 2 1 3 4 9 −5 7
28 B2  Slovakia 6 1 1 4 5 11 −6 4
29 B1  Azerbaijan 6 1 1 4 2 14 −12 4 Advance to play-offs (unseeded)
30 B3  Malta 6 0 1 5 2 10 −8 1
31 B2  Israel 6 0 1 5 5 18 −13 1
32 B4  Kosovo 6 0 0 6 0 17 −17 0
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Ranking criteria
(H) Hosts of final tournament

Ranking of third-placed teams

[edit]

The lowest-ranked third-placed team was relegated to League C for the 2025–26 Women's Nations League, along with the four last-placed teams.

Rnk Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
25 B4  Croatia 6 3 0 3 4 9 −5 9
26 B1  Hungary 6 2 1 3 10 9 +1 7
27 B3  Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 2 1 3 4 9 −5 7
28 B2  Slovakia (R) 6 1 1 4 5 11 −6 4 Relegation to League C
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Ranking criteria
(R) Relegated

League ranking

[edit]

The 16 League B teams were ranked 17th to 32nd overall in the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying according to their league ranking.[1]

The four group winners were promoted to League A for the upcoming 2025–26 UEFA Women's Nations League. The four last-placed teams in each group, along with the worst-ranked third-placed team, were relegated to League C.[1][2]

Rnk Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
17 B3  Portugal (P) 6 5 1 0 14 2 +12 16 Promotion to League A
18 B2  Scotland (P) 6 5 1 0 13 1 +12 16
19 B1  Switzerland (P) 6 5 0 1 14 3 +11 15
20 B4  Wales (P) 6 4 2 0 18 3 +15 14
21 B2  Serbia 6 4 1 1 11 4 +7 13
22 B4  Ukraine 6 3 2 1 11 4 +7 11
23 B3  Northern Ireland 6 3 1 2 8 7 +1 10
24 B1  Turkey 6 3 0 3 8 8 0 9
25 B4  Croatia 6 3 0 3 4 9 −5 9
26 B1  Hungary 6 2 1 3 10 9 +1 7
27 B3  Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 2 1 3 4 9 −5 7
28 B2  Slovakia (R) 6 1 1 4 5 11 −6 4 Relegation to League C
29 B1  Azerbaijan (R) 6 1 1 4 2 14 −12 4 Relegation to League C
30 B3  Malta (R) 6 0 1 5 2 10 −8 1
31 B2  Israel (R) 6 0 1 5 5 18 −13 1
32 B4  Kosovo (R) 6 0 0 6 0 17 −17 0
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Ranking criteria
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Top goalscorers

[edit]

There have been 129 goals scored in 48 matches, for an average of 2.69 goals per match (as of 16 July 2024).

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Source: UEFA

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Due to the Israel–Hamas war, Israel were required to play their home matches at neutral venues.[5]
  2. ^ a b Due to the Israel–Hamas war protests, Scotland played both their matches against Israel behind closed doors.[6]
  3. ^ a b c Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine were required to play their home matches at neutral venues.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Regulations of the UEFA European Women's Championship including UEFA Nations League and European Qualifiers". UEFA. 7 February 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g UEFA.com (2023-12-11). "Women's European Qualifiers for EURO 2025: Who is in what league?". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Women's European Qualifiers league stage draw". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Women's European Qualifiers league stage draw". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  5. ^ "European Qualifier match between Belgium and Sweden declared abandoned with half-time result confirmed as final". UEFA.com (Press release). Union of European Football Associations. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  6. ^ Mitchell, Jenness (21 May 2024). "Women's Scotland v Israel Euro 2025 qualifiers to be played behind closed doors". Sky News.
  7. ^ "Decisions from today's extraordinary UEFA Executive Committee meeting". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
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