England saw their push to secure automatic qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup unravel in Majorca, where Spain produced a commanding 4-0 victory that confirmed top spot in Group A3 and

England just needed to avoid defeat against Spain - instead they suffered their heaviest loss in 17 years, but it is not time to panic yet.

Report as Alexia Putellas double plus goals from Patricia Guijarro and Claudia Pina inflict heaviest defeat of Sarina Wiegmans reign as Englands 4-0 thrashing leaves World Cup automatic qualification

England coach Sarina Wiegman said it was "hard to see" the Lionesses taken apart by Spain on Friday as they lost 4-0 in Mallorca to leave them facing the prospect of the playoffs to qualify for next year's World Cup.

England are on the brink of having to navigate the play-off route in Women's World Cup qualifying after a 4-0 defeat to Spain, the Lionesses' worst result under Sarina Wiegman, put La Roja in pole pos

Patri Guijarro of Spain celebrates her team's third goal scored by team-mate Alexia Putellas Rafa Babot / Getty Images “We just didn’t play good enough,” England head coach Sarina Wiegman said simply. “And we couldn’t step up any more.”

England beat Spain in a penalty shootout to retain its title in the 2025 Women's European Championship final. The teams finished extra time tied 1-1, then England edged ahead 3-1 on penalty kicks.

The 2026 World Cup begins on June 11 with the tightest field at the top in recent memory. Three independent sources —the betting markets, artificial intelligence and FIFA's official ladder— paint, for the first time in years,