How it stands as Women's Nations League returns

Simone Magill, Jess Park and Emma LawtonImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Northern Ireland's Simone Magill (left), England's Jess Park (centre) and Scotland's Emma Lawton have all scored at least one goal in the Women's Nations League this year

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It's the halfway point in the Women's Nations League, with England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all in action.

England have enjoyed a bright start, picking up two wins and one draw, while the Republic of Ireland also have two victories from their opening three matches.

Northern Ireland have registered one win, one draw, and one defeat, but Scotland and Wales remain winless.

The next round of games takes place on 8 April, with the final block of group matches on 30 May and 3 June.

BBC Sport takes a look at the competition so far, what is up for grabs in the tournament, and how England and Wales' preparations are going for this summer's Euros in Switzerland.

What is the Women's Nations League?

The league was launched in 2023, with the inaugural tournament offering qualification spots for the 2025 Women's European Championship.

Countries have been placed into groups of three or four teams, across three different leagues, with promotion and relegation between the leagues depending on the match results.

And there's a lot at stake.

Teams are not only competing for the Nations League title, but their finishing position will also determine where they start in the league system for the European qualifiers for the 2027 Women's World Cup.

What has happened so far? Next fixtures?

England, Scotland and Wales are all in the top league - League A.

Scotland remain rooted to the bottom of Group A1, with three defeats in three matches. They suffered two narrow losses in February - 1-0 in Austria and then 2-1 at home to the Netherlands - but were hammered 4-0 by Germany at Dundee United's Tannadice Park on 4 April.

They face a tough away trip to Wolfsburg on 8 April.

France have made a strong start in Group A2, with two home wins, beating Norway 1-0 and Iceland 3-2, and a 2-0 victory over Switzerland in St Gallen.

Next matches in Group A1 and A2

Group A1: 8 April - Germany v Scotland, Austria v Netherlands.

Group A2: 8 April - Iceland v Switzerland, Norway v France.

Women's Nations League Groups A1 and A2Image source, BBC Sport

England began their Group A3 campaign with an underwhelming 1-1 draw in Portugal, but looked closer to their best in their next match as Jess Park scored in a superb 1-0 win at Wembley over reigning world champions Spain.

And the Lionesses, who will attempt to defend their European title in Switzerland, made it back-to-back wins, going top of the table by beating Belgium 5-0 at Bristol City's Ashton Gate, with Chelsea quartet Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright, Aggie Beever-Jones and Keira Walsh, plus substitute Park, on the scoresheet.

Wales, who are preparing to compete in their first major women's tournament this summer, lost 1-0 in Italy in their first Group A4 match.

They responded with an an impressive 1-1 draw at home against Sweden, courtesy of Kayleigh Barton's penalty equaliser, but couldn't build on that result, losing 2-1 to Denmark at the Cardiff City Stadium.

England and Belgium meet again in Leuven on 8 April while Wales face Sweden in Gothenburg.

Next matches in Group A3 and A4

Group A3: 8 April - Spain v Portugal, Belgium v England.

Group A4: 8 April - Denmark v Italy, Sweden v Wales.

Women's Nations League Group A3 and A4 tablesImage source, BBC Sport

In Group B1, Northern Ireland started with a 2-0 loss in Poland and were heading for another defeat before two late goals from Simone Magill gave them a dramatic 3-2 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.

They remain second in the table after drawing 1-1 with Romania in Bucharest on Friday. The two sides will meet again at Windsor Park on 8 April.

Republic of Ireland returned to winning ways in Group B2, completing an emphatic 4-0 win against Greece ahead of Tuesday's reverse fixture in Dublin.

In February, Carla Ward's side beat Turkey 1-0 before being thrashed 4-0 in Slovenia.

Next matches in Group B1 and B2

Group B1: 8 April - Northern Ireland v Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina v Poland.

Group B2: 8 April - Turkey v Slovenia, Republic of Ireland v Greece.

Women's Nations League Group B1 and B2 tablesImage source, BBC Sport

How does the league work?

Teams were placed in each league based on their rankings at the end of the 2024 women's European qualifying league stage.

The four League A group winners will meet in two-legged semi-finals. The winners go into the final to decide who takes the Nations League title, while the losers go into a third-place play-off. Both the final and the third-place tie will also be played over two legs.

The teams who finish fourth in each League A group will be relegated to League B, and the League B group winners will be promoted.

Each group winner of League C will be promoted to League B, with the teams finishing at the bottom of League B, as well as two of the lowest ranked third-placed teams, dropping to League C.

Spain won the inaugural Women's Nations League title in 2024, claiming their second major trophy in six months.

How can teams qualify for Women's World Cup?

The group standings at the end of the Nations League determine which teams are placed in each league for the European qualifiers for the 2027 Women's World Cup.

There will be another draw in November 2025 to decide the groups within the three leagues.

Teams who finish in the top two in each League A group stay in the top league for the World Cup qualifiers.

The top four teams in League B will be promoted.

Third-placed teams from League A will have to play the second-placed teams from League B to decide which four teams claim the final League A spots.

At the end of the World Cup qualifiers, the four League A winners will qualify directly for the Women's World Cup. Other teams will be entered into the play-offs to claim the remaining spots.

When are the fixtures?

The Nations League group fixtures all take place before the 2025 Women's Euros, which starts on 2 July.

League phases

Match days 1-2: 21-26 February

Match days 3-4: 4-8 April

Match days 5-6: 30 May-3 June

Finals

Semi-finals (two legs): 22-28 October

Final/third-place play-off (two legs): 26 November-2 December