Spain crushed England 4-0 and took the top of Group A3 in qualifying for the 2027 World Cup.
The Spain women's national football team achieved one of its most important victories in the current European qualifiers for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 in Brazil. In the fifth round of the league phase of the UEFA Women's European Qualifiers, in Group A3, Spain defeated England 4-0 on June 5, 2026, at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix in Palma de Mallorca and took control of the fight for direct qualification. According to the official report of the Spanish Football Federation, the goals were scored by Patri Guijarro, Alexia Putellas twice and Clàudia Pina, and the victory brought Spain to first place in the group ahead of the final round. England arrived in Mallorca with a perfect record in its first four matches, but against the reigning world champions it suffered a heavy defeat that significantly changed the outcome of the group. UEFA states in its review of the fifth round that Spain, with its convincing victory over England, remained in contention for one of the four direct European places awarded to the winners of the League A groups.
Putellas led an evening of Spanish control
The match carried additional weight because it was a direct duel between two national teams that in recent years have been among the most important actors in women's international football. Spain entered the match with a clear need to make up the deficit from the previous part of qualifying with a victory over England, and according to the RFEF, Spain head coach Sonia Bermúdez emphasized after the match that the team “had three more points left” in order to finish the job as first in the group. From the start, Spain sought to take possession and the rhythm, relying on its technical advantage in midfield, high pressing after losing the ball and the width provided by Lucía Corrales and Ona Batlle. England tried in the opening phase to slow the tempo and threaten through Lauren James, Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp, but it failed to establish sufficiently long control of the ball to put Cata Coll under more serious threat. According to the England Football report, with the missed opportunity in Mallorca, England was left without the chance to confirm its place at the 2027 World Cup already in this round.
The first goal came in the 18th minute according to the official RFEF match record, when Patri Guijarro won the ball, carried the attack forward and put Spain in front with a shot. It was a particularly powerful moment for the home crowd because Guijarro was born in Mallorca, and the RFEF highlighted in its report that she scored the goal in her local surroundings, in front of a large number of supporters in the Son Moix stands. After conceding, England tried to respond with quicker transitions, but it lacked precision in the final passes and composure under Spanish pressure. Spain continued to attack down the left side, where Corrales, Salma Paralluelo and Vicky López constantly created overloads. After a series of arrivals in front of Hannah Hampton's goal, the second goal came in the 37th minute, when Alexia Putellas finished an attack after a pass from Mariona Caldentey and sent Spain into the break with a 2-0 lead.
England found no answer after the break
The second half opened in the same direction. Spain continued to look for a third goal, while England tried to disrupt the rhythm and get back into the match with one quick attack or a set piece. According to the England Football report, Georgia Stanway had one of England's better chances early in the second half, but her shot from the edge of the penalty area went past the goal. That moment remained one of the few situations in which England managed to find space for a shot from a more dangerous area. Just a few minutes later, Spain punished the opponents' hesitation and practically settled the match. Putellas scored her second goal in the 55th minute, according to the RFEF, after Lucy Bronze had previously stopped the first attempt on the line, but the ball came back again to the Spanish captain.
The third goal also had a psychological effect because it took away England's room for a controlled comeback into the match. Sarina Wiegman tried to change the dynamic with the introductions of Chloe Kelly and Beth Mead in the 59th minute, and later Jess Carter and Niamh Charles came on in the closing stages. However, Spain by then already had a clear structure to the match and enough security in possession not to allow a long period of English pressure. Sonia Bermúdez, on the other side, introduced fresh energy through Clàudia Pina, Aitana Bonmatí, Esther González, Clara Serrajordi and Olga Carmona, thereby maintaining the intensity until the end of the contest. Pina made it the final 4-0 in the 78th minute, according to the official match record, and rounded off an evening in which Spain turned a results imperative into one of the most convincing victories of this phase of qualifying.
Group A3 is now under Spanish control
The 4-0 victory brought Spain not only three points, but also an important advantage in the group standings. According to the table published by the RFEF on June 6, 2026, Spain has 12 points after five rounds, four wins and one defeat, with a goal difference of 15:2. England also has 12 points and a record of four wins and one defeat, but with a goal difference of 10:5 it sits behind Spain. Iceland is third with six points, while Ukraine is without points after five matches played. Such a standings situation means that Spain is in the best position to win the group ahead of the final round, and a victory against Iceland in Reykjavik would secure it a direct path to the final tournament.
UEFA's qualifying format gives special importance to first place in League A. According to the competition rules published by UEFA, the four winners of the League A groups qualify directly for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027, while the other national teams from League A continue the fight through the European play-offs. UEFA has 11 direct places at the final tournament, with the possibility of one more European place through the intercontinental play-offs, but the shortest and safest route remains winning the group. That is why the duel in Mallorca had significantly greater value than an ordinary qualifying match. Spain not only caught England on the points table, but with the convincing result it also turned around the psychological framework of the group after the 0-1 defeat in the first head-to-head meeting at Wembley in April.
Son Moix as the stage for Spain's response
Estadi Mallorca Son Moix proved to be an important choice of host venue for a match that the RFEF had earlier described as one of the most attractive fixtures of the qualifying phase. According to the Spanish federation, the stadium where RCD Mallorca plays its home matches has a capacity of 25,736 spectators and a UEFA four-star rating. For the match against England, 17,528 spectators were officially listed, which gave the contest a strong competitive and emotional setting. In the match preview, the RFEF particularly emphasized Mallorca's connection with several Spanish internationals, among them Cata Coll, Patri Guijarro and Mariona Caldentey. Guijarro and Caldentey were precisely among the key actors of the first half, and after the match the Spanish federation emphasized that the support of the crowd was one of the important elements of the evening.
Sonia Bermúdez described the victory after the match, according to the RFEF, as a “team victory” and stressed that the result must not divert attention from the final task in the group. In the same publication, the Spanish head coach emphasized that “they were not so bad at Wembley nor so good here,” with which she tried to calm the impression after an extremely convincing evening. Such a message fits into the wider context of qualifying, where the difference between direct qualification and the play-offs is very large. Spain showed the depth of its squad against England, because the players from the bench also maintained the rhythm, and the introductions of Pina and Bonmatí further increased the quality of decisions in the final third. For Bermúdez it is especially important that the team reached victory through a combination of pressing, ball control and efficiency in front of goal, and not only through individual moves.
England faced with the most difficult moment of qualifying
For England, the defeat in Mallorca overturned a situation that had looked considerably more favorable before the match. Sarina Wiegman's team had four wins from four matches and an advantage at the top of the group, but against Spain it lost control in both directions of play. England Football states in its report that the team was left without the opportunity to secure its place at the World Cup already at that moment, while Spanish pressure in the key phases of the match exposed problems in playing out from the back line. Keira Walsh wore the captain's armband, and Lucy Bronze, according to England Football, made her 148th appearance for the national team, but individual experience was not enough to stop the Spanish surge. After 2-0, England had to open up more space, and that is exactly what enabled Spain to make additional arrivals between the lines and create new chances.
From the English perspective, it is especially worrying that the defeat was not the consequence of only one mistake or a brief drop in concentration. Spain created danger through different attacking profiles: Guijarro controlled the middle, Putellas appeared in the spaces behind the midfield line, Paralluelo attacked the depth, and Pina brought directness and finishing from the bench. Wiegman will have to look for a victory against Ukraine in the final round, but also follow the outcome of the match between Iceland and Spain. According to the current standings, England no longer depends only on itself in the race for first place. If it does not win the group, the continuation of the path toward Brazil will lead through the play-offs, which is a much more uncertain scenario for one of the strongest European national teams.
The wider significance of the duel between the world and European champions
This match also had a symbolic dimension because it brought together the national teams that marked the last cycle of women's football. UEFA and England Football described the duel in their materials as a meeting in one of the leading European national-team rivalries: Spain as the reigning world champion from 2023 and England as the reigning European champion after winning UEFA Women's EURO 2025. UEFA included this duel among the most important matches of the fifth round, and the result in Mallorca showed how quickly the balance at the European summit can change. England won 1-0 at Wembley in April, but Spain answered in the return match with a result that significantly changed the balance of power in the group. Such an exchange also underlines the demands of the new qualifying model, in which top national teams already play matches with very high stakes in the league phase.
For neutral observers, the match at Son Moix confirmed several broader trends in the development of women's football. The pace of play was high, technical quality in midfield was decisive, and bench depth proved just as important as the starting lineup. Spain built the victory through constant repetition of the same playing principles, while England found it increasingly difficult to play out of pressure as the match went on. In such a context, Putellas's double role was decisive: her goals were not only a statistical contribution, but also confirmation that Spain still has players capable of deciding a match in crucial moments. The final 4-0 remains a result that will resonate strongly in the closing stages of Group A3, especially because it came at a moment when England could have almost closed the question of direct qualification.
The final round decides the road to Brazil
According to the RFEF publication on the group standings, the final round will be played on June 9, 2026, and Spain will visit Iceland at Laugardalsvöllur stadium in Reykjavik. The same source states that the match will begin at 19:00 local time, or 21:00 Central European Time. England plays Ukraine in the final round, and according to England Football that match will be played at Hill Dickinson Stadium. The situation is now clear: after the victory in Mallorca, Spain took first place and determines its own fate, while England must win and wait for a possible Spanish slip. Iceland can no longer reach the top of the group, but it can have a direct influence on the final standings, while Ukraine enters the final round without points, but with the possibility of complicating England's attempt at a comeback.
With the match against England, Spain did what had been most important before the contest: it restored the points balance, took the top and showed that it enters the end of qualifying with a clear game. In a system in which the winners of the League A groups go directly to the World Cup, while the other national teams must go through the play-offs, the 4-0 result has multiple value. It gave Spain control over the group, confirmed the form of key players and pushed England toward a far more uncertain outcome. The final 90 minutes against Iceland will now decide whether Sonia Bermúdez's team will confirm direct qualification for Brazil or whether Group A3 will open up to another twist at the very finish of the league phase.
Basic match information
- Competition: UEFA Women's European Qualifiers for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027.
- Phase: league phase, 5th round, League A, Group A3.
- Match: Spain – England 4-0.
- Venue: Estadi Mallorca Son Moix, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
- Scorers: Patri Guijarro 18., Alexia Putellas 37. and 55., Clàudia Pina 78., according to the official RFEF match record.
- Spectators: 17,528, according to the RFEF.
- Referee: Ivana Martinčić from Croatia, according to the RFEF technical report.
Sources:
- UEFA – review of the 5th round of the European qualifiers for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 and context of direct qualification (link)
- UEFA – explanation of the qualifying system, direct places and play-offs for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 (link)
- RFEF – official match report Spain – England 4-0, scorers, course of the match and technical data (link)
- RFEF – Group A3 standings after the fifth round and preview of the final round against Iceland (link)
- RFEF – statement by head coach Sonia Bermúdez after the match in Palma de Mallorca (link)
- England Football – official English match report, lineups, context of England's qualifying performance and final round (link)