Big scorelines, one-sided games – are Women's World Cup play-offs working?

The ease in which England saw off Greece in round one of the Women's World Cup qualifying play-offs showed just how inefficient the structure currently is. England have lost just once this year but have still not qualified for the 2027 Women's World Cup The two-time European champions were superior in every sense as they won 8-1 on aggregate against a Greece side ranked 55 places lower in the world. Realistically, Greece stood little chance in a two-legged tie against Sarina Wiegman's side despite performing well in their home 3-1 defeat. England's resounding victory was not a one-off as Europe's other top nations, who were forced to drop into the play-offs, also met lower-ranked opposition and won emphatically.

It was not an evening that truly reflects the growth of European women's football, which has become more competitive than ever in recent years. It was, however, indicative that the qualification process perhaps needs reviewing by Uefa. One of the main reasons for Tuesday night's results was that only one team from the league phase groups received automatic qualification. The Netherlands, 2017 European champions, finished second in their group behind France, ranked sixth in the world. They went on to beat Hungary 11-0 on aggregate. Norway, World Cup winners in 1995 and six-time European finalists, lost out to giants Germany in their