[Jeff]

The group draw was held March 18, 2005.
There are 5 groups of 5 teams (up from 4 groups last time)
Qualifying matches will run from August 20, 2005 to September 2006.
The five group winners will qualify for the finals in China.

A further three groups of four teams will also play in a "Second Division", but will not be eligible to qualify for the 2007 WWC. They are playing only for the right of promotion to the First Division, where they will be eligible to try to qualify for EURO 2009.

(Teams in Red played in the 2003 World Cup finals in USA)

Group 1
Norway
Italy
Ukraine
Serbia-Montenegro
Greece

Group 2
Sweden
Iceland
Czech Republic
Portugal
Belarus

Group 3
Denmark
Finland
Spain
Poland
Belgium

Group 4
Germany
Russia
Switzerland
Scotland
Rep. of Ireland

Group 5
France
England
Netherlands
Hungary
Austria

World Cup 2007 main thread

History:
UEFA qualifying thread for 2003 World Cup
2003 World Cup results thread

 

[Jeff]

Schedule and Results for Preliminary Group Round, July 2005 to September 2006:
Note: this post will be updated with results as they become available.

UEFA site

Group 1
2005
Aug. 27 Norway 4-1 Ukraine
Sept. 24 Serbia-Montenegro 0-4 Norway
Sept. 24 Italy 3-1 Ukraine
Oct. 29 Norway 1-0 Italy
Oct. 29 Greece 0-2 Serbia-Montenegro
Nov. 2 Italy 6-0 Serbia-Montenegro
Nov. 5 Serbia-Montenegro 0-4 Ukraine
Nov. 9 Greece 1-3 Ukraine
2006
Mar. 25 Greece 0-3 Norway
Mar. 29 Italy 2-0 Greece
Apr. 15 Serbia-Montenegro 3-1 Greece
Apr. 22 Greece 0-5 Italy
May 6 Ukraine 2-1 Serbia-Montenegro
May 10 Norway 3-0 Serbia-Montenegro
June 17 Ukraine 2-1 Italy
June 20 Norway 4-0 Greece
June 21 Serbia-Montenegro 0-7 Italy
June 23 Ukraine 6-0 Greece
Aug. 27 Ukraine 1-1 Norway
Sept. 23 Italy 1-2 Norway
Norway wins the Group

Group 2
2005
Aug. 21 Iceland 3-0 Belarus
Aug. 27 Belarus 1-1 Czech Rep.
Aug. 28 Sweden 2-2 Iceland
Sept. 24 Czech Rep. 1-0 Iceland
Sept. 24 Sweden 6-0 Belarus
Nov. 1 Portugal 1-4 Sweden
Nov. 5 Portugal 0-3 Czech Rep.
2006
Apr. 22 Czech Rep. 2-3 Sweden
May 6 Belarus 1-2 Iceland
May 7 Sweden 5-1 Portugal
May 11 Portugal 0-1 Belarus
June 4 Czech Rep. 6-0 Portugal
June 18 Belarus 0-6 Sweden
June 18 Iceland 3-0 Portugal
Aug. 19 Iceland 2-4 Czech Rep.
Aug. 26 Iceland 0-4 Sweden
Aug. 27 Czech Rep. 3-0 Belarus
Sept. 23 Belarus 3-2 Portugal
Sept. 24 Sweden 2-0 Czech Rep.
Sept. 28 Portugal 0-6 Iceland
Sweden wins the Group

Group 3
2005
Aug. 27 Poland 1-5 Denmark
Aug. 31 Belgium 0-3 Finland
Sept. 24 Finland 3-1 Poland
Sept. 25 Denmark 3-0 Belgium
Sept. 29 Poland 3-2 Spain
Oct. 30 Finland 0-1 Spain
Oct. 30 Belgium 2-3 Poland
Nov. 5 Spain 3-2 Belgium
Nov. 10 Spain 2-2 Denmark
2006
Mar. 26 Belgium 0-2 Denmark
Mar. 30 Spain 7-0 Poland
Apr. 22 Poland 1-5 Finland
Apr. 22 Belgium 2-4 Spain
Apr. 27 Denmark 5-0 Spain
May 6 Finland 3-0 Belgium
May 7 Denmark 3-1 Poland
May 11 Spain 0-0 Finland
Aug. 26 Finland 2-1 Denmark
Sept. 23 Poland 4-2 Belgium
Sept. 27 Denmark 1-0 Finland
Denmark wins the Group

Group 4
2005
July 6 Russia 5-1 Rep. Ireland
Aug. 28 Russia 6-0 Scotland
Sept. 1 Switzerland 0-2 Russia
Sept. 25 Germany 5-1 Russia
Sept. 25 Scotland 0-0 Rep. Ireland
Oct. 20 Germany 4-0 Scotland
Nov. 12 Germany 4-0 Switzerland
2006
Mar. 25 Switzerland 2-0 Rep. Ireland
Apr. 22 Rep. Ireland 2-0 Switzerland
Apr. 26 Scotland 1-0 Switzerland
May 6 Rep. Ireland 0-2 Scotland
May 11 Germany 1-0 Rep. Ireland
May 24 Scotland 0-4 Russia
June 17 Rep. Ireland 0-2 Russia
Aug. 26 Rep. Ireland 0-3 Germany
Aug. 26 Switzerland 1-1 Scotland
Aug. 30 Switzerland 0-6 Germany
Sept. 23 Russia 2-0 Switzerland
Sept. 23 Scotland 0-5 Germany
Sept. 27 Russia 2-3 Germany
Germany wins the Group

Group 5
2005
Sept. 1 Austria 1-4 England
Sept. 24 France 0-1 Holland
Sept. 24 Hungary 0-3 Austria
Oct. 27 Hungary 0-13 England
Oct. 29 Austria 0-1 Holland
Nov. 5 Austria 1-3 France
Nov. 9 France 2-0 Hungary
Nov. 17 Holland 0-1 England
2006
Mar. 25 Hungary 0-5 Holland
Mar. 26 England 0-0 France
Apr. 20 England 4-0 Austria
Apr. 22 Hungary 0-5 France
May 11 England 2-0 Hungary
May 13 Holland 0-2 France
Aug. 26 Austria 1-1 Hungary
Aug. 31 England 4-0 Holland
Sept. 20 Holland 4-0 Austria
Sept. 23 France 2-1 Austria
Sept. 24 Holland 4-0 Hungary
Sept. 30 France 1-1 England
England wins the Group

 

[Poland-Cement]

Aug. 28 Sweden 2-2 Iceland

I like this one - Lotta scored :happy:

 

[Jeff]

Here's the UEFA match report on the Sweden-Iceland game.

Poland Cement, do you have a personal connection to Lotta Schelin?

 

[Poland-Cement]

Here's the UEFA match report on the Sweden-Iceland game.

Poland Cement, do you have a personal connection to Lotta Schelin?

Yes, I read this report
Nope, I'm just her fan

 

[Jeff]

Lotta scored again in Sweden's 6-0 drubbing of Belarus today. Hanna Ljungberg had 4 goals.

Upset: France was beaten 1-0 at home (in Poitiers) by lowly Holland, on a goal by Marlies de Boer.

See above for other updated scores.

 

[Jeff]

Poland got their first win today, 3-2 over Spain, after being down 2-0 at the half.

 

[Poland-Cement]

Lotta scored again in Sweden's 6-0 drubbing of Belarus today. Hanna Ljungberg had 4 goals.

Yes she is in great form :happy: She scored in 4 league matches in a row and in 2 NT matches in a row :thmbup: :happy:

 

[Jeff]

At the winter break, the contenders for qualification are beginning to emerge, and there are some interesting battles.

Remember, only the top team in each Group will qualify for the World Cup finals.

Standings

Group 1

Norway and Italy are the top contenders, with Norway being favoured to earn a repeat appearance in the WWC. Both teams have demolished Ukraine and Serbia-Montenegro, but in the crucial match between them October 29, Norway edged out Italy 1-0 at home to lead the Group.

Group 2

Sweden and Czech Republic are deadlocked at the top of the table, with two wins and a draw each. No, they did not draw against each other - they have yet to meet in this Group round. Each of them surprisingly stumbled in draws against lesser teams; Sweden v. Iceland and the Czechs against Belarus. The top two teams will meet when play resumes on April 22, 2006. This Group could go right to next September before being decided, when the Czech team visits 2003 finalists Sweden for their final Group 2 match.

Group 3

The Group of Death has four teams in close proximity to the top, none of whom made it to the 2003 WWC finals. Denmark is the early leader, tied on points with Spain, but with a game in hand. Although they drew their match in Spain on November 10, Denmark has had the better form thus far. Finland had a disappointing and costly loss to Spain on October 30, which kept them out of second place. Poland's surprising win over Spain September 29 allowed them to keep within shouting distance of the top. I'm looking forward to the two meetings of Finland and Denmark late next summer.

Group 4

This one's all Germany and Russia, but the Germans' 5-1 defeat of the Russians on September 25 served notice that Birgit Prinz & Co. aim to win the WWC once again.

Group 5

France's hopes of repeating their 2003 appearance in the World Cup were dealt a blow September 24 when they lost at home to Holland in a match that may prove to be the turning point in this Group. But it's early days yet. France and England have both beaten Austria and Hungary, but they have yet to play each other. This Group could be a cliffhanger, with France hosting England on the very last day of qualifying, September 30. Holland is tied on points with France, despite scoring only two goals in three matches, and they could possibly be in second place soon after Group play resumes in March.

 

[Akimych]

oh, yeah...Russia in :ass:

 

[Fobal klub]

Mar. 26 England 0-0 France

I was surprised i could watch this game yesterday. Finally French football got some recognition from the French media ? Btw it was better than Monaco - PSG.

I think France could have won it in the end, England look exhausted. Nice save from the English goalkeeper on Pichon header, only 1 minute Marinette entered in the game. The keeper push the ball on her post but hit it with her head. ( ouch ! :doh: )

 

[Jeff]

With a mid-year hiatus upon us before the final flurry of matches to complete qualifying (see results posted above), the major contenders are making themselves known.

Group 1
Norway is three points clear of Italy at the top, but both have 3 matches remaining. They play each other on the final matchday, Sept. 23, and that should be the deciding match.

Group 2
Sweden is six points up on the Czech Rep and Iceland. Sweden has 3 remaining matches; the other two have 4. Sweden can clinch top spot with wins against Iceland on Aug. 26 and the Czechs on Sept. 24.

Group 3
Denmark has a 3-point lead over Finland. They play each other twice next fall; a win for Denmark in either match will clinch first place for them

Group 4
Germany and Russia are tied on points, but Germany has an extra game in hand; they beat Russia 5-1 last September. The two meet again in Russia on the final group matchday, September 28, when the Germans should clinch first place.

Group 5
This is the most interesting of all the groups. England leads France by 3 points, thanks to Holland's shocking defeat of France last September. England and France drew in their first encounter; they meet again on the final matchday, September 30 in France. Before then, England has to meet feisty Holland in August (they beat Holland 0-1 last November), while France should have no trouble with Austria on September 23. This one will go down to the wire.

 

[Jeff]

Group 1 is all but decided, with two matches remaining. Norway needs only a draw against either of Italy or Ukraine in its two remaining matches to clinch first place.

Norway - 18 points: matches remaining vs. Ukraine and Italy

Italy - 15 points: one match remaining vs. Norway Sept. 23

Ukraine - 15 points: one match remaining vs. Norway Aug. 27

 

[Jeff]

See updated scores above.

Norway got the draw they needed against Ukraine, becoming the first UEFA team to clinch qualification for the 2007 WC.

 

[Jeff]

Norway has won Group 1

Sweden needs only a draw against Czech on September 24 to win Group 2.

Groups 3 and 4 are going down to the wire.

England needs only a draw away against France on September 30 to win Group 5.

 

[Jeff]

England got the draw they needed against France today to win the fifth and final qualifying spot for the WC.

The Group Winners and qualifiers for the 2007 World Cup are:

Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and England.

-----
The main 2007 WC qualifying thread.

 

[Lord Galactus]

FIFA Women's World Cup China 2007
Joy for England, Germany & Nordic trio

Joy for England defensive duo Alexandra Scott (L) and Katie Chapman (R), who celebrate the 1-1 draw with France on 30 September 2006 in the Route de Lorient stadium in Rennes that seals their place in the FIFA Women's World Cup.
(AFP) FRANK PERRY


(FIFA.com) 02 Oct 2006

The 136th and last FIFA Women's World Cup China 2007 qualifying fixture in Europe also provided one of the most dramatic finishes, as England secured a 1-1 draw in France to claim the final UEFA berth at women football's premier event.

The team coached by Hope Powell, who return to the finals for the first time since 1995, earned exactly the result they required to edge out Group 5 favourites France, thus exacting fitting revenge for a qualifying play-off defeat four years ago.
France proved their own worst enemies when striker Hoda Lattaf steered a Rachel Yankey free kick past her own keeper to hand England a vital lead with an own-goal. Knowing they now needed at least two goals to salvage a trip to China, the French threw everything into attack and forced an equaliser in the 89th minute. However, it proved too little, too late for Elisabeth Loisel and her team, and only the width of a post prevented Eniola Aluko from handing the visitors all three points in stoppage time.

"It's just been a fantastic year," Powell declared afterwards. "There's a great deal for us to celebrate," the England coach continued, while heaping praise on her team's beaten opponents: "France were unlucky today. There's simply too much quality in Europe for us only to have five teams at the World Cup. It was a happy ending for us this time."

Powell's counterpart Elisabeth Loisel is already looking to the future. "Obviously we're disappointed at failing to qualify, but my team were outstanding and gave it their best shot. Let's not forget that most of our players are still very young."

The defeat also marked the end of the road for veteran striker Marinette Pichon, who announced her international retirement on a total of 112 caps: "I've experienced a great deal of emotion with the national team. Now I'm just going to take some time off and then start out on other things."


The Danish bench erupts in celebration after the 1-0 win over Finland that ensured that they too will be making the journey to China 2007.

Danes edge Finns, Swedes and Norwegians cruise
Equally tense and dramatic was the all-Nordic meeting between Denmark and Finland. The Danes lost the first meeting between the sides 2-1 on Finnish soil, leaving them in need of at least a 1-0 home win to book their ticket to Far East.

In the event, Denmark secured the required result thanks to Maiken Pape's 56th minute strike. Coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller made little secret of his relief afterwards: "The victory ultimately came down to mental strength, as we've won a crucial final despite the pressure. I'm delighted I've been able to see through the work begun by my predecessor Peter Bonde. We will begin planning for the World Cup right away."

Norway became the first European team to book a spot at the tournament with a 1-1 away draw in Ukraine a few weeks ago. The Scandinavians rounded off their imperious qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory in Italy, to coach Bjarne Berntsen's deep satisfaction. "Even though we'd already qualified, my players showed impressive desire, and I was very pleased about that," he said. "We're hoping we can finish in the top three once we get to China."

Elsewhere, Sweden striker Hanna Ljungberg shrugged off a cold to fire her side to the FIFA Women's World Cup with both strikes in a 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic. The goalscorer, sidelined for most of the year following a serious injury sustained at the Algarve Cup, was understandably thrilled afterwards. "This is just fantastic," she said. "We can really look forward to the next few months, as we have an enjoyable time ahead preparing for the World Cup."


Germany's coach Silvia Neid looks on pensively from the touchline.
(AFP)
PATRIK STOLLARZ
Germany march on
Reigning world and European champions Germany were in no mood to allow a slip-up in their eighth and final qualifying fixture, taking a 3-0 lead in Russia before finally running out 3-2 winners.

Sandra Smisek (32), Kerstin Garefrekes (35) and Birgit Prinz (45+2) established a commanding half-time lead, before the Russians gave the scoreline an air of respectability with late goals from Natalia Barbaschina (84) and Olga Kremleva (90+2).

Coach Silvia Neid forgave her team their late lapses: "I'm definitely very satisfied about qualifying. We're unbeaten, and that doesn't happen by accident. But we were our own worst enemies today. We gave the Russians cause for hope."

Qualifying for the finals has earned the team a €200,000 bonus. "We're more than happy to pay up, because the team is a real plus for the German Football Association's image, and has become a figurehead for our association," German Football Association (DFB) President Dr Theo Zwanziger declared. "The bonus also recognises our outstanding performances in recent years, which this team has been able to maintain."

The pay-out represents the first time the DFB has rewarded the women's national team following qualification for a major tournament. The players collected a €15,000-per-head bonus for winning the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, followed by €10,000 each for the 2005 UEFA European Championship triumph.