England's easy win over Greece highlights inefficiency of Women's World Cup play‑offs

England's dominant victory over Greece in the first round of the Women’s World Cup qualifying play‑offs highlighted the one‑sided nature of the current format. The match underscored how big scorelines can reveal structural inefficiencies. The outcome raises questions about whether the play‑off system is achieving its intended purpose.

England saw off Greece in the opening round of the Women’s World Cup qualifying play‑offs, delivering a decisive performance that left little doubt over the gap between the two sides.

The play‑off system is designed to give teams that finish just outside automatic qualification a second chance to earn a spot in the tournament, but it also creates a tiered competition where some matchups are inherently uneven.

The result, along with other recent matches that have produced lopsided scorelines, points to a broader issue: the current structure can lead to one‑sided games that do not test teams under equal conditions.

Such outcomes raise concerns about the fairness of the qualification process and whether the system truly reflects the competitive balance of women’s football worldwide.

As the play‑offs progress, England will face a new opponent while other teams await their next challenge. The governing bodies may need to review the format to ensure that future matchups are more balanced and that the path to the World Cup remains merit‑based.