While the U.S. women’s national team has been playing friendly after friendly, plenty of the rest of the world has already started their qualification paths to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

So, what is the state of World Cup qualifying around the world in women’s soccer? What do people need to know about the differences in how the six FIFA confederations handle their qualifiers? How can FIFA change the women’s game and increase investment? Who are the nations to watch that could be on the rise over the next year?

On this episode of Full Time, as the first FIFA window of 2026 arrives, host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Tamerra Griffin and Producer Theo to get into World Cup qualifying around the globe. What does it all mean? When is it happening? And, why should we care?

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HOSTS: Jillian Sakovits, Tamerra Griffin

PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes

VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen

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Referenced on the show:

How Jamaica eliminated Brazil from the 2023 Women’s World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s call for more women in power is ironic and disappointing

Brazil wins 2027 Women’s World Cup hosting duties: What we know about the successful bid

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Get in touch: ⁠⁠fulltime@theathletic.com⁠⁠