The US claimed their eighth SheBelieves Cup title, having whipped out their competition three from three. They lifted the trophy after a 1-0 victory over Colombia. Colombia disrupted the US rhythm early with aggressive physical play, as the hosts struggled to establish control. Alyssa Thompson, a bright young talent for both Chelsea and country, cut inside and fired an unstoppable strike into the top corner, sealing the win. They beat Argentina in their previous game, while Canada finished second after edging Argentina on penalties following a goalless draw.
England started 2027 on the front foot by winning both their World Cup qualifier matches and topping their group on goal difference of two ahead of Spain. With only one automatic qualification place available, it could all be decided by a rerun of the Euros and World Cup final to determine the group's destiny, or go down to the wire on goal difference.
England's campaign began with a dominant second-half display against Ukraine after some tactical changes by Sarina Wiegman, the manager. Chances in the first half fell to Alessia Russo, Laura Blindkilde Brown, who hit the bar on her first seniorstart,r and Lotte Wubben-Moy, but it was goalless at the break.
The tactical changes included introducing Poppy Pattinson to make her senior debut in her first camp call-up, being the first London City Lionesses player to play for the England senior team. This move was in hopes to rebalance England's attacking shape.
The breakthrough came when Keira Walsh released Russo, who finished calmly before adding a second minute later. Ukraine briefly threatened a comeback through Yana Kalinina, exposing defensive vulnerabilities, but England responded ruthlessly.
Georgia Stanway scored twice, taking her England tally to 51 goal involvements (31 goals, 20 assists), before Jess Park added two of her own in a commanding 6–1 win that highlighted England’s depth and attacking evolution.
England then played Iceland at home, winning 2- 0 at the City Ground. Lucy Bronze received her 145th cap, making her the third-most capped England women's senior player, and she completed the achievement with the opening goal. It came from a Chelsea link-up with Lauren James's cross into the box and Bronze's header home. Bronze became the provider of the second goal, where Stanway volleyed home to seal the win. Bronze also had other opportunities toscoret more goals in this match.
The result preserved England’s extraordinary home World Cup qualifying record: unbeaten in 24 matches and no goals conceded at home in qualifiers since 2002.
Spain started well, with a 3-0 victory over Iceland, with a double from Claudia Pina, who has in recent years become a core attacking threat for club and country. She opened the scoring with a stunning strike from outside the area and followed it with a second after a slick attacking move. Edna Imade scored her first international goal for Spain from an Ona Batlle cross, which she headed in. Mariona Cladenty secured her 100th cap for Spain. They also beat Ukraine 3-1.
Germany has a positive goal difference of nine as they did not concede in either of their fixtures. They beat Slovenia 5-0, with Larissa Mühlhaus scoring a debut goal from the bench within minutes. Their second match was a 4-0 victory over Norway, keeping Germany perfect in qualification.
In South America, Brazil suffered a surprise home defeat to Venezuela, 2-1, giving up the lead before halftime. While Brazil did pull one back late on,n they could not find the equaliser. They did bounce back from this defeat to beat Mexico 1-0.
Beyond England, Spain, the USA, Germany and Brazil, the March 2026 women’s international break also delivered major storylines elsewhere, particularly in Asia and across UEFA qualifying. The AFC Women’s Asian Cup dominated the calendar, with South Korea topping their group after a dramatic 3–3 draw with hosts Australia in front of a record crowd. At the same time, while Japan comfortably progressed to the knockout stages, the Philippines kept their qualification hopes alive with a crucial group win. In Europe, several established nations made strong starts to the 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifying, with France, Sweden and Switzerland all securing important early results, while Norway began to steady their campaign. Overall, the window highlighted the growing depth of the women’s game, rising attendances and how fine margins such as goal difference, late goals and tactical flexibility are already shaping qualification and tournament momentum.
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