England miss automatic World Cup spot as Spain top group, France and Denmark qualify

England's Lionesses defeated Ukraine 3-0 on Tuesday but missed out on automatic qualification for next year's Women's World Cup. The team finished level on points with Spain in their group, with the World Cup champions securing top spot due to a superior head-to-head record after thrashing Iceland 6-1.

Jess Carter, Georgia Stanway, and Beth Mead scored for England at Everton Stadium, but their victory was not enough to overcome Spain's advantage. "It's mixed feelings," Stanway told ITV Sport. "It's very rare to get 15 points and not win the group. That shows our level and consistency, but we know our performance against Spain wasn't good enough."

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It’s mixed feelings. It’s very rare to get 15 points and not win the group. That shows our level and consistency, but we know our performance against Spain wasn’t good enough.

Mead shared the disappointment, acknowledging the difficulty of competing in a group with Spain. "It's the nature of the competition and very tough when you are in a group with Spain. We'll stay motivated to qualify through the play-offs," she said. France and Denmark also clinched their World Cup berths.

France secured their place with a 1-0 home win over Ireland, topping their group despite a late red card. Denmark claimed first place in their group with a dominant 4-1 away victory over Serbia. Germany had already qualified in their group prior to the final round of matches. The Women's World Cup is scheduled to be held in Brazil from June 24 to July 25 next year.

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It's the nature of the competition and very tough when you are in a group with Spain. We'll stay motivated to qualify through the play-offs.