Who could the home nations face in 2027 World Cup qualifying?

England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will discover who they will face in qualifying for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Tuesday's draw.

Qualifying for the tournament, which will be held in Brazil, follows the same format as the Nations League and is split into three tiers.

Only the four winners in League A will automatically qualify for the finals, and the remaining teams will have to go through the play-offs for the remaining eight places.

BBC Sport looks at what awaits the home nations in Tuesday's draw, and their possible routes to Brazil.

Pot One: France, Germany, Spain & Sweden.

Pot Two: Netherlands, England, Italy & Norway.

Pot Three: Denmark, Austria, Iceland & Poland.

Pot Four: Slovenia, Serbia, Ukraine & Republic of Ireland.

The four groups in World Cup qualifying will contain a team from each of the seeded pots.

England and the Republic of Ireland will be in League A for World Cup qualifying, and will head into the campaign knowing that they are already guaranteed a play-off.

Despite winning the Euros, the Lionesses are in the second tier and that could mean the latest chapter in their rivalry with Spain.

Sarina Wiegman's side also faced France and Sweden on their way to victory in July, and will back themselves to win automatic qualification no matter who they are drawn against from pot one.

England and the Republic of Ireland were in the same group for Euro 2025 qualifying and could face off again.

In a group that also contained heavyweights France and Sweden, the Irish were relegated, but a stunning promotion play-off win over Belgium saw them return to League A at the first time of asking.

Led by Katie McCabe, the Republic of Ireland qualified for the 2023 World Cup but missed out on the Euros after losing to Wales.

Being back in the top tier puts Carla Ward's side in the best position to rectify that for the World Cup.

The biggest benefit of being in League A is that a play-off for the World Cup is guaranteed at the very least.

The four respective winners of the top-tier groups will automatically qualify for the finals in Brazil.

Despite being in pot two, that will be the target for the Lionesses.

If England or the Republic of Ireland finish second or third they would face a League C side in their first-round play-off, and then a side who finished fourth in the top tier or a League B team in the decisive play-off.

On the flip side of that, the bottom four sides in League A will be relegated for the next Nations League but they would still have a first-round play-off against a side who finished second or third in League B.

The second-round play-off would likely be against one of the sides who finishes above them in the top tier.

Pot One: Belgium, Portugal, Wales & Switzerland.

Pot Two: Scotland, Czech Republic, Finland & Northern Ireland.

Pot Three: Albania, Turkey, Slovakia, Israel.

Pot Four: Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Latvia.

Like in the top tier, the four groups in League B will contain a team from each of the seeded pots.

That means that there could be a derby as Wales have a 50% chance of facing either Scotland or Northern Ireland in qualifying.

After the retirement of Jess Fishlock, World Cup qualifying will mark a new era for Wales, who played in their first major tournament at Euro 2025.

Despite their historic Euros appearance, Wales have now lost nine of their last 11 matches and were relegated from League A.

In fact, the last game Wales won was the Euro play-off win over the Republic of Ireland in December.

Rhian Wilkinson's side should still have enough quality to beat the sides in pots three and four, but will have to have an upturn in form if they are to finish top of their League B group.

Scotland were also relegated from League A in the latest iteration of the Nations League in the spring in a group with Germany, the Netherlands and Austria.

The 2019 World Cup was Scotland's last major tournament, and that almost feels unjust for a squad filled with quality players such as Caroline Weir and Erin Cuthbert.

Of the four sides in pot one, Scotland drew twice with Belgium in the autumn of 2023 and there was also a friendly draw with Wales that February.

Northern Ireland have been in League B for every iteration of the Nations League and qualifying for major tournaments.

Tanya Oxtoby's side finished second in their Nations League group but Iceland comfortably won their promotion play-off 5-0 across two legs.

NI, whose sole major tournament came at Euro 2022, have never beaten a top-tier side under the Australian, and will likely need to do so if they are to reach a first World Cup.

If Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are to earn a play-off they must avoid finishing bottom of their respective groups.

Not only would they be relegated to League C, which would be a shock and disaster for any of the three, they would also miss out on a play-off.

On the other hand, if they were to win their respective groups, they would not only earn promotion to League A but their first-round play-off would be against a side who finished second or third in League B.

Likewise, if Scotland, Wales or NI were to finish second or third in their group they would face a side who finished in fourth place in League A or a Group B winner.

The second round of the play-offs are seeded, and if they progress they would likely face League A opposition.

So, in short, if Wales, Scotland or NI are to reach the World Cup they will likely have to defeat two strong nations along the way.

The six qualifying matches in World Cup qualifying will take place in windows across March, April and June next year.

The first round of the two-legged play-off is scheduled for October 2026, while the final play-off round will be at the end of November and start of December.

But for now, all eyes are on Tuesday's draw to see what lies ahead for the various home nations.