Women's Nations League - how it stands

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Scotland's Rachel Corsie, Wales' Jess Fishlock and England's Hannah Hampton

The business end of the Women's Nations League group stage is here, with England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all in action twice over the next week.

France have already booked their place in the Nations League finals but there are still three spots up for grabs, while promotion and relegation between the groups is also at stake.

England will still hope they can reach the finals although they will need to win both their games against Portugal and world champions Spain.

Scotland and Wales will both look to earn their first victories of the competition as they battle against relegation from League A, while Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland could win promotion to the top league.

BBC Sport takes a look at the competition so far, what is up for grabs in the tournament and how England and Wales' preparations are going for this summer's Euros in Switzerland.

What is the Women's Nations League?

The league was launched in 2023, with the inaugural tournament offering qualification spots for the 2025 Women's European Championship.

Countries are placed into groups of three or four teams, across three different leagues, with promotion and relegation between the leagues depending on the match results.

And there's a lot at stake.

Teams are not only competing for the Nations League title but their finishing position will also determine where they start in the league system for the European qualifiers for the 2027 Women's World Cup.

What has happened so far? Next fixtures?

England, Scotland and Wales are all in the top league - League A.

Scotland are rooted to the bottom of Group A1, with four defeats in four matches.

They suffered two narrow losses in February - 1-0 in Austria and then 2-1 at home to the Netherlands before two heavy defeats by table-toppers Germany in April - losing 4-0 at home and then a 6-1 hammering in Frankfurt four days later.

They will be relegated if they lose at home to Austria on Friday, before they face a trip to the Netherlands on Tuesday.

France remain unbeaten at the top of Group A2 and have already qualified for the finals.

Next matches in Group A1 and A2

Group A1: 30 May - Germany v Netherlands, Scotland v Austria; 3 June - Austria v Germany, Netherlands v Scotland.

Group A2: 30 May - France v Switzerland, Norway v Iceland; 3 June - Iceland v France, Switzerland v Norway.

England began their Group A3 campaign with an underwhelming 1-1 draw in Portugal, but claimed an impressive 1-0 win at Wembley over reigning world champions Spain.

The Lionesses, who will attempt to defend their European title in Switzerland this summer, beat Belgium 5-0 at Bristol City's Ashton Gate in April but a 3-2 defeat by the same side four days later in Leuven means they now find themselves in second place behind Spain.

They host Portugal at Wembley on Friday knowing they will be unable to qualify for the finals if they fail to win and Spain beat Portugal.

However, victory for the Lionesses and then another three points away to Spain on Tuesday would seal top spot for Sarina Wiegman's side.

Wales, who are preparing to compete in their first major women's tournament this summer, are four points adrift at the bottom of Group A4 and still waiting for their first win.

They lost 1-0 to Italy in their competition opener before responding with two impressive 1-1 draws with Sweden, either side of a 2-1 defeat by Denmark.

Wales will be relegated on Friday if they lose away to Denmark or if they draw and Italy do not lose to Sweden. They host Italy four days later.

Next matches in Group A3 and A4

Group A3: 30 May - England v Portugal, Belgium v Spain; 3 June - Spain v England, Portugal v Belgium.

Group A4: 30 May - Denmark v Wales, Italy v Sweden; 3 June - Wales v Italy, Sweden v Denmark.

Women's Nations League Group A3 and A4 tables

In Group B1, Northern Ireland sit second but could still win promotion ahead of Poland, who they trail by three points. The two sides play on Friday at Seaview.

Northern Ireland need to win otherwise Poland will top the group, with the final round of matches to come on Tuesday when Northern Ireland will travel to Zenica to play Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Tanya Oxtoby's side lost 2-0 away to the Poles in February before home wins over Bosnia-Herzogovina and Romania, plus an away draw with the Romanians.

The Republic of Ireland are in second place in Group B2, three points behind leaders Slovenia, who they host on Tuesday.

Before that match they face a trip to Turkey on Friday knowing if they fail to win and Slovenia beat Greece, they will be unable to finish top.

In February, Carla Ward's side beat Turkey 1-0 before being thrashed 4-0 in Slovenia. They then picked up two wins over Greece in April.

Next matches in Group B1 and B2

Group B1: 30 May - Northern Ireland v Poland, Romania v Bosnia-Herzegovina; 3 June - Bosnia-Herzegovina v Northern Ireland, Poland v Romania.

Group B2: 30 May - Turkey v Republic of Ireland, Slovenia v Greece; 3 June -Republic of Ireland v Slovenia, Greece v Turkey.

Women's Nations League Group B1 and B2 tables

How does the league work?

Teams were placed in each league based on their rankings at the end of the 2024 women's European qualifying league stage.

The four League A group winners will meet in two-legged semi-finals. The winners go into the final to decide who takes the Nations League title, while the losers go into a third-place play-off. Both the final and the third-place tie will also be played over two legs.

The teams who finish fourth in each League A group will be relegated to League B, and the League B group winners will be promoted.

Each group winner of League C will be promoted to League B, with the teams finishing at the bottom of League B, as well as two of the lowest ranked third-placed teams, dropping to League C.

Spain won the inaugural Women's Nations League title in 2024.

How can teams qualify for Women's World Cup?

The group standings at the end of the Nations League determine which teams are placed in each league for the European qualifiers for the 2027 Women's World Cup.

There will be another draw in November 2025 to decide the groups within the three leagues.

Teams who finish in the top two in each League A group stay in the top league for the World Cup qualifiers.

The top four teams in League B will be promoted.

Third-placed teams from League A will have to play the second-placed teams from League B to decide which four teams claim the final League A spots.

At the end of the World Cup qualifiers, the four League A winners will qualify directly for the Women's World Cup. Other teams will be entered into the play-offs to claim the remaining spots.