2023 World Cup qualifying play-offs: Haiti or Chile will be final team in England's group
- Published
Sarina Wiegman's England will face one of the play-off winners at the 2023 World Cup, which is in New Zealand and Australia
In just over five months, European champions England will get their 2023 World Cup campaign under way - but one of their opponents is yet to be decided.
That will all be cleared up this week as the final three places up for grabs at this summer's tournament are decided via the play-offs in New Zealand.
The group stage draw for the main event has already been made, meaning the three qualifiers know exactly what prize is at stake. Here is everything you need to know...
Which team could face England?
Two teams are competing for the last spot in England's World Cup group.
Haiti travel to Chile in the early hours of Wednesday morning (01:00 GMT) as the sides vie for the right to complete a group featuring England, China and Denmark.
Chile are the higher ranked of the two sides, standing at 38 in the world, and were given a bye to the play-off final.
They also boast one of the world's best goalkeepers in Christiane Endler, who won the Champions League with Lyon in May.
Haiti, meanwhile, had to come through a semi-final against Senegal on Saturday and did so comfortably, beating their African opponents 4-0 in Auckland.
Chile's Christiane Endler is one of three players shortlisted for the Fifa Best Goalkeeper award, alongside England's Mary Earps and Chelsea's Ann-Katrin Berger
Chile made their World Cup debut in 2019 in a tough group alongside eventual champions the United States, Sweden - who reached the semi-finals - and Thailand. They claimed their first win in the tournament over Thailand but lost their other two games and missed out on the knockout stages on goal difference.
Haiti are 55th in the world and their women have never reached a major global tournament - although their men did qualify in 1974.
Most of their squad play in France, including 19-old-midfielder Melchie Dumornay, who recently announced she would be joining Lyon from Stade Reims this summer.
How do the play-offs work?
The 10 teams who began the play-offs were split into three groups, with the winner of each group earning a place at the World Cup.
Groups A and B contained three teams, with the two lowest-ranked sides facing off for the right to play a seeded nation. The winner of that second match qualifies.
Group C featured four sides, so there were two semi-finals, with the winners then meeting for a place at the World Cup.
Who else is taking part - and what is their prize?
In Group A, Portugal are the highest-ranked of the 10 play-off teams - at 22nd in the world - and while they have never reached a World Cup, they played in the past two European Championships.
Cameroon qualified in 2015 and 2019 and reached the last 16 in both tournaments. They were beaten by England in the latter competition in a bad-tempered encounter, with the African side outraged by several VAR decisions.
They beat Thailand 2-0 in Saturday's semi-final to set up a play-off final with the Portuguese.
The winners of Group A will be rewarded with a place in Group E at the World Cup and face the two finalists from four years ago - holders United States and 2019 runners-up Netherlands, as well as Vietnam.
In Group C, Papua New Guinea, managed by former Manchester City defender Spencer Prior, were beaten 2-0 in their semi-final by Panama.
Panama will face Paraguay in the Group C play-off final after the South Americans prevailed 4-2 on penalties against Chinese Taipei following a 2-2 draw.
Neither Paraguay nor Panama have ever reached the finals - and the winner of their meeting will enter World Cup Group F to face Brazil in their opening match, before taking on Jamaica and then France.
Full match schedule - all times GMT
Group A
Semi-final - Cameroon 2-0 Thailand, 18 February
Final - Portugal v Cameroon, 22 February (06:30)
Group B
Semi-final - Senegal 0-4 Haiti, 18 February
Final - Chile v Haiti, 22 February (01:00)
Group C
Chinese Taipei 2-2 Paraguay (2-4 on penalties aet), 19 February
Papua New Guinea 0-2 Panama, 19 February
Final - Paraguay v Panama, 23 February (01:00)