³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

All four home nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - were in action on Tuesday in the latest round of qualifying for the 2023 Women's World Cup.

The top teams in each of the nine European qualifying groups will qualify automatically for the 32-team event, while the nine runners-up will advance to the play-offs.

The World Cup will take place in Australia and New Zealand next year from 20 July to 20 August.

Keep reading to find out how the four home nations are doing so far in qualifying.

England beat Northern Ireland 5-0 at a sell-out Windsor Park in their Group D qualifying match on Tuesday.

Manager Sarina Wiegman's side are now five points clear of second-placed Austria at the top of their group.

The Lionesses only need to avoid losing when they face Austria next in September to confirm their place at the World Cup.

If they slip up they will get a second opportunity in their final game against Luxembourg, who they defeated 10-0 in September last year.

Northern Ireland's dreams of reaching the 2023 Women's World Cup are all over after their defeat to England.

Mathematically, they could finish level on points with Austria in the race for second place in Group D.

But the Austrians' better record against Northern Ireland means they cannot reach the play-offs for the tournament.

Some good news though was that yesterday's game took place in front of a crowd of 15,348 at Windsor Park - a record for a women's match in Northern Ireland.

Scotland remain in second place with two games left to play after losing to 2-0 to Spain on Tuesday, who sealed top spot in Group B with the win at Hampden Park.

The Scots were due to face Ukraine during this international break too - before the war delayed the game in Kyiv until at least 24 June.

As long as they equal or do better than third-placed Hungary in their next two matches, their play-off chances are pretty good.

Wales' 3-0 victory in Kazakhstan on Tuesday keeps World Cup qualification - and a first major tournament appearance - in their own hands.

Group I leaders France, who have won eight games out of eight, have sealed their place at next year's World Cup already.

That leaves Wales among the teams chasing a runners-up spot to book a play-off spot.

The Welsh team can guarantee a second-place finish with victories over Greece and Slovenia in their final qualifiers in September.