Following her serious injury and long layoff, our defender Maria Palama received her first call-up in June for the Greek women's national team's World Cup qualifying campaign, featuring in the match against Georgia. Greece won the encounter 3–2 to finish the group unbeaten with four wins, securing promotion to League B. However, the national team can only qualify for the World Cup by successfully navigating through the two autumn play-off ties.
In the first round of the 2027 Brazil Women's World Cup qualifying play-offs, Greece host reigning European champions England on Friday, 9 October at 18:30, before traveling to face the continental champions away four days later. Our 26-year-old defender has once again been included in the squad.
The four League A group winners (Denmark, France, Germany, and Spain) have already qualified for the tournament. Out of the eight winners of the second play-off round, the seven best-performing teams based on the overall qualifying ranking will qualify directly for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. The eighth team will compete for a World Cup spot in the inter-confederation play-offs in February.
By winning its group, the Hungarian women's national team qualified for the World Cup qualifying play-offs, where they will face the Netherlands, ranked 10th in the world.
“I was very happy when I was called up for the last national team camp in June for the match against Georgia. It was a special moment for me, as it was my first national team call-up after my injury, so it meant a lot to be part of the national team again. Representing my country always fills me with pride; it is a huge honor. I am very glad to have been called up again for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against England. Two very important matches await us against a strong opponent, and I can't wait to be with the team again.”
