Germany lead qualification race

Holders Germany are just six points away from becoming the first team to earn a place alongside hosts England in the 2005 UEFA European Women's Championship final tournament.

First place enough
Seven berths are up for grabs through Groups 1-4, with matters becoming a lot clearer after the series of fixtures scheduled for the next two months. Top spot in those four five-team sections, which conclude this autumn, earns an automatic spot in England.

German chance
If Germany beat Ukraine on 28 April and Scotland four days later, they will finish first in Group 4 and have the chance to win the tournament for the fourth time in a row, and sixth time overall. Sweden, beaten by Germany in the 2001 Women’s Championship and 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup finals, could also clinch Group 1 in the next month if results go their way.

Three play-offs
The remaining three places alongside the four group winners and the hosts will be decided via a play-off system. The four runners-up and the two third-placed teams with the best records go through to those two-legged ties.

June finals
The two runners-up with the best records meet the two third-placed teams and the remaining runners-up meet each other, with the aggregate winners in all cases qualifying. The play-offs take place between October and December, with the finals on 5-19 June 2005.

Promotion race
Meanwhile, the 13 nations in Groups 5-7 are competing for the chance of promotion to the top tier of four groups. The winners of each of those three groups, plus the runner-up with the best record, progress to meet the four sides finishing bottom in Groups 1-4 this autumn. As in the other play-offs, the matches are over two legs, with the 'second division' sides at home first. The four winners will take their place in Groups 1-4 next time around.

Reports on uefa.com
Reports from all matches from the seven groups will appear on uefa.com as the shake-up continues.