--- title: "Chelsea Women face World Cup play-off tests as Lexi Potter targets first senior England appearance" canonical: "https://readchelsea.com/2026/10/06/chelsea-women-internationals/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "James Chettle" section: "Chelsea News" published: "2026-10-06T07:45:00Z" modified: "2026-10-06T07:45:00Z" --- # Chelsea Women face World Cup play-off tests as Lexi Potter targets first senior England appearance > **Key takeaways** > > - **Chelsea:** Twenty players feature across 14 senior national squads. > - **Lexi Potter:** Could make her England debut against Greece. > - **Naomi Girma:** Has withdrawn from the USA squad. Chelsea Women’s October internationals bring World Cup play-offs, a possible England debut for Lexi Potter and meetings between club team-mates. The senior schedule runs from 9 to 14 October, before Sonia Bompastor’s side resume their Women’s Super League campaign against Tottenham. Here are the call-ups, fixtures and UK kick-off times supporters need. **Last updated: 6 October 2026. All dates and times below are British Summer Time.** ## When could Lexi Potter make her England debut? Potter has two opportunities to earn her first senior cap: away to Greece on Friday 9 October and in the return at Leicester’s King Power Stadium on Tuesday 13 October. The midfielder joins Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh and Lauren James following her [first England senior call-up](https://readchelsea.com/2026/09/29/lexi-potter-england-call-up-chelsea/). Selection gives Potter the opportunity to make another significant step, although Sarina Wiegman has yet to confirm who will play. England’s first leg kicks off at 17:30, with the home game starting at 19:30. The [FA’s broadcast guide confirms both matches will be shown live on ITV](https://www.englandfootball.com/articles/2026/Oct/05/where-to-watch-england-women-and-wu23s-live-on-app-20260510). ## Chelsea Women’s World Cup play-off fixtures Seven countries featuring Chelsea players enter the first round of Europe’s qualifying play-offs. Each team listed below plays its first leg away on Friday 9 October, followed by the home return on Tuesday 13 October. Italy and Switzerland’s away fixtures take place at neutral venues. | Country | Chelsea players | Opponents | 9 October | 13 October | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | England | Hampton, Bronze, Walsh, James, Potter | Greece | 17:30 | 19:30 | | Italy | Giulia Dragoni | Belarus | 17:15 | 17:15 | | Netherlands | Veerle Buurman, Wieke Kaptein | Hungary | 19:00 | 19:45 | | Republic of Ireland | Katie McCabe | Kazakhstan | 12:00 | 19:30 | | Scotland | Erin Cuthbert | Czechia | 18:00 | 19:15 | | Sweden | Nathalie Bjorn | Lithuania | 17:05 | 18:00 | | Switzerland | Livia Peng | Israel | 17:30 | 18:30 | The Netherlands’ home kick-off follows the [Dutch federation’s fixture listing](https://tickets.knvb.nl/selection/event/date?lang=en&productId=10229848129447), which gives 20:45 local time, or 19:45 BST. ## Would winning these ties secure World Cup qualification? No. October’s winners advance to a second two-legged tie later in the year. According to [UEFA’s play-off draw and format](https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropeanqualifiers/news/02a6-20e5c80e2800-0f6b47898506-1000--women-s-european-qualifiers-for-2027-fifa-women-s-world-cu/), England would face Slovakia or Ukraine if they overcome Greece. Scotland and Sweden could meet in round two, potentially putting Cuthbert and Bjorn on opposite sides of a decisive tie. Seven of the eight second-round winners qualify directly for Brazil 2027, based on the qualifying league rankings. The remaining winner enters the inter-confederation play-offs. ## Which Chelsea players have international friendlies? Chelsea’s [official international squad guide](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/chelsea-women-international-call-ups-and-schedules-for-october-2026) also confirms the following selections. | Country | Chelsea players | Opponents and kick-offs | | --- | --- | --- | | Australia | Ellie Carpenter | Germany: 9 Oct, 19:30; Haiti: 13 Oct, 20:00 | | Canada | Kadeisha Buchanan | Denmark: 10 Oct, 00:00; Denmark: 12 Oct, 20:30 | | France | Sandy Baltimore, Melvine Malard | Latvia: 10 Oct, 20:00 | | Germany | Sjoeke Nusken | Australia: 9 Oct, 19:30; Japan: 14 Oct, 16:45 | | Jamaica | Becky Spencer | Mexico: 9 Oct, 21:00; Mexico: 13 Oct, 21:00 | | Japan | Maika Hamano | Haiti: 9 Oct, 19:00; Germany: 14 Oct, 16:45 | | USA | Alyssa Thompson | Spain: 10 Oct, 19:30; Spain: 14 Oct, 00:00 | The midnight fixtures start at the beginning of the dates shown. Canada’s first game therefore falls on Friday night into Saturday for UK viewers; the USA’s second falls on Tuesday night into Wednesday. ## Why is Naomi Girma absent? Girma initially featured in the USA selection but has since withdrawn. Bompastor previously explained that the defender suffered a training knock and could miss several weeks. Our [Naomi Girma injury update](https://readchelsea.com/2026/10/01/naomi-girma-injury-bompastor-update/) covers that assessment. Thompson remains selected for Emma Hayes’ two matches against Spain. ## When do Chelsea Women play again? Chelsea host Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Sunday 18 October, kicking off at noon. The [club’s confirmed WSL television schedule](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/four-chelsea-wsl-fixtures-moved-for-tv) lists Sky Sports as the broadcaster.