The Maltese national team have avoided traditional super powers in women’s football as the qualifying group stage draw of the 2015 World Cup was held in Nyon.

Pierre Borg’s team reached this phase after topping a preliminary round mini-tournament played in Malta earlier this month.

Yesterday, they faced the prospect of being drawn in the same group as two-time world champions Germany or European big guns Norway, Sweden, France and England.

However, Malta’s opponents in Group 3 will be Denmark, Ice-land, Switzerland, Serbia and Israel, albeit strong opponents with more experience at this level than the Maltese.

The draw featured 42 teams and they were split into seven groups of six.

Matches will be played from September 20/21 to September 17, 2014 on a home-and-away basis. The seven group winners qualify automatically for the finals in Canada in 2015.

The four runners-up with the best record go into the play-offs for the remaining UEFA berth.

The draw
Group 1: Germany, Russia, Ireland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia.
Group 2: Italy, Spain, Czech Rep., Romania, Estonia, Macedonia.
Group 3: Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Serbia, Israel, Malta.
Group 4: Sweden, Scotland, Poland, N. Ireland, Bosnia, Faroe Islands.
Group 5: Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Greece, Albania.
Group 6: England, Ukraine, Bela-rus, Wales, Turkey, Montenegro.
Group 7: France, Finland, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan.