Enough talk of the UEFA Champions League draw. There’s only one UEFA draw that matters. Did you know that UEFA President Michel Platini will be conducting the draw for UEFA Women’s World Cup Qualifying playoffs on Monday? The top four seeded teams will be randomly drawn with the bottom four undeeded teams. Four teams will advance to the Women’s World Cup while the fifth will have to jump through more hoops to qualify. In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about those eight teams. They’re in order of how they’ll likely be seeded.

1.) France

How Did They Qualify? With ease. What does a perfect 10-0-0 record with 50 goals scored and 0 goals conceded (!) get you? The first seed, that’s what. Iceland were Las Bleues’ biggest competitors but France took care of them in both matches.

Coach: Bruni Bini (France. Appointed February 2007)

Most Appearances: Defenders Corine Franco and Sandrine Soubeyrand appeared in all 10 matches. Soubeyrand is France’s captain and leads the way in caps with 152. Franco also scored four goals. Goalkeeper Berangere Sapowicz played in eight games and recorded a clean sheet in every game. Celine Deville also appeared twice and maintained France’s perfect record.

Top Goal Scorer: Gaetane Thiney tallied 11 goals and striker Marie-Laure Delie scored nine.

WPS: Camille Abily appeared in nine matches, scoring five goals while Sonia Bompastor (playing predominately as a leftback) played in eight games and scored twice.

L’histoire: France’s international record is pretty scant. Las Bleues have only appeared in one Women’s World Cup. Since taking the job in 2007, Coach Bini has guided the team to its most successful era yet.

1997 Euro’s Group Stage

2001 Euro’s Group Stage

2003 Women’s World Cup – Group Stage

2005 Euro’s Group Stage

2009 Euro’s Quarterfinals

2.) Norway

How did they qualify? Norway had their qualification run wrapped up nearly a month and a half ago but they made it official last weekend. They finished five points ahead of the Netherlands. Norway earned just one draw from a 2-2 result with the Netherlands. Those two goals were the only goals conceded throughout qualification.

Coach: Eli Landsem (Norwegian, appointed 2009). Landsem – Norway’s first female coach – took over the team after Norway’s disappointing run in Euro 2009.

Most Appearances: Goalkeeper Ingrid Hjelmseth, defender Maren Mjelde, midfielder Solveig Gulbrandsen and striker Lise Klaveness appeared in all 8 qualifying games.

Top Goal Scorer: Striker Isabell Lehn Herlovsen led the way with nine goals scored.

WPS: Former FC Gold Pride player Solveig Gulbrandsen scored four times while Washington Freedom striker Lene Mykjaland appeared four times, scoring three goals.

History: Norway has got plenty of it. Next to the United States and Germany, Norway is one of the most decorated teams in the history of international women’s soccer. The team hasn’t won a major title in 15 years, however, although they came close in Euro 2005.

1991 Euros Runners Up

1991 Women’s World Cup Runners Up

1993 Euros Champions

1995 Euros Semifinals

1995 Women’s World Cup Champions

1997 Euros Semifinals

1999 Women’s World Cup Semifinals

2001 Euros Semifinals

2003 Women’s World Cup Quarterfinals

2005 Runners up

2007 Women’s World Cup Semifinals

2009 Euros Semifinals, 3rd place

3.) Sweden

How did they qualify? Again, with relative ease. The Swedes also earned one draw, scored 36 goals and conceded just three. They finished with a comfortable 17 point distance from the Czech Republic.

Coach: Thomas Dennerby (Sweden, appointed 2005)

Most appearances: Fullback Sara Thunebro and midfielder Caroline Seger appeared in all eight qualifying matches.

Top goal scorer: Caroline Seger led her team with seven goals while Jessica Landstrom tallied six.

WPS: In addition to Seger, Independence teammate Sara Larsson has appeared in four games and former Red Stars Kosovare Asllani played in four games, scoring twice.

History: Always the bridesmaid. Sweden are always there or thereabouts but haven’t won anything of much significance since the “modern era” of women’s soccer.

1991 Women’s World Cup Semifinals, 3rd place

1993 Euros Quarterfinals

1995 Euros Runners-Up

1996 Olympics Group Stage

1995 Women’s World Cup Quarterfinals

1997 Euros Semifinals

1999 Women’s World Cup Quarterfinals

2000 Olympics Quarterfinals

2001 Euros Runners-Up

2003 Women’s World Cup Runners-Up

2004 Olympics Semifinals

2005 Euros Semifinals

2007 Women’s World Cup Group Stage

2008 Olympics Quarterfinals

2009 Euros Quarterfinals

4.) England

How did they qualify? England were the second UEFA team to qualify after their win against Turkey on July 30. They finished just three points ahead of Spain, who held the Three Lions close all through qualifying.

Coach: Hope Powell (England, appointed 1998)

Most appearances: Alex Scott, Faye White and Fara Williams appeared in all 8 matches. FYI: Karen Bardsley played in three.

Top goal scorer: Jessica Clarke and Ellen White had four goals apiece.

WPS: In addition to KB and Alex Scott (who scored twice), Katie Chapman appeared six times and scored once, Karen Carney played four times, Lianne Sanderson scored two goals in three matches, Eniola Aluko scored once in four and Kelly Smith appeared four times and scored three goals.

History: England has won two ‘unofficial’ Women’s World Cup’s back in 1985 and 1988 but success has been modest in recent history. Their final appearance in the 2009 European Championship has been their best finish yet.

1991 Euros Quarterfinals

1993 Euros Quarterfinals

1995 Euros Semifinals

1995 Women’s World Cup Quarterfinals

2001 Euros Group Stage

2005 Euros Group Stage

2007 Women’s World Cup Quarterfinals

2009 Euros Runners-Up

5.) Italy

How did they qualify? Quickly. Italy became the first team to qualify for the UEFA playoffs with a 3-1 win against Finland back on June 25th. The Azzure finished three points ahead of Finland.

Coach: Pietro Ghedin (Italian, appointed 2005 after superseding Carolina Morace)

Most appearances: Goalkeeper Anna Maria Picarelli, defenders Sara Gama and Roberta D’Adda, midfielder Pamela Conti and striker Patrizia Panico appeared in all eight qualifying matches.

Top goal scorer: Both Conti and Panico scored eight goals in eight games.

WPS: No word on how many clavicles Panico fractured, however.

History: Decent.

1991 Women’s World Cup Quarterfinals

1993 Euros Runners-Up

1995 Euros Quarterfinals

1997 Euros Runners-Up

1999 Women’s World Cup Group Stage

2001 Euros Group Stage

2005 Euros Group Stage

2009 Euros Quarterfinals

6.) Denmark

How did they qualify? Late. Just one point separated Denmark from Scotland in the end. Both teams met this week and Denmark escaped with a narrow 0-0 draw. It was enough to see the Danes through. In all, they had drawn just twice while scoring 45 goals and conceding none.

Coach: Kenneth Heiner-Moller (Denmark, appointed 2006)

Most appearances: Defender Line Roddik Hansen and forward Johanna Rasmussen appeared in every game.

Top goal scorer: Rasmussen scored nine times in eight games while midfielder Catherine Paaske-Sorensen found the net seven times in six appearances.

WPS: The Atlanta Beat’s Johanna Rasmussen is awesome.

History: Denmark has quietly been one of the most varnished international teams in women’s soccer, having only missed out on one Women’s World Cup and one European Championship since 1991.

1991 Women’s World Cup Quarterfinals

1991 Euros Semifinals

1993 Euros Semifinals

1995 Euros Quarterfinals

1995 Women’s World Cup Quarterfinals

1997 Euros Quarterfinals

1999 Women’s World Cup Group Stage

2001 Euros Semifinals

2005 Euros Group Stage

2007 Women’s World Cup Group Stage

7.) Switzerland

How did they qualify? To much surprise. The Swiss finished above favorites Russia on the back of a fine 3-0 defeat of the team on June 30. That upset decided the group and saw Switzerland through to the playoffs.

Coach: Beatrice von Siebenthal (Switzerland)

Most appearances: Goalkeeper Marisa Brunner, defender Caroline Abbe and midfielders Sandy Maendly, Lara Dickenmann and Martina Moser appeared in all eight games.

Top goal scorer: 20 year-old Ana Maria Crnogorcevic scored six goals, but five of them came in Switzerland’s recent 8-0 thrashing of Kazakhstan.

History: None. Switzerland have never qualified for either a Women’s World Cup or a European Championship.

8.) Ukraine

How did they qualify: With a late surprise. Ukraine overtook Poland on the last day of qualifying as they beat Poland 3-1. The team qualified out of the most competitive group, having finished one point ahead of Poland and two points ahead of Hungary.

Head coach: Anatoliy Kutsev (Ukraine, appointed 2007)

Most appearances: Defender Olena Khodyreva, midfielders Vira Dyatel, Alla Lyshafay and Daryna Apanaschenko and forwards Olha Boychenko and Lyudmyla Pekur appeared in eight games.

Top goal scorer: Midfielder Daryna Apanaschenko scored 10 goals.

History: This would be their first ever Women’s World Cup appearance.

2009 Euros Group Stage

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