20 teams were divided into 5 groups of 4. The 5 group winners qualified for the actual qualifying stage, together
with 25 countries exempted from the preliminary round.
The two winners of the preliminary round will join the 36 top ranked nations, with the exception of already qualified Sweden, and play in four groups of five teams and three of six teams. The group winners and the best ranked runner-up qualified for the final tournament. The other six runners-up will play three two-legged playoffs with those winners also advancing to the final tournament. This stage will run from September 2011 to September 2012.
Seeding
Israel, Northern Ireland, Romania, Slovakia and Wales will enter the UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying draw on 13 December 2006, taking on the continent's strongest nations for a place in the 12-team finals in Finland.
The six group winners automatically qualified for the final tournament. The six group runners-up and the four third-placed teams with the best record against the rest of the top four in their respective groups went into five two-legged play-offs.