[1] Apart from Switzerland, 48 of the remaining 54 UEFA member national teams entered the qualifying competition (including Kosovo who entered a competitive women's national team tournament for the first time).

The following criteria are applied (Regulations Article 15.01):[3] The draw for the qualifying round was held on 11 November 2016, 10:00 CET (UTC+1), at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

[2] The qualifying round must be played by 29 October 2017, and on the following FIFA International Match Calendar dates unless all four teams agree to play on another date:[3][7] Times up to 28 October 2017 are CEST (UTC+2), thereafter times are CET (UTC+1).

Matches of the first matchday were postponed from 17 to 18 October due to wildfires in Portugal.

The draw for the elite round was held on 24 November 2017, 11:00 CET (UTC+1), at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.