Let Mμ0 denote S2×S2 endowed with a split symplectic form normalized so that μ≥1 and σ(S2)=1. Given a symplectic embedding of the standard ball of capacity c∈(0,1) into Mμ0, consider the corresponding symplectic blow-up . In this paper, we study the homotopy type of the symplectomorphism group and that of the space of unparametrized symplectic embeddings of Bc into Mμ0. Writing ℓ for the largest integer strictly smaller than μ, and λ∈(0,1] for the difference μ−ℓ, we show that the symplectomorphism group of a blow-up of ‘small’ capacity c<λ is homotopically equivalent to the stabilizer of a point in Symp(Mμ0), while that of a blow-up of ‘large’ capacity c≥λ is homotopically equivalent to the stabilizer of a point in the symplectomorphism group of a non-trivial bundle obtained by blowing down . It follows that, for c<λ, the space is homotopy equivalent to S2 ×S2, while, for c≥λ, it is not homotopy equivalent to any finite CW-complex. A similar result holds for symplectic ruled manifolds diffeomorphic to . By contrast, we show that the embedding spaces and , if non-empty, are always homotopy equivalent to the spaces of ordered configurations and . Our method relies on the theory of pseudo-holomorphic curves in 4 -manifolds, on the computation of Gromov invariants in rational 4 -manifolds, and on the inflation technique of Lalonde and McDuff.