What’s happening?
After finishing second in their Uefa Nations League B group behind Slovenia, Carla Ward’s Republic of Ireland side now play Belgium in a two-leg promotion/relegation playoff in the hopes of securing a spot in the top-flight next season.
When and where?
The first leg will be played at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday (kick-off at 7pm) before Ireland travel to Leuven for the second fixture next Tuesday at Den Dreef (kick-off 7.30pm Irish time).
Where can I watch?
Both games will be televised live on RTÉ2. The Irish Times will also have live updates of both fixtures, as well as post-match reaction and analysis.
What’s on the line?
There are two aspects at play her. Firstly, win the playoff and Ireland climb back to Nations League A, the top tier of the competition. Happy days.
RM Block
But the competition is also tied to World Cup qualification. Getting to League A could help Ireland’s chances of making it to the 2027 iteration of the tournament as four League A pool winners will qualify directly and the eight second- and third-place sides will be seeded in the subsequent playoffs.
If Ireland lose this Nations League playoff against Belgium, they’ll stay put in League B for next season. It wouldn’t be an outright disaster for our World Cup qualifying hopes, but option A is preferable.
Are tickets still available?
Tickets are still available for the game at the Aviva, and if you’re up for a trip to Leuven (fair play to you) tickets are also available for the second leg on the Belgian FA website.
Have we team news?
Ward announced her squad for the playoffs last week and it was a mixed bag on the injury front.
Goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan is unavailable on account of a knee injury, with Megan Connolly and Leanne Kiernan joining her on the absentee list due to foot injuries.
On the flip side, Denise O’Sullivan has returned from a knee injury in the nick of time, clocking up some minutes with her club North Carolina Courage at the weekend having been out of action since August.
Anna Patten has been included in the squad but will miss the first leg due to suspension.
We’ll keep you posted on the matchday teams, but for now, here’s the full squad selected for the playoffs:
Goalkeepers: Grace Moloney (Sunderland), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton), Katie Keane (Leicester City).
Defenders: Heather Payne (Leicester City), Aoife Mannion (Newcastle United), Jessie Stapleton (Nottingham Forest), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Caitlin Hayes (Brighton), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Chloe Mustaki (Nottingham Forest), Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Izzy Atkinson (Sunderland).
Midfielders: Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Ruesha Littlejohn (Crystal Palace), Jamie Finn (Sunderland), Tyler Toland (Durham), Marissa Sheva (Sunderland), Jess Ziu (Bristol City, Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City).
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Emily Murphy (Newcastle United), Saoirse Noonan (Celtic).
