0 That’s how many major tournaments (European Championships and World Cups) the Republic of Ireland had qualified for …. before now.
1 The United States’s world ranking - they’re aiming to become the first nation to win three World Cups in a row.
2 Home-based players in the Irish squad - Áine O’Gorman and Abbie Larkin, both of Shamrock Rovers.
3 Irish players playing in the US NWSL - Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Sinead Farrelly (NJ/NY Gotham FC) and Marissa Sheva (Washington Spirit).
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4 The number of nations that have won the World Cup - United States (1991, 1999, 2015, 2019), Germany (2003, 2007), Norway (1995) and Japan (2011).
5 United States-born players in the Irish squad - Courtney Brosnan (New Jersey), Chloe Mustaki (Ohio), Kyra Carusa (San Diego), and a pair of Pennsylvanians, Sinead Farrelly and Marissa Sheva.
6 Former Peamount United players in the squad - Áine O’Gorman, Louise Quinn, Chloe Mustaki, Denise O’Sullivan, Heather Payne and Amber Barrett.
7 Irish World Cup players who are currently without clubs … some by choice (looking for better opportunities), some let go.
8 Nations making their World Cup debut this summer - the Philippines, Vietnam, Morocco, Zambia, Haiti, Panama, Portugal and ourselves.
9 The number of cities that will host games in this World Cup - Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Auckland, Dunedin, Hamilton and Wellington.
10 Clean sheets kept by Courtney Brosnan in her 23 appearances.
11 Clean sheets kept by Ireland in Vera Pauw’s 31 games.
12 The number of female head coaches at this World Cup, out of 32.
13 Combined, that’s how many of Ireland’s 27 goals in their World Cup qualifying campaign were scored by Katie McCabe (7) and Denise O’Sullivan (6) - and they had nine assists between them too.
14 Out of the 23 members of the squad, the number who played their football in England last season.
15 That’s how many Arsenal team-mates of Katie McCabe will appear at the World Cup. Barcelona, though, is the club with the highest representation, with 18 of their players featuring across eight squads.
16 There are three 16-year-olds at this World Cup - Italy’s Giulia Dragoni and Costa Rica’s Sheika Scott and the youngest, American-born South Korean Casey Phair ... born in 2007. Cripes.
17 The number of years since Áine O’Gorman and Diane Caldwell made their senior Irish debuts, in the same game, making them the squad’s longest-serving players.
18 That’s how many birthdays Abbie Larkin has celebrated, making her the squad’s baby.
19 That’s how many years it’s been since Niamh Fahey won a senior All-Ireland football title with Galway, at the age of 16. Time flies.
20 Katie McCabe’s goals in her 73 Irish appearances so far, making her the second top scorer of all time (behind Olivia O’Toole who has a mighty 54).
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And here are a few more choice figures:
21 The number of senior debuts Pauw has given to players during her time as Irish manager, nine of the players now in the World Cup squad.
22 Ireland’s current world ranking - their highest ever, and 10 places above their ranking when Pauw took over.
31 Games played by Ireland under Pauw since her appointment in September 2019 - won 15, drew four, lost 12.
33 Number of goals Ireland have conceded in Pauw’s 31 games.
35 That’s how many birthdays Niamh Fahey has celebrated, making her the squad’s elder stateswoman.
40 Nigeria captain Onome Ebi will be the oldest player at the World Cup, which will be her sixth - Canada’s Christine Sinclair is also 40, but a month younger than Ebi.
52 The number of players used by Pauw over her 31 matches in charge of Ireland.
77 Zambia are the lowest-ranked nation in the World Cup …. and they beat Germany 3-2 in their final warm-up game.
105 The number of World Cup squad members who play their football in England, with the United States (85) and Spain (71) next on the list.
118 Áine O’Gorman’s caps - making her the third most capped Irish woman of all time, behind Emma Byrne and Olivia O’Toole. Niamh Fahey (108), Louise Quinn (105) and Denise O’Sullivan (102) are the other three players in the squad to have passed the century mark.
2,610 Louise Quinn’s minutes played under Pauw - only three other players topped the 2,000 minute mark: Denise O’Sullivan, Katie McCabe and Courtney Brosnan.
7,633 The attendance at Ireland’s friendly against France in Tallaght earlier this month - a record home crowd for the team.
28,000 That’s the minimum amount (in Euros) each player at the World Cup will earn - the figure increases the further their teams advance.
82,500 The number of people at the sold-out Stadium Australia that will see Ireland open their campaign against the co-hosts.
