When and where?
Ireland are playing Canada in their second group game of the World Cup at 1pm Irish time (8pm local time) at Perth Rectangular Stadium in Perth on Wednesday, July 26th.
How can I watch it?
The match – like all 64 matches of the competition – will be live on RTÉ. Coverage starts at 12pm on RTÉ 2. If you can’t get to a TV screen, all the action will be covered live on irishtimes.com, with extensive analysis and reaction throughout on our dedicated microsite.
Team news
Louise Quinn was pictured in a moon boot boarding the six-hour flight across Australia to Perth but the centre back is expected to play through an old ankle issue against Canada. Otherwise Ireland should have their top players fully fit. The question is whether Vera Pauw will change personnel or her tactical approach, as her team have failed to score in five of their six games since qualifying for the competition. Winger Abbie Larkin impressed off the bench against Australia and will be in contention for a starting place.
For Canada, Nichelle Prince, Deanne Rose and Jayde Riviere came to the tournament with little or no playing time due to injuries, but Riviere and Rose started against Nigeria, while Prince came off the bench. Influential midfielder Jessie Fleming was kept on the bench due to an undisclosed injury but is expected to return to the side after resuming training.
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What is the situation in the group?
Ireland lost their first game of the group against Australia, a penalty by Steph Catley after Marissa Sheva fouled Hayley Raso in the box giving the Aussies the victory on home soil. Nigeria drew 0-0 with Canada in the other game in the group, leaving the table looking like this:
If Ireland lose to Canada, then they will be out of the World Cup if Australia avoid defeat against Nigeria, who are playing on Thursday in Brisbane. If Ireland draw with Canada, then a victory over Nigeria in the last group game would give them a chance of qualifying for the last 16, depending on other results. If Ireland beat Canada, then they will put themselves in a strong position in the group before the final game.
What are Ireland’s chances?
It is not going to be easy. Canada are ranked seventh in the world and have a rich pedigree in the women’s game, mostly based on winning gold at the Olympic Games in 2021, where they beat Brazil, the United States and Sweden en route to the title. Ireland have struggled to create much against top opposition in the past year – one shot on target against Australia, no shots on target against France at home in a friendly, and three shots on target over two games against the USA in away friendlies.
While Ireland are understandably cautious given the threat these teams possess, if you don’t buy a ticket, you can’t win the raffle and to score Ireland need to create more chances on a regular basis, which puts scrutiny on Vera Pauw’s system. Although a 0-0 draw would keep Ireland in the tournament, it is important they score against Canada, because it is difficult to rely on stopping good teams from scoring for 90 minutes.
Who to watch out for
As always, Ireland will look to Katie McCabe for a moment of magic, but Pauw’s side need to find a way to get her on the ball in more advanced positions. She was involved in Ireland’s best chances against Australia.
For Canada, watch out for Ashley Lawrence, a very capable left back who recently signed for Chelsea from PSG, and centre back Kadeisha Buchanan, who plays for Chelsea also after spending time at Lyon. And,of course, Christine Sinclair is a legend of the game with 324 caps and an amazing 190 goals for Canada.
