Belgium the play-off opponents to define Ireland's World Cup path

Irish Examiner

3 days ago

Ireland must overcome Belgium in an October play-off to be part of League A in next year's Women's World Cup qualifiers.
Friday's draw at Uefa HQ in Nyon pitted Ireland, who finished runners-up in League B against the Belgians, third place in group A.
The nation ranked 20th in the world, six places above Ireland, finished behind Spain and England, the reigning World and European champions, respectively.
Their six points came from wins over England (3-2) and Portugal (3-0).
This would be considered a favourable draw, the Belgians beatable over the two legs. Denmark, Iceland and Austria were the other possibilities in the draw.
Should Ireland prevail over the pair of legs, the first of which is at home, they will be guaranteed entry into a play-off for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil even before a ball is kicked in qualification from February 2026.
Should the aggregate scores remain level after the two games, extra-time will be played followed by a penalty shoot-out if required.
Ireland boss Carla Ward said: 'We now know our opponents for this play-off and our preparation for those two games starts now. We know that Belgium are a very good team with a strong history in women's football, so this will be a difficult challenge for us but one that we are excited to take on.
'Having won five of our six group games in the Nations League and ended with a very good performance against Slovenia, we are building day by day, game by game.
'We have a fantastic team spirit, a brilliant support staff and a group of players who are ready to take that next step in their progression.
'Next up are two games against the United States, which will help as part of our preparation but the play-off is our next target.
'We want to reach League A to play against top-ranked teams and be in the best position possible going into the 2027 FIFA World Cup qualifiers next year.'
Ireland have played Belgium six times – winning their first ever meeting in 1980 – and they last came up against each other in an International Friendly in April 2021 in Brussels, which ended in a 1-0 home win for the hosts.
Unlike Ireland, Belgium haven't qualified for a World Cup but they're about to embark upon their third successive Euro finals participation. They have grouped with Italy, Spain and Portugal at the Switzerland-hosted showpiece from July 3-11.
Venue and ticket details for the home leg of the play-off have yet to be announced.