How Ireland Women qualified for their first ever World Cup
Before Ireland kicked off their game against Scotland on October 11th in 2022, the Girls in Green at this point did not know that it would become a historic day for Irish football.
When the referee decided on a penalty for Scotland in the 14th minute of the game all hope seemed to be lost for a short amount of time. Scotland’s Caroline Weir was getting ready to shoot. She adjusted her ponytail, took one deep breath, started running towards the ball, and – Ireland goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan deflected the ball with an amazing save.
After the ball was cleared the team celebrated for the first time on this evening knowing how important that moment was.
A moment for the history books
The team got to celebrate two more times that evening.
The first time when Turbine Potsdam forward Amber Barrett made it 1-0 for Ireland having been brought onto the pitch only six minutes earlier by manager Vera Paw.
The second celebration was the big one. When the referee blew the final whistle Paw raised her arms to the sky while Barrett went to her knees cheering, punching the air as both showed how much it meant to them.
“This means absolutely everything to everyone”, London City Lionesses player Lily Agg tried to put her emotions into words after the game. “You saw the emotions at the end of the game. Everyone broke down in tears. I had goosebumps and then I’m crying, but I’m so happy.”
Ireland had just qualified for their first major tournament in history: The 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
In qualification they finished second in Group A behind Sweden, but because only the top team makes it directly to the finals, the Girls in Green found themselves in the play-offs.
So Ireland met Scotland for the spot in Oceania… And the rest is now history.
Hard work always pays off
Since the first official international game on March 13th, 1973, when Ireland won 3-2 against Wales, the Girls in Green had not been able to qualify for a major tournament – either the Euros or a World Cup – until this year. Fifty years later, Ireland Women will finally manage to show their abilities on the biggest stage possible.
For the last Women’s World Cup 2019 in France, the Girls in Green had ended the group qualification stage in third place, six points behind the Netherlands, meaning they had not moved on to the play-offs.
Almost the same scenario happened in the qualification round for the Euros 2022 when Ireland’s journey had come to an early end after placing third behind Germany and Ukraine.
But for the qualifiers to the World Cup 2023, the hard work finally paid off.
And this is not the only aspect worthy of a celebration. Since December 2022, Ireland are sitting 23rd in FIFA’s World Ranking – their highest position to date.
Research from Sky Ireland found that the Ireland Women’s team significantly gained more (especially female) supporters with two in five adults stating they would encourage their children to play football.
Increased attention for women’s football in Ireland
In the past couple of years women’s football in Ireland has been on an upswing with record attendances, increased TV coverage and more interest in the current squad.
Take Katie McCabe for an example. The 27-year-old Arsenal midfielder is currently playing for one of the best clubs in Europe, participating in the Champions League while also captaining the Girls in Green since 2017 as the youngest skipper in the team’s history.
She has become a role model for many young girls and boys who want to pick up a ball after seeing her playing and leading the national team.
The success of the Girls in Green did not come as a compete surprise. Many players of the current squad were involved when Ireland’s U-17 ended the 2010 UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship as runners-up and made it to the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Four years later, the Ireland U-19s made it to the semi-finals of the U-19 Euros.
“This has been years and years of hard work and every one of us deserves this”, Agg explained.
Therefore, the potential has always been there. Now is the time to show the world the finished product after years of hard work and preparation for this particular moment.
First WWC opponent: co-host Australia
Right from the start of Ireland’s journey at the 2023 World Cup, fans can expect a stunner: In the second game of the tournament the Girls in Green will face co-host Australia in Sydney.
And that’s not all. The match has been moved from Allianz Stadium (42,000 capacity) to Stadium Australia due to high ticket demand which can accommodate up to 82,500(!) people.
With the Matildas, Ireland will go against the likes of top-class players Sam Kerr, McCabe’s Arsenal teammates Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord, and more.
In the other group games Nigeria and reigning Olympic champions Canada await them.
But with all the success at the moment it should not be forgotten where it all started.
Looking back to the roots of success
Going back to the early 1970s, the 1972 tour of France is what kicked off the Irish women’s national team. A squad of players pioneering in the sport went on a trip to France to play against Reims who at that time were already a professional team.
This squad included Linda Gorman who in November 2022 was accepted in the FAI Hall of Fame for her career. The now 69-year-old former Ireland international had played 12 years for her country before she added two years as team manager in the early 90s.
“It will be 50 years from my first Ireland international in 1973 next year and here we are, going to the World Cup finals for the first time ever”, Gorman stated. “It is the stuff that dreams are made of. It’s unbelievable what these players have achieved and I am so proud of every one of them.”
Other important acknowledgements belong to Emma Byrne for accumulating the most caps for Ireland’s women’s team (134) as well as all-time top goal-scorer Olivia O’Toole who netted 54 times in Irish colours.
The future of women’s football in Ireland
Looking to the future, the mission is clear for Ireland’s Women’s squad: To participate in their first World Cup, play their first group game against Australia in the biggest stadium in Sydney, and continue to show their passion and dedication on the pitch.
Captain Katie McCabe sees a bright future for Ireland ahead: “It’s for the young girls looking up to us. I hope this inspires a generation of young girls in Ireland to dream.”
