AS THE DUST settles on a famous night for the Republic of Ireland women’s national team, the 2023 World Cup play-offs move into full view.
Vera Pauw’s side sealed the Group A runners-up spot with a 1-0 win over Finland at an electric Tallaght Stadium on Thursday night, and are now one of nine teams confirmed for next month’s play-offs.
Ireland round off the group stages against Slovakia in Senec on Tuesday [KO 5pm Irish time, live on RTÉ 2], with Pauw and co. stressing that they’ll go for the jugular.
Another win and three more points would have a direct impact on their play-off standing as they look to reach their first-ever major tournament.
A complex, convoluted route lies ahead, though. “Don’t sell the skin of a bear before you shoot him,” Pauw stressed this week, referencing a Dutch phrase as she repeatedly refused to be properly drawn on the play-offs.”It is a very hard and long road to go still.”
Hello, well I’m just going to be honest here but we’ve got a play off that’s bloody great but then a nice friendly boot in the Mary to send you back to reality is that we are no where near Australia & NZ feckin 8 games later 🫡🫠 #negativeNancy #witsallthefuss #callthegaurds
— Ruesha (@RueshaLJ) September 2, 2022
With the winners of the nine qualifying groups progressing directly to next summer’s finals, the group runners-up get stuck into play-offs from October.
Of those nine runners-up, the three countries with the best records will be seeded directly to Round Two. The six remaining countries contest three single-leg play-offs in Round One on 6 October.
It’s an open draw, so the games could be home or away.
How can Ireland bypass Round One?
As things stand, the Group C runners-up (currently Iceland) and the Group G runners-up (currently Switzerland) look set to take two of the three seeded places.
Ireland are currently ranked outside the seeded places, but their fate would be in their own hands if the following results go in their favour over the next two evenings:
- Serbia fail to beat Portugal (Friday, 7pm) — or, alternatively, Serbia fail to beat Israel on Tuesday
- Norway beat Belgium (Friday, 7.30pm)
- England beat Austria (Saturday, 4.30pm)
If those three results go Ireland’s way, they will go to Slovakia on Tuesday knowing that a win of any kind would guarantee them a seeded place. (A draw in Belgium v Norway, or in Austria v England, could see goal difference come in to play.)
“It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that we will get one of those top three [positions],” former Ireland international Karen Duggan told RTÉ on Thursday.
“Ireland have to target three points in that Slovakia game, I think the less games we have to play the better!”
Also, don’t forget: Slovakia held Ireland to a draw in Tallaght earlier in the campaign.
The panel assess Ireland's playoff path after they guaranteed their place with a 1-0 win over Finland in Tallaght #rtesoccer pic.twitter.com/6sHEt274Z2
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) September 1, 2022
Who qualifies for the finals after Round One and Round Two?
Three teams will come through Round One, where the three best second-place finishers lie in wait.
The two — of three — Round Two play-off winners with the highest ranking (based on results in the qualifying group stage and Round Two play-offs) will qualify directly for the World Cup.
The remaining Round Two play-off winner will compete in the first-ever Fifa Women’s World Cup play-off tournament, or inter-confederation play-offs, in New Zealand next February.
How is that tournament shaping up?
10 teams will compete for the last three qualifying spots for the finals
The 10 participating teams will come from Asia (two – Chinese Taipei and Thailand have already qualified), Africa (two), North and Central America and the Caribbean (two), South America (two), Europe (one) and Oceania (one), with the play-off tournament to be played at Waikato Stadium and North Harbour Stadium, in Hamilton and Auckland.
The likes of Cameroon, Senegal, Haiti, Panama, Chile and Papa New Guinea will be there. Should Ireland have to take this route, they’d likely be the highest-ranked team there.
How close have Ireland come in the past?
The Girls In Green are breaking new ground in terms of the World Cup, having never progressed past the group stages before.
The closest the team has ever come to a major tournament was the Euro 2009 play-offs, when they fell to Iceland in a two-legged play-off.
ROG=Legend.