LAST UPDATE | 3 Jul
EILEEN GLEESON HAS named a 26-player squad for the Republic of Ireland’s upcoming Euro 2025 qualifiers against England and France.
The headline inclusions are returning duo Julie-Anne Russell and Marissa Sheva, while Kyra Carusa is among those ruled out through injury. Denise O’Sullivan, meanwhile, will captain the team against England in Katie McCabe’s one-game absence.
Ireland will play the Lionesses at Carrow Road on 12 July before hosting France at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on 16 July in their final two Group A3 games.
The squad for our upcoming games against England and France 🇮🇪#COYGIG | #OUTBELIEVE pic.twitter.com/hJHFlJ3pd7
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) July 3, 2024
Russell last featured for the WNT in March 2020. The 60-cap international is back in the squad after some excellent form for Galway United in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division — and giving birth to her one-year-old daughter, Rosie, last summer.
“She’s super fit, we know that she’s a phenomenal worker without the ball, her work-rate is excellent, she brings experience,” Gleeson said as she named her squad this morning.
“And then on the ball, she likes to dribble. We feel she can really add to the squad with experience and with the type of player that she is.”
Carusa (hamstring), Heather Payne (achilles), Chloe Mustaki (hip), Tara O’Hanlon (hamstring) and Jamie Finn (knee) are out through injury, while defender Niamh Fahey returns to the squad alongside O’Sullivan and Sheva. Lucy Quinn, meanwhile, misses out, while Cork City captain Eva Mangan retains her place.
Portland Thorns attacker Sheva has been absent since last summer’s World Cup, but “has been waiting on the call and been proactive in trying to get back in”. She ultimately gets the nod in Carusa’s absence.
“Kyra is a huge loss to us,” Gleeson said, “obviously she’s a big presence around the camp and within the team. She’s a consistent starter, so a huge loss. She pulled up in a warm-up at the weekend and has since been scanned. It is a torn hamstring, so longer-term.”
McCabe will miss the England game as she serves a suspension, so O’Sullivan will captain the team on her own return from a knee setback.
“We all know Katie’s a huge player but we still have to move forward and it’s the same with Kyra, we have to use the whole squad. We have to adapt to that. It’s time for other people to step up. Denise will step into the captain’s role.
“It’s brilliant to have her back. Obviously we know Denise’s qualities. She is a very steady presence, she is a great leader and we know her work-rate on the pitch is second to none. It’s key to have her. Unfortunately we don’t have Katie at the same time, but having Denise is really, really important.”
Asked if her thinking has changed in terms of tactics as a result, the manager said: “We know Katie is a key player, we’ve used the back three and the back four and not having Katie of course impacts that.
“She’s very versatile, she sat well in the left-full position. It’s not a position where we’re overloaded in richness in the full-backs areas. We’re often having to adapt players into that role, and change their role so of course it changes the thinking but again it’s back to always being adaptable and using the squad that you do have available then.”
A point over the next two games would be “huge” as Ireland prepare for the play-offs after struggling in the Group of Death.
“We all know we’re in a direct race with Poland for the final seeded place. It will be down to goal difference and of course, points first of all.” (They’re both on zero points but Ireland currently have a better goal difference.)
What about the lack of goals scored? “Of course it’s a huge challenge,” Gleeson responded, not fully answering the question.
“We want to get to a position where we can be higher up the pitch, competing and staying up in presses,” she added separately.
The squad will assemble in Dublin on Sunday, after a four-day preparation camp last week — which included a Taylor Swift concert — given the tricky timing of this international window.
“It’s a big challenge,” Gleeson concluded. “Every team is having it. It’s not a window that’s typically in the calendar, it’s because of the Olympics. It brings its challenges.
“We have a lot of players playing in the Championship, they finished at the end of April and we’ve obviously got players in the WSL, that finished at the end of May. It’s quite a big off period for the Championship players, and a big challenge to have them ready for the spike in intensity and load against teams like England and France.”
Ireland WNT Squad
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)
Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (West Ham United), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Megan Campbell (London City Lionesses)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Jess Ziu (West Ham United), Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace), Eva Mangan (Cork City), Julie-Ann Russell (Galway United)
Forwards: Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Emily Murphy (Wake Forest University), Marissa Sheva (Portland Thorns)
Uefa Euro 2025 Qualifiers
Group A3
England v Ireland
Friday, 12 July
Carrow Road, Norwich
KO 8pm [RTÉ2]
Ireland v France
Tuesday, 16 July
Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
KO 6pm [RTÉ2]
- Additional reporting from Ciarán Kennedy; updated after this morning’s press conference.
