ISLAMABAD 3, September 2022(ONLINE): 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.”
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.
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.
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.
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