Women's World Cup: Republic of Ireland Women's Team Profile

The Republic of Ireland are preparing for their first Women's World Cup and they have been drawn in Group B alongside Canada, Nigeria and tournament co-hosts Australia.

After six consecutive unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaigns, the Irish will be determined to seize their long-awaited opportunity and they are 7/2 to qualify from the group.
 

Republic of Ireland's World Cup record:

The 2023 Women's World Cup will be the Republic of Ireland's debut appearance at the tournament. They won four of their eight matches in qualifying for the 2011 and 2019 finals, and five out of 10 in 2015, but came up short in all three of those campaigns.

The World Cup is the first major tournament for which the Republic have qualified as they have never made it to the Women's European Championship finals in 11 attempts.
 

How Republic of Ireland qualified:

The Republic of Ireland were drawn in Group A of the UEFA qualifying competition, alongside Sweden, Finland, Slovakia and Georgia.

The Swedes won seven of their eight matches to top the group and claim automatic qualification for the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand while the Irish finished second, securing a place in the play-offs.

The Republic of Ireland lost their first qualifier 1-0 to Sweden but won five and drew two of their next seven fixtures, beating third-placed Finland 2-1 in Helsinki and 1-0 in Dublin.

Denise O'Sullivan scored the only goal in their final group game away to Slovakia and the Irish enjoyed more comfortable victories against the section's bottom side Georgia, winning 11-0 away and 9-0 at home.

The Republic of Ireland's tally of 17 points in Group A meant they were one of the three top-ranked second-placed teams that went straight through to the second round of the play-offs.

They were up against a Scotland side who had beaten Austria after extra-time in the first play-off round and Amber Barrett's 72nd-minute goal gave the Irish a tense victory at Hampden Park, sealing their passage to the World Cup.
 

The Manager - Vera Pauw:

Dutch coach Vera Pauw has been manager of the Republic of Ireland since September 2019. She earned 89 international caps as a defender for the Netherlands between 1984 and 1998 before starting her coaching career with the Scotland national team.

Pauw spent six years as coach of her native Netherlands, leading the team to the semi-finals of Euro 2009, before a brief interim spell in charge of Russia. From 2014 to 2016 she coached South Africa's national team and in 2018 she spent a year as manager of Houston Dash in the USA.

Despite the Republic of Ireland's failure to qualify for Euro 2022, Pauw signed a contract extension in 2021 and that decision paid off as the 60-year-old steered the Irish to a crucial World Cup play-off win over Scotland.
 

Confirmed Republic of Ireland squad:

The Republic of Ireland are yet to confirm their World Cup squad. Here are the 31 players named in their provisional squad:

Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan, Grace Moloney, Megan Walsh, Sophie Whitehouse

Defenders: Aine O'Gorman, Niamh Fahey, Louise Quinn, Diane Caldwell, Megan Campbell, Harriet Scott, Claire O'Riordan, Chloe Mustaki, Hayley Nolan, Tara O'Hanlon

Midfielders: Denise O'Sullivan, Katie McCabe, Ruesha Littlejohn, Megan Connolly, Ciara Grant, Isibeal Atkinson, Jamie Finn, Lucy Quinn, Roma McLaughlin, Lily Agg, Sinead Farrelly, Erin McLaughlin

Forwards: Amber Barrett, Heather Payne, Leanne Kiernan, Kyra Carusa, Abbie Larkin, Saoirse Noonan, Marissa Sheva
 

Republic of Ireland's Key Players:

Arsenal midfielder Katie McCabe captains the Republic of Ireland, having made her international debut at the age of 19 in 2015, the same year as she signed for the Gunners.

McCabe was appointed skipper of the national team when she was just 21 and is a versatile, tough-tackling, left-footed player who can operate as a full-back or a winger.

Defenders Aine O'Gorman, Niamh Fahey and Louise Quinn have all won more than 100 caps and Reading's Diane Caldwell, another experienced player, is closing in on that landmark.

Denise O'Sullivan, who plays her club football for North Carolina Courage in the USA, scored some crucial goals in World Cup qualifying, while midfielder Sinead Farrelly and forwards Heather Payne and Marissa Sheva are also based in America.

Amber Barrett, whose goal saw off Scotland in the play-off at Hampden Park, plays for Turbine Potsdam in Germany.
 

Republic of Ireland's Group fixtures:

Group B:
Australia vs Republic of Ireland, Sydney, 20th July 2023
Canada vs Republic of Ireland, Perth, 26th July 2023
Republic of Ireland vs Nigeria, Brisbane, 31st July 2023