Republic of Ireland women's national football team
The Republic of Ireland women's national football team (Irish: Foireann sacair ban Phoblacht na hÉireann) represents the Republic of Ireland in competitions such as the FIFA Women's World Cup and the UEFA Women's Championship. The team played in their first World Cup at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[2] It has taken part in invitational tournaments such as the Algarve Cup, the Istria Cup, the Cyprus Cup and Pinatar Cup.[3] It is organised by the Women's Football Association of Ireland.
| Nickname(s) | The Girls in Green (Irish: Na cailíní i nglas) |
|---|---|
| Association | Women's Football Association of Ireland |
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) |
| Head coach | Eileen Gleeson |
| Captain | Katie McCabe |
| Most caps | Emma Byrne (134) |
| Top scorer | Olivia O'Toole (54) |
| Home stadium | Tallaght Stadium |
| FIFA code | IRL |
| FIFA ranking | |
| Current | 25 1 (15 March 2024)[1] |
| Highest | 22 (March – June 2023) |
| Lowest | 38 (July – August 2003) |
| First international | |
| Wales 2–3 Republic of Ireland (Llanelli, Wales; 13 May 1973) | |
| Biggest win | |
| Republic of Ireland 11–0 Georgia (Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland; 30 November 2021) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
| Sweden 10–0 Republic of Ireland (Borås, Sweden; 20 September 1992) | |
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2023) |
| Best result | Group stage (2023) |
| Website | Official website |
History edit
In 1973, the Women's Football Association of Ireland was established[4] and in the same year on 13 May the Republic of Ireland made their official international debut, Paula Gorham's hat-trick securing a 3–2 win in an away friendly game against Wales.[5] They made their competitive debut on 19 September 1982 in a 1984 European Competition for Women's Football qualifier against Scotland. This time the Republic of Ireland lost 3–0. On 2 October 1982 the Republic of Ireland gained their first competitive win when they defeated Northern Ireland 2–1 in an away game in the same competition. After losing 10–0 to Sweden in a Euro 1993 qualifier, the FAI did not enter a team in the 1995 competition.[6] This defeat against Sweden remains the team's biggest defeat.
During the 2000s the Republic of Ireland enjoyed some minor successes. In 2000 they won the Celt Cup – a four team tournament that also featured Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.[7] In their 2005 UEFA Women's Euro campaign they also won their second level group, finishing above Romania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Malta. This would have secured promotion to the elite group of nations which competed directly for qualification to major tournaments, had the two level system not been scrapped for the next qualifying campaign. The Republic of Ireland also won their group at the 2013 Cyprus Cup, finishing above South Korea, South Africa and Northern Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland has also enjoyed some success at both under-17 and under-19 levels. In 2010, with a team that included Megan Campbell, Ciara Grant, Dora Gorman, Denise O'Sullivan, Siobhán Killeen and Clare Shine, the Republic of Ireland U-17 squad were runners-up in the 2010 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship and quarter-finalists in the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.[8] In the UEFA championship semi-final the Republic of Ireland defeated Germany 1–0.[9] With a team that included Megan Connolly, Savannah McCarthy and Katie McCabe the Republic of Ireland team won their group at the 2014 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship and qualified for the semi-finals.[10]
In April 2017, the squad demanded better treatment from the FAI and threatened to boycott a home match against Slovakia.[11] They wanted a higher match fee, and broken time payment for amateurs missing work.[11] They claimed that they had to share with underage teams the tracksuits they wore travelling to and from away matches, and change out of them in airport toilets.[11] The boycott threat was lifted when agreement on improvements was reached.[12]
In November 2021 the team recorded their biggest ever win: 11–0 against Georgia in the qualifiers for 2023 World Cup.[13] The team secured a crucial victory in their World Cup qualifying campaign, defeating Finland 1-0 in a Group A match.[14] The decisive goal was scored in the second half by substitute Lily Agg, allowing the Irish team to claim second place in the group with one game remaining.[15] This achievement was soon surpassed when Ireland won the play-off final 1–0 over Scotland in Glasgow on 11 October 2022 to qualify for the final tournament.[16] A crucial first-half penalty save from Courtney Brosnan kept Ireland alive before Donegal native Amber Barrett scored the decisive goal, days after news of an explosion that killed several people in her county. She dedicated the goal to the victims and the community.[17] While celebrating in the Hampden changing rooms, several players sang Celtic Symphony praising the Irish Republican Army, for which manager Vera Pauw and players Áine O'Gorman and Chloe Mustaki apologised; the chanting was condemned by politicians from Northern Ireland.[18][19] The FAI was fined €20,000 for the chanting.[20]
They played their first ever Women's World Cup game on the 20th of July 2023, losing 1-0 to Australia, one of the co-host nations of the competition, following a penalty.[21] Ireland was then beaten by Canada, the reigning Olympic champion.[22]
Home stadium edit
Throughout their history, the Republic of Ireland have played their home games at various grounds. The most regularly used have included Dalymount Park, Tolka Park, Richmond Park and Turners Cross. They have also played occasional games at Glenmalure Park, Belfield Park, Carlisle Grounds, Ferrycarrig Park, Flancare Park and at Lamberton, Arklow.[23] While, they played the majority of their home games at Tallaght Stadium since 2013,[citation needed] the national team played their first home game at the Aviva Stadium in September 2023.[24]
Results and fixtures edit
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
- Legend
Win Draw Lose Fixture
2023 edit
| 12 April Friendly | United States | 1–0 | Republic of Ireland | St. Louis, United States |
| 00:30 IST |
| Report | Stadium: Citypark Attendance: 22,294 Referee: Crystal Sobers (Trinidad and Tobago) |
| 22 June Friendly | Republic of Ireland | 3–2 | Zambia | Dublin, Ireland |
| Report |
| Stadium: Tallaght Stadium Attendance: 5,732 |
| 6 July Friendly | Republic of Ireland | 0–3 | France | Dublin, Ireland |
| Stadium: Tallaght Stadium |
| 14 July Friendly | Colombia | Abandoned | Republic of Ireland | Brisbane, Australia |
| Stadium: Meakin Park Attendance: 0 (Closed door game) | ||||
| Note: Pre-World Cup warmup match abandoned after 20 minutes due to "overly physical" play from Colombia that resulted in the hospitalisation of Denise O'Sullivan.[25] | ||||
| 20 July FIFA WC Group | Australia | 1–0 | Republic of Ireland | Sydney, Australia |
| 20:00 UTC+10 | Report | Stadium: Stadium Australia Attendance: 75,784 Referee: Edina Alves Batista (Brazil) |
| 26 July FIFA WC Group | Canada | 2–1 | Republic of Ireland | Perth, Australia |
| 20:00 UTC+8 | Report |
| Stadium: Perth Rectangular Stadium Attendance: 17,065 Referee: Laura Fortunato (Argentina) |
| 31 July FIFA WC Group | Republic of Ireland | 0–0 | Nigeria | Brisbane, Australia |
| 20:00 UTC+10 | Report | Stadium: Lang Park Attendance: 24,884 Referee: Katia García (Mexico) |
| 23 September 2023–24 UEFA Nations League | Republic of Ireland | 3–0 | Northern Ireland | Dublin, Ireland |
| Report | Stadium: Aviva Stadium Referee: Hristiyana Guteva (Bulgaria) |
| 26 September 2023–24 UEFA Nations League | Hungary | 0–4 | Republic of Ireland | Budapest, Hungary |
| Report |
| Stadium: Hidegkuti Nándor Stadion Referee: Zuzana Valentová (Slovakia) |
| 27 October 2023–24 UEFA Nations League | Republic of Ireland | 5–1 | Albania | Dublin, Ireland |
| Report |
| Stadium: Tallaght Stadium Referee: Lizzy Van Der Helm (Netherlands) |
| 31 October 2023–24 UEFA Nations League | Albania | 0–1 | Republic of Ireland | Shkodër, Albania |
| 18:00 | Report |
| Stadium: Loro Boriçi Stadium Referee: Araksya Saribekyan (Armenia) |
| 1 December 2023–24 UEFA Nations League | Republic of Ireland | 1–0 | Hungary | Dublin, Ireland |
| 19:30 GMT | Report | Stadium: Tallaght Stadium Attendance: 6,752 Referee: Shona Shukrula (Netherlands) |
| 5 December 2023–24 UEFA Nations League | Northern Ireland | 1–6 | Republic of Ireland | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| 19:00 GMT |
| Report | Stadium: Windsor Park Referee: Veronika Kovarova (Czech Republic) |
2024 edit
| 27 February Friendly | Republic of Ireland | 0–2 | Wales | Dublin, Ireland |
| 19:30 GMT | Report | Stadium: Tallaght Stadium Attendance: 8,218 |
| 5 April Euro 2025 qualifying | France | 1–0 | Republic of Ireland | Metz, France |
| 21:10 CEDT |
| Report | Stadium: Stade Saint-Symphorien Referee: Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi (Italy) |
| 9 April Euro 2025 qualifying | Republic of Ireland | 0–2 | England | Dublin, Ireland |
| 19:30 IST | Report | Stadium: Aviva Stadium Attendance: 32,742 Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (Finland) |
| 31 May Euro 2025 qualifying | Republic of Ireland | v | Sweden | Dublin, Ireland |
| 19:30 IST | Report | Stadium: Aviva Stadium |
| 4 June Euro 2025 qualifying | Sweden | v | Republic of Ireland | |
| Report |
| 12 July Euro 2025 qualifying | England | v | Republic of Ireland | Norwich, England |
| Report | Stadium: Carrow Road |
| 16 July Euro 2025 qualifying | Republic of Ireland | v | France | |
| Report |
Coaching staff edit
Current coaching staff edit
The senior women's management team includes:[26]
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Eileen Gleeson |
| Assistant coach | Colin Healy |
| Assistant coach | Emma Byrne |
| Assistant coach | Rhys Carr |
| Performance coach | Ivi Casagrande |
Manager history edit
- Tony Kelly (1981–1983)[27]
- Eamonn Darcy (1984–1986)
- Fran Rooney (1986–1991)
- Linda Gorman (1991–1992)
- Mick Cooke (1992–2000)[28]
- Noel King (2000–2010)[29]
- Susan Ronan (2010–2016)[30][31]
- Colin Bell (2017–2019)[32]
- Vera Pauw (2019–2023)[33]
- Eileen Gleeson (2023– )[34]
Players edit
Current squad edit
The following players were named to the squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying matches against France and England on 5 and 9 April 2024 respectively.[35]
Niamh Fahey and Jessica Ziu withdrew from the squad due to injury and were replaced by Erin McLaughlin and Emily Whelan.[36][37]
Caps and goals updated as of 9 April 2024 after the match against England.
Recent call-ups edit
- The following players have also been called up to the Republic of Ireland squad within the 12 months previous to April 2024.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Megan Walsh | 12 November 1994 | 1 | 0 | West Ham | v. Hungary, 26 September 2023 |
| DF | Niamh Fahey | 13 October 1987 | 112 | 1 | Liverpool | v. France, 5 April 2024 INJ |
| DF | Chloe Mustaki | 29 July 1995 | 8 | 0 | Bristol City | v. Northern Ireland, 31 October 2023 |
| DF | Hayley Nolan | 7 March 1997 | 3 | 0 | Crystal Palace | v. Northern Ireland, 31 October 2023 |
| DF | Claire O'Riordan | 12 October 1994 | 19 | 1 | Standard Liège | v. Albania, 31 October 2023 |
| DF | Savannah McCarthy | 26 March 1997 | 11 | 0 | Shamrock Rovers | v. Hungary, 26 September 2023 |
| DF | Éabha O'Mahony | 17 May 2002 | 4 | 0 | Texas Longhorns | v. Hungary, 26 September 2023 |
| DF | Áine O'Gorman | 13 May 1989 | 119 | 13 | Shamrock Rovers | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| DF | Harriet Scott | 10 February 1993 | 24 | 0 | Birmingham City | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup PRE |
| DF | Tara O'Hanlon | 13 March 2005 | 2 | 0 | Manchester City | v. Zambia, 22 June 2023 |
| MF | Jessica Ziu | 6 June 2002 | 14 | 0 | West Ham United | v. France, 5 April 2024 INJ |
| MF | Jessica Fitzgerald | 12 July 2006 | 0 | 0 | Peamount United | v. Wales, 27 February 2024 |
| MF | Jamie Finn | 21 April 1998 | 20 | 0 | Birmingham City | v. Italy, 23 February 2024 INJ |
| MF | Sinead Farrelly | 16 November 1989 | 8 | 0 | Gotham FC | v. Northern Ireland, 31 October 2023 |
| MF | Freya Healy | 5 November 2007 | 0 | 0 | Peamount United | v. Northern Ireland, 31 October 2023 |
| MF | Ciara Grant | 11 June 1993 | 18 | 0 | Hearts | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| MF | Roma McLaughlin | 6 March 1998 | 11 | 0 | Fortuna Hjørring | v. Zambia, 22 June 2023 |
| FW | Saoirse Noonan | 13 July 1999 | 4 | 1 | Durham | v. Northern Ireland, 31 October 2023 |
| FW | Ellen Dolan | 30 June 2006 | 0 | 0 | Peamount United | v. Northern Ireland, 31 October 2023 |
| FW | Marissa Sheva | 22 April 1997 | 7 | 0 | Washington Spirit | v. Hungary, 26 September 2023 |
| FW | Alannah McEvoy | 7 February 2001 | 0 | 0 | Shamrock Rovers | v. United States, 12 April 2023 |
Notes:
- INJ – Withdrew due to injury.
- PRE – Preliminary squad / standby.
Records edit
- Statistics correct as of 9 April 2024.
- Active players in bold.
Most caps edit
| Most goals edit
|
Competitive record edit
FIFA Women's World Cup edit
| FIFA Women's World Cup record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD | GP | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD | |
| 1991 | did not qualify | UEFA Euro 1991 | ||||||||||||||
| 1995 | did not enter | UEFA Euro 1995 | ||||||||||||||
| 1999 | did not qualify | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | +4 | ||||||||
| 2003 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 7 | +11 | |||||||||
| 2007 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 15 | −12 | |||||||||
| 2011 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | |||||||||
| 2015 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 9 | +4 | |||||||||
| 2019 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 6 | +4 | |||||||||
| 2023 | Group Stage | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | –2 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 4 | +23 | |
| 2027 | To be determined | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
| Total | Group Stage | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | –2 | 55 | 27 | 8 | 20 | 91 | 55 | +36 | |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
UEFA Women's Championship edit
| UEFA Women's Championship record | Qualifying record | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | |
| 1984 | did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 14 | |||||||
| 1987 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 17 | ||||||||
| 1989 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | ||||||||
| 1991 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | ||||||||
| 1993 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | ||||||||
| 1995 | did not enter | did not enter | ||||||||||||
| 1997 | did not qualify | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 10 | |||||||
| 2001 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 12 | ||||||||
| 2005 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 5 | ||||||||
| 2009 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 18 | ||||||||
| 2013 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 11 | ||||||||
| 2017 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 14 | ||||||||
| 2022 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 10 | ||||||||
| 2025 | to be determined | to be determined | ||||||||||||
| Total | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 80 | 34 | 9 | 37 | 126 | 134 | |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ Nowakowski, Wojciech (8 August 2023). "Morocco, Ireland, Portugal: All 8 Women's World Cup debutants and how far they made it". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "Women's tournaments come to the fore in March". www.fifa.com.
- ^ Fan Hong, J. A. Mangan (2004). Soccer, Women, Sexual Liberation: Kicking Off a New Era. Frank Cass Publishers.
- ^ Ryan, Eoin (10 May 2020). "Trailblazers – When Dundalk Ladies represented Ireland". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
When the WFAI was established in 1973, almost a full three years after the Corinthians clash, Gorham scored a hat-trick in the Republic of Ireland's first officially recognised women's international – a 3–2 victory away to Wales.
- ^ "Irish goalkeeping great Sue Hayden". Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ Garin, Erik (20 October 2003). "1st Celt Cup – Women Tournament – 2000". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
- ^ "UEFA.com – Women's Under-17 2010 – Republic of Ireland-Sweden". www.uefa.com.
- ^ "UEFA.com – Women's Under-17 2010 – Republic of Ireland-Germany". www.uefa.com.
- ^ "Women's Under-19 2014 - Sweden-Republic of Ireland – UEFA.com". Uefa.com. 21 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "Ireland women's team withdraw from training". RTÉ.ie. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- ^ "Agreement reached between FAI and Women's National Team". RTÉ.ie. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- ^ Ryan, Eoin (30 November 2021). "Recap: Republic of Ireland 11–0 Georgia". RTÉ.ie.
- ^ "World Cup Qualifier FT: Ireland 1 Finland 0 - Vera Pauw's side book playoff spot". The Irish Times.
- ^ "Republic of Ireland Women 1-0 Finland Women: Girls in Green secure World Cup play-off spot". Sky Sports.
- ^ "History in Hampden as Ireland clinch qualification for 2023 World Cup". The 42. 11 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "'This is for Creeslough, this is for Donegal' - Amber Barrett pays poignant tribute after famous playoff goal". The Irish Independent. 11 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ Reid, Kurtis (12 October 2022). "Watch: Republic of Ireland players apologise as video emerges of pro-IRA chant". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "Republic of Ireland women: FAI and manager Pauw apologise for players' IRA chant after play-off win". BBC Sport. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "Republic of Ireland women: FAI fined 20,000 euros by Uefa for players' pro-IRA chant". BBC Sport. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ "Catley penalty gives Australia win over Republic". BBC Sport.
- ^ www.fifa.com https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/womens/womensworldcup/australia-new-zealand2023/articles/canada-republic-of-ireland-womens-world-cup-2023. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Women's European Qualifiers Qualifying Round - Arklow Town FC, Arklow - 28 May 2000". fai.ie. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ O'Connell, Dylan (23 September 2023). "Ireland enter new era with win over Northern Ireland in front of 35,994 fans at the Aviva". echolive.ie. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
The Republic of Ireland women's national team marked their first-ever game at the Aviva Stadium with a 3-0 victory over Northern Ireland in the UEFA Nations League
- ^ "Denise O'Sullivan scare for Ireland as Colombia game abandoned". RTÉ Sports. 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Support Staff confirmed for Ireland WNT". Football Association of Ireland. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Republic of Ireland women's football players". Women's Football Archive. 13 June 2022.
- ^ "End of an era for Irish women". Kickin Magazine. 7 July 2000. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ Kelly, Niall (31 December 2020). "Noel King takes charge of Shelbourne's WNL team ahead of 2021 season". The42. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
King spent almost a decade in charge of Ireland's Women's National Team from 2000 to 2010
- ^ "Ronan succeeds King at Ireland helm". UEFA. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ Mackey, Liam (29 December 2016). "Sue Ronan kicks through football's glass ceiling". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ "Colin Bell replaces Sue Ronan as Ireland manager". RTÉ Sport. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ Fallon, John (4 September 2019). "Ex-Netherlands boss Vera Pauw appointed as new Ireland women's manager". Irish Independent. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ "Gleeson appointed interim Republic of Ireland boss in wake of Pauw exit". RTÉ News. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Ireland WNT squad selected for opening EURO 2025 qualifiers". Football Association of Ireland. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Niamh Fahey withdraws from Republic of Ireland squad". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "Erin McLaughlin links up with Ireland squad". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Olivia O'Toole; Escaping Drugs, Fighting Inequality & Becoming Ireland's Top Scorer – Her Sport". 6 March 2020.[dead link]
External links edit
- Republic of Ireland women's national football team @www.fai.ie